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TURKEY HOPES NUCLEAR PARTNER FRANCE WILL REVIEW 'GENOCIDE' STANCE
Today's Zaman, Turkey
May 6 2013
Ankara is expecting to see Paris weigh its stance on Armenian genocide
claims rather more carefully amid improving trade ties, Turkish Energy
Minister Taner Yıldız told reporters Monday in Ankara.
France's GDF Suez will partner with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Ltd and Itochu Corporation to build Turkey's second nuclear power
plant at an estimated cost of $22 billion under an agreement signed
last week. The consortium will use French nuclear group Areva's
Atmea reactors.
Yıldız's remarks on Monday come on the heels of speculation in French
and Turkish media that the nuclear deal will benefit the political
relations between Paris and Ankara, which have been strained by the
former's recognition of killings of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman
Turks during World War I as genocide. Ankara last year rejected
requests by two French firms to be involved in Turkish nuclear power
projects amid Turkish anger at a French bill making it illegal to
deny that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century
ago was genocide.
Observers argued the French stance on the issue would continue to test
Turkey's patience as the 100th anniversary of 1915 events approaches.
It is known that the Armenian diaspora is pushing for a worldwide
initiative in 2015.
Recalling that the French government is aware of the need to break the
ice in ties with Turkey, Yıldız said he expected the latest energy
deal to serve this end. "We unfortunately failed to bring about a
rapprochement during the [former President Nicolas] Sarkozy term.
...last week's deal is a positive step to see this happen," Yıldız
remarked. The minister said although it is too early to expect
concrete steps from France in this regard, he believed energy matters
in political relations today more than ever before.
Apart from the genocide claims, Turkey also hopes to see France soften
its stance on the Ankara's bid to join the EU. Yıldız had earlier
said Turkey would expect gestures from Paris on its EU bid. Prior
to the nuclear deal, the French government agreed in February to the
opening of talks on one of the five negotiating chapters that it has
been blocking since former President Sarkozy's term in office.
Turkey to decide IPOs for nuke plant by October
Ankara is weighing a possible move to make public certain shares
in a company that is going to be established as part of a project
to build Turkey's second nuclear power plant, Minister Yıldız said
Monday in Ankara.
In line with the deal signed between Turkey and Japan, the parties
will establish a separate company to undertake the construction and
operation of the nuclear plant in Sinop province. A 51 percent share
in this company will belong to Japan, with the rest in Turkey's hands.
Yıldız said the government mulled two alternative plans: "One is we
give the entire 49 percent to the Electricity Generation Company
[EUAŞ], and the second plan is to keep EUAŞ's share at around 30
percent and either give the rest to local private firms or trade them
on the stock exchange." Yıldız said his ministry consulted with the
Treasury for a possible IPO and will reach a final decision after
deliberations with the participation of the Prime Minister's Office.
An Energy Ministry official told Today's Zaman on Monday that the
government would make clear the initial public offering (IPO) issue
in the planned nuclear company by October. "We will ink the final
contracts on the nuclear plant in October, and this is when the
government should decide on the IPO," he said.
In an earlier deal, Russia's Rosatom will start construction of
Turkey's first nuclear power station in mid-2015 in Mersin's Akkuyu
district.
Turkey guarantees the procurement of electric power from the two
nuclear plants during the 20 years following their completion. Ankara
will pay $12.35 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to Russia and $11.8 to Japan.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-314687-turkey-hopes-nuclear-partner-france-will-review-genocide-stance.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
May 6 2013
Ankara is expecting to see Paris weigh its stance on Armenian genocide
claims rather more carefully amid improving trade ties, Turkish Energy
Minister Taner Yıldız told reporters Monday in Ankara.
France's GDF Suez will partner with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Ltd and Itochu Corporation to build Turkey's second nuclear power
plant at an estimated cost of $22 billion under an agreement signed
last week. The consortium will use French nuclear group Areva's
Atmea reactors.
Yıldız's remarks on Monday come on the heels of speculation in French
and Turkish media that the nuclear deal will benefit the political
relations between Paris and Ankara, which have been strained by the
former's recognition of killings of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman
Turks during World War I as genocide. Ankara last year rejected
requests by two French firms to be involved in Turkish nuclear power
projects amid Turkish anger at a French bill making it illegal to
deny that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century
ago was genocide.
Observers argued the French stance on the issue would continue to test
Turkey's patience as the 100th anniversary of 1915 events approaches.
It is known that the Armenian diaspora is pushing for a worldwide
initiative in 2015.
Recalling that the French government is aware of the need to break the
ice in ties with Turkey, Yıldız said he expected the latest energy
deal to serve this end. "We unfortunately failed to bring about a
rapprochement during the [former President Nicolas] Sarkozy term.
...last week's deal is a positive step to see this happen," Yıldız
remarked. The minister said although it is too early to expect
concrete steps from France in this regard, he believed energy matters
in political relations today more than ever before.
Apart from the genocide claims, Turkey also hopes to see France soften
its stance on the Ankara's bid to join the EU. Yıldız had earlier
said Turkey would expect gestures from Paris on its EU bid. Prior
to the nuclear deal, the French government agreed in February to the
opening of talks on one of the five negotiating chapters that it has
been blocking since former President Sarkozy's term in office.
Turkey to decide IPOs for nuke plant by October
Ankara is weighing a possible move to make public certain shares
in a company that is going to be established as part of a project
to build Turkey's second nuclear power plant, Minister Yıldız said
Monday in Ankara.
In line with the deal signed between Turkey and Japan, the parties
will establish a separate company to undertake the construction and
operation of the nuclear plant in Sinop province. A 51 percent share
in this company will belong to Japan, with the rest in Turkey's hands.
Yıldız said the government mulled two alternative plans: "One is we
give the entire 49 percent to the Electricity Generation Company
[EUAŞ], and the second plan is to keep EUAŞ's share at around 30
percent and either give the rest to local private firms or trade them
on the stock exchange." Yıldız said his ministry consulted with the
Treasury for a possible IPO and will reach a final decision after
deliberations with the participation of the Prime Minister's Office.
An Energy Ministry official told Today's Zaman on Monday that the
government would make clear the initial public offering (IPO) issue
in the planned nuclear company by October. "We will ink the final
contracts on the nuclear plant in October, and this is when the
government should decide on the IPO," he said.
In an earlier deal, Russia's Rosatom will start construction of
Turkey's first nuclear power station in mid-2015 in Mersin's Akkuyu
district.
Turkey guarantees the procurement of electric power from the two
nuclear plants during the 20 years following their completion. Ankara
will pay $12.35 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to Russia and $11.8 to Japan.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-314687-turkey-hopes-nuclear-partner-france-will-review-genocide-stance.html