TURKEY: A prisoner exchange & more – 6th Aug 2024

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 6th of August twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

This week, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization facilitated a major prisoner exchange between the West and Russia, involving twenty-six individuals from seven countries. The exchange took place in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, and transferred ten people, including two children, to Russia, thirteen to Germany, and three to the U.S.

Among those freed were Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, imprisoned for espionage in Slovenia. The couple garnered significant social media attention in Turkey for their commitment to their spy personas. Upon landing in Ankara, Vladimir Putin, the Russian President greeted the couple and their children. Reportedly, the children had only just learned of their Russian origins upon landing in Ankara. The kids didn't speak Russian or recognize Putin, who had to greet them in Spanish.

On to international relations… On Friday the 2nd, President Erdoğan announced a one-day national mourning for Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader who was assassinated in Iran, to demonstrate support for the Palestinian cause. Erdoğan expressed condolences and solidarity with the Palestinian people in his statement.

However, the decision faced criticism. Fatih Altaylı, a prominent journalist, argued that the government hadn’t mourned the recent death of thirty-two Turkish soldiers, sarcastically suggesting the government might mourn every death in the Arabian Peninsula. Ümit Özdağ, leader of the ultranationalist Victory Party, also opposed the decision, stating that the Turkish flag should only be lowered for Turkish heroes or on November 10th to commemorate Atatürk’s death. In response to the backlash, President Erdoğan called critics “unscrupulous" and insisted that the government didn’t need their approval, citing his electoral mandate. Critics argued that Erdoğan’s personal feelings shouldn’t dictate national mourning policies, suggesting such decisions should remain within his party or private sphere.

Next up… On Friday the 2nd, the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, or BTK, announced that the country blocked access to Instagram. The authority initially provided no reason or timeline for the ban. However, many pointed out that the ban followed the remarks of Turkey's communications director, accusing Instagram of censorship over the app blocking condolence posts about Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas official.

The BTK later clarified that the ban resulted from Instagram’s failure to address criminal content, including insults to Atatürk, the country’s founder, and sexual abuse of minors. The BTK will lift the ban once Instagram complies with content removal requests. President Erdoğan’s Instagram account briefly posted during the ban but quickly removed the story afterward.

About the ban, the Vice Chair of the Association of E-Commerce Operators stated that it disrupted social media transactions, which make up 10% of the country's e-commerce. He added that it could impact up to around two billion Turkish liras, around fifty-seven million US Dollars in daily e-commerce, including influencer activities. However, the Trade Minister said Instagram sales aren't considered e-commerce as transactions often happen via phone or WhatsApp, leading to unregulated, tax-evading sales. This generalization overlooks that many brands use Instagram for marketing or influencer advertising, which boosts their sales significantly.

More on the economy. A global drop in Brent petrol prices has pushed oil prices to their lowest levels this year, leading to a decrease of two liras, or seven cents, per liter in gas prices. This reduction, immediately reflected at pumps, brings the cost to around forty-four liras, about a dollar sixty per liter. Despite the drop in Brent oil prices, diesel prices remain unchanged.

Moving on, Amid the rise of discount shopping platforms like Temu, which recently entered the Turkish market with cheap international goods, a presidential decree has revised Turkey's customs regulations. The decree, published in the Official Gazette, reduces the limit for tax-free overseas express cargo purchases from 150 euros, around 160 US dollars, to thirty euros, around thirty-two dollars. Taxes on imports from the European Union have increased from 18% to 30%, and from non-EU countries from 30% to 60%. This change aims to address the influx of low-cost goods and adjust tax rates accordingly. Many have criticized the tax increases, with some even launching petitions to reverse the decision. Critics argue that the government is burdening people with excessive taxes and working hard to eliminate affordable options from the market.

In other news, on Sunday the 4th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel advisory for Lebanon. The advisory urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel and advised those already in Lebanon to stay away from Nabatieh, South Lebanon, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel provinces unless necessary. The Ministry emphasized the risk of a rapidly deteriorating security situation amid tension with Israel. It recommended that Turkish citizens leave Lebanon if possible, while commercial flights remain available. The Ministry also encouraged following updates on their official websites and social media accounts.

Speaking of Israel, on Sunday the 4th, Turkish police temporarily detained three members of the 1,000 Youth for Palestine Initiative during a protest in Istanbul against the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan, or SOCAR, which has a branch in Turkey. People say that SOCAR supplies oil to Israel, which protesters accused of fueling the conflict in Gaza. The demonstrators faced charges of damaging property, deliberately endangering public security, and violating protest laws.

After spending the night in detention and providing statements to the prosecutor's office, the police released the demonstrators under judicial control measures. The group criticized SOCAR on social media, denouncing its role in the conflict and calling for Turkey to cut ties with Israel. Despite an official halt to trade with Israel, some companies, including SOCAR, maintain their dealings.

On another note, on Saturday the 4th, Turkey’s Trade Ministry revealed that they seized over two tonnes of methamphetamine at the Gürbulak Border Gate in eastern Ağrı province. Customs teams, coordinating with the Narcotic Crimes Combat Department, intercepted the meth hidden in a truck from Iran. The seizure set a new record for the amount confiscated.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation. According to the twenty twenty-two European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction report, Istanbul and Adana ranked among the top centers for methamphetamine use in Europe. The UN's twenty twenty-two report also highlighted Turkey's role as a major transit point for drugs heading to the Middle East and Europe.

Moving on, the General Directorate of Forestry, or OGM, failed to meet its targets for aerial firefighting equipment in the first half of twenty twenty-four. Despite setting a goal to acquire firefighting planes and helicopters, the OGM did not spend any of the 500 million liras, fifteen million dollars, allocated.

The agency also missed other key targets, including purchasing eighty first-response vehicles and five graders. Of the fifteen billion liras, over 435 million dollars, budgeted for forest protection, they spent less than five billion liras, around 140 million dollars. The same goes for forest expansion as well. Forest fires are a serious problem in the country, damaging thousands of hectares of land each year. However, despite having the budget, the government refuses to buy the necessary equipment to fight these fires.

Here’s some great news for those who love Greek myths. Excavations at the Laodicea Ancient City in Denizli, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have uncovered a remarkable group of colorful Skylla sculptures. The excavation leader stated that the statues vividly illustrate a key scene from Homer’s Odyssey. They depict Skylla, a sea monster from the Odyssey, and include highly detailed portrayals of its fierce canine appendages and the tormented figure of Odysseus. The statues' exceptional preservation and vivid colors make this discovery particularly noteworthy in the field of archaeology.

This discovery is significant as it provides tangible evidence of the mythological figures described in Homer's epic, shedding light on the artistic and cultural context of the era.

Here’s an intriguing update: The top appeals court has upheld a local court’s ruling in a divorce case, finding a woman at fault for not calling her in-laws mother and father Traditionally, couples might use these terms out of courtesy, reflecting mutual respect. However, the court now considers this practice a fundamental aspect of marriage, making it a legitimate reason for seeking divorce. Quite a development, huh?

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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