TURKEY: Meeting & more – 18th Jun 2024

ting constitution and the Constitutional Court's decisions before drafting a new one.

On that note about Özel, on Friday the 14th, he held a Wheat Rally in Tekirdağ to protest grain purchase prices, which are below the input costs. Before the rally, farmers protested with a tractor convoy. Özel also joined the convoy with a tractor. Speaking at the rally, Özel highlighted that despite a growing population, wheat cultivation has decreased by three million hectares over twenty-five years. He criticized the government for importing forty-eight million tons of wheat since two thousand two, turning Turkey from a self-sufficient nation into an importer.

Moving on… On Saturday the 15th, the Turkish Treasury and Finance Ministry announced that the new five-lira coins, worth approximately fifteen US Cents, were ready for distribution. The Turkish State Mint stated that the new five-lira coin is to replace smaller coins, which have become nearly useless due to inflation. Reportedly, the Central Bank plans to release the coins next week. It will be the biggest and heaviest coin.

Previously, the State Mint denied claims of a five-lira coin and a 500-lira bill, calling them attempts to rouse polemics. However, bigger bills are necessary. The biggest one is the 200 lira bill, worth around six US Dollars. The average bill for a meal out is around 300 liras, which is nine dollars. Weekly groceries cost double that. A bottle of water costs between seven to ten liras, and a loaf of bread costs ten liras minimum, both less than a dollar. The lack of bigger bills makes it hard to pay in cash.

In other news… Back in May, the Turkish Medical Association or TTB urged medical schools to uphold ethical standards in reciting the Hippocratic Oath at graduation ceremonies. However, on Thursday the 13th, the Yıldırım Beyazıt University in Ankara ignored these warnings, altering the oath by removing references to gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity, and changing "I solemnly, freely pledge upon my pride" to "I solemnly, freely pledge on my honor." Students protested by remaining silent during the ceremony.

The TTB Vice President emphasized that the Hippocratic Oath is a universal pledge and announced that medical chambers would initiate disciplinary investigations against deans of schools implementing such changes. Alarms were raised, as homophobia and xenophobia could drive medical educators to allow future doctors to discriminate against patients.

In some news on the economy… In response to high inflation and a record budget deficit, the government plans to introduce significant tax increases. The Parliament is set to discuss a draft law after the Sacrifice Feast holiday, initiating a tax overhaul affecting real estate, cryptocurrency trading, corporate taxes, and departure fees. Reportedly, these new hikes come in response to last year's earthquake expenditures and recent election spending. To reduce this deficit, the Treasury plans to implement stringent tax measures across various sectors, significantly impacting the public. However, the government is facing criticism for continuing to grant tax exemptions to the rich. They argue that if heavy taxes are necessary to cover budget deficits, they should be applied to everyone, not just ordinary citizens.

With the new law, the government will require independent couriers, especially online food delivery workers, to register for tax purposes. It will also apply a 15% income tax. The Treasury will impose a transaction tax on cryptocurrency trading, generating about four billion liras or 120 million dollars annually. The draft also includes increased penalties for tax irregularities and reduced exemptions for disabled vehicles and inheritance taxes.

However, the hike that gained the most backlash was the overseas departure fee…The government plans to increase it tenfold, from 150 liras, about five US Dollars, to 1,750 liras, about 50 US Dollars. A CHP Deputy criticized the proposal and added that the party had submitted a bill to abolish the fee altogether for the second time. The deputy highlighted the already high travel costs, questioning why austerity measures always target citizens and humorously warned that tax hikes could lead to a "breathing tax." He called for the planned increase to be withdrawn.

Speaking of traveling… With the nine-day holiday this week to celebrate the Sacrifice fest, many citizens wanted to take advantage of Greece’s newly introduced via-on-arrival application, which allows Turkish citizens to visit the islands without needing to get caught up in the hurdle of obtaining a Greek visa. The islands became a hot spot for travel lovers due to the easy visa process and cheaper price tags but the abundance of applications overwhelmed Greek authorities, causing delays in the process. Many travelers couldn't cross to Rhodes Island and got stuck in Marmaris in Turkey because their visas didn’t get approved in time.

A travel agency manager reported that despite having tickets, visa applications, and hotel reservations, over a hundred passengers couldn’t travel because of late notifications from Greek authorities. He demanded an official letter from them and noted that a similar issue occurred in Fethiye, where fifty travelers were turned back at the Greek border due to the delays.

If the Greek Islands are not for you, you can check out The Ephesus Ancient City in Izmir, one of the leading tourist attractions in the city. However, on Monday the 17th, Windstar Cruises, a tourism agency, held an exclusive dinner event for foreign tourists at the Library of Celsus. Because it’s a nine-day holiday in the country right now, domestic tourists also flocked to the site, but were dismayed to find the Library of Celsus closed for the private event. Locals clapped to express their frustration and protested against the private event. Cruise passengers departed the ancient city following the protests. The use and closure of the site for a private event were put into question, and the backlash continues to grow on social media. However, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has yet to comment.

Since we mentioned islands, on Saturday the 15th, the police detained nine people in Büyükada, the largest of Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, during a protest against the introduction of minibusses for island transport. The Istanbul Municipality, led by the CHP, began operating electric minibusses on the islands despite local objections. Protesters argued that minibus public transportation was not suitable for the islands, adding that they were designed for pedestrians and personal vehicles were already banned. They said that authorities had promised not to operate these vehicles without local consent. Demonstrators blocked the minibusses’ routes, and the gendarmerie detained them. The islanders started nearly fifteen hundred petitions in May and there are four thousand previous petitions from the Islands Civil Initiative. However, the municipality defends the minibusses, saying they are sustainable and accessible.

And to close this edition… Last year, a bookshop in Istanbul caused quite a stir on social media after it put up a sign that said Jews not allowed in both Turkish and English. The bookshop was Istanbul Municipality’s property and the Istanbul Municipality decided not to renew the lease agreement this year, likely due to its discrimination against Jewish people. Reportedly, because it couldn’t renew the lease, the bookstore closed.

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

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