Turkey’s business world weary of gov’t pressure, says Kalkavan


Date posted: March 18, 2014

 

İSTANBUL

Representatives of Turkey’s business sector say they are “tired of” increased government pressure and interventions following the Dec. 17 corruption probe, prominent businessman İhsan Kalkavan told Today’s Zaman on Sunday.

Kalkavan is the owner of the Beşiktaş Maritime Group and former president of the Turkish soccer club Beşiktaş. “I have met a number of businesspeople from different sectors and political views since Dec. 17. … All of them say they are seriously concerned about how Turkey is heading towards increased authoritarianism,” Kalkavan said. The businessman added that the government’s way of dealing with the corruption allegations has been “incomprehensible,” and that he had difficulty explaining to his foreign associates about recent purges of hundreds of police officers and dozens of investigators. “I have concrete proof that most foreign investors in Turkey have been discouraged from embarking on new projects, seeing as how the government has been pressuring local firms.”

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan alleges that the Hizmet movement is working to undermine his political power, but he has provided no sound evidence to prove his claim. The Hizmet movement has so far dismissed all claims fabricated by the pro-government media and used by Erdoğan as “baseless.” Erdoğan has threatened to make companies critical of the government “pay for it.”

In an earlier interview, Kalkavan said the prime minister’s harsh language against Hizmet members saddened him as well as many other businessmen and citizens who are sympathetic toward the movement.

The Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) and the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (TÜSİAD) have repeatedly warned that Turkey is at risk of losing foreign investments so long as the government continues to show a lack of respect for the rule of law and European Union legal codes.

Source: Todays Zaman , March 17, 2014


Related News

Exclusive: Turkey, Kosovo violated fundamental rights of expelled teachers, UN body says

The UN group called on Ankara to release the six individuals immediately, and the Turkish and Kosovar governments to accord the victims an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.

Or is it Gülenophobia?

Turkey’s frequently changing agenda has recently been dominated by one issue: An İstanbul prosecutor overseeing an investigation into a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)-linked terrorist organization has asked the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office to hear the testimony of National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan and has obtained arrest warrants for four other MİT agents. MERVE BÜŞRA […]

Sweep these [journalists] off the floor

Sevgi Akarçeşme, former editor in chief of Today’s Zaman, recalls the night when the police raided the building of the most important and independent opposition newspaper in Turkey. «What happened to journalists today» she warns « can happen to citizens tomorrow».

Yet another woman detained due to Gülen links shortly after delivery

Sultan Çetintaş, who gave birth on Monday to her third child in the Turkish province of İzmir, was detained on Tuesday over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement. Çetintaş was taken to the courthouse with her one-day-old baby after undergoing a C-section.

Who is Fethullah Gulen, the man blamed for coup attempt in Turkey?

Was a plan to overthrow Turkey’s government really hatched behind a gated compound in a small, leafy Pennsylvania town, or is that merely a smoke screen? In the throes of a military coup attempt, Turkey’s embattled president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pointed the finger of blame squarely at his bitter rival: Fethullah Gulen. At the center […]

Der Spiegel’s recent strange attack on the Hizmet (Gulen) Movement

Ihsan Yilmaz  August 9, 2012 Der Spiegel has published a piece about the Hizmet (Gülen) movement. Unfortunately, the piece does not look like a work of journalism. The wording, selection of so-called experts, and most importantly distortions, misleading points and false information make the piece very problematic. The piece starts with a claim that “Gülen […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

German state minister: Persecuted Turks can apply for asylum in Germany

Turkish school honored with state medal in Laos

Prominent businessman Akın İpek pledges huge support to Kimse Yok Mu

Malaysia Exposes Abductions By Erdoğan’s Long Arm In Asia

Fountain Magazine wins APEX Award for publication excellence

Gülen to file lawsuit against PM Erdoğan over defamation campaign

EU expresses concern over declaration of Gülen movement as terrorist without due process

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News