SÜMEYRA YARIŞ TOPAL The records about the history of world beliefs was made history with the discovery of Göbeklitepe. With the first workings on it beginning in 1983, Göbeklitepe is the world’s oldest temple. In June last year, the temple entered the UNESCO World Heritage List and hosted around 1 million visitors. With 2019 being called the ‘Göbeklitepe Year,’ the temple increased its number of visitors. OLDER THAN PYRAMIDS Belonging to the Neolithic Age, Göbeklitepe is located as the world’s first belief center. Before the discovery of Göbeklitepe, the oldest temple known was a 5000-year-old temple in Malta. The temple in Göbeklitepe is 7000 years older than this temple. More, it is 7000 years older than Stone Henge, and 7500 years older than the Egyptian pyramids. On the stones of the temple, animal figures can be seen, such as scorpions, snake, bull, lion, crane, and wild boar. SCIENTISTS ARE SURPRISED The historical temple was discovered in 1963. However, it was in 1995 when the works began professionally. Although20 temples have been discovered in the area, only 6 of them been open to the public. Since the temple was built in an area far from settlement regions, scientists are wondering how the material needed to build the temple, such as stones, were carried. THE START OF SETTLEMENT LIFE According to the findings of scientists, Göbeklitepe, located in the Örencik village 20 kilometers northeast of Urfa, was the first place to bring masses of people together. This is because the construction of the temple required an immense workforce and following its construction, the temple served as a center of faith for the people at that time. Again, according to the findings, many people settled in areas close to the temple.

23 Temmuz 2019 Salı

CANAN BİLGİN 13 THOUSAND 696 INVESTORS ESTABLISHED COMPANIES WORTH 2,8 BILLION TL According to Istanbul Chamber of Commerce records, foreign investors were mostly interested in the retail services, and construction sectors. Syria, the Netherlands, Iran, Luxembourg, and Iraq are among the top five countries that have invested in Istanbul. Foreign investors did not give up on investing in Istanbul, which is among the world’s biggest megacities. According to the ‘2018 Istanbul Foreign Investment and Capital Indicators Report,’ prepared by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, the number of companies established with foreign capital in the megacity increased by 107.30 percent in 2018. This number was 20.61 percent in 2017 and 2.83 percent in 2016.According to the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce’s trade register records, in the last year 13,696 foreign investors established companies with an approximately capital amount of 2,9 billion TL. ATTRACTIVE SECTORS In the newly founded companies, foreign investors showed most attention to retail, services, and construction sectors. Among the most popular sectors in this list, the retail sector obtained a total of 3,937 investors, with a total capital of 703,9 million TL. 3,011 investors intensified in the services sector. The amount of investment made in this sector equals 580,6 million TL. In the third most popular sector -construction-252 investors made an investment worth 494,7 million TL. LION’S SHARE TO RETAIL Retail, services, and construction are the sectors that foreign investors showed most attention in terms of capital. 59.87 percent of the foreign investors in Istanbul and 62.02 percent of the promised capital focused on these main sectors. When taking into consideration the promised capital of foreign investors that registered at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, the average capital per foreign investor is 209,402 TL. 163 INVESTORS FROM CHINA In the average foreign capital per foreign investor, the construction sector is in the lead with 1.252 investors and a total capital of 395 thousand TL. With 387 thousand TL energy, and with 378 thousand TL food, agriculture and animal husbandry constitute the highest value sectors of average capital per foreign investor. Countries in the Middle East and Europe were the lead in investing in Istanbul in 2018. The capital share of Middle Eastern countries stood at 48.02 percent, while EU countries was 23.09 percent. China drew attention as the country that invested in Istanbul with 163 investors. PREFERENCE BY THE NETHERLANDS AND LUXEMBOURG In the previous year, Syria, the Netherlands, Iran, Luxembourg and Iraq were the countries that made the most investment in Istanbul. The value of foreign capital pledged by 4 thousand 984 Syrian investors stands at 692 million TL. Syrian investors focused on the retail sector. With 86 investors and a capital of 334 million TL, the Netherlands was the second biggest investing country. Their prefence of investment however was the construction sector. Following these countries is Iran, with 1898 investors and an investment worth 273 million TL, Iran made the most investment in the services sector. FOCUSED ON 3 DISTRICTS According to the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce’s trade records, İstanbul’s Fatih district attracted the most investment. 3303 investors invested in Fatih. Esenyurt followed Fatih with 1950 investors, and Şişli with 1167 investors. 46.88 percent of foreign investors in Turkey chose one of these three districts. Average foreign investment per foreign investor Sectors The average capital Construction 395,127 Energy 386,675 Food, agriculture and animal husbandry 378,423 Mine and metals 337,831 Information technology 243,694 Machine and automotive 207,701 Services 192,647 Retail 161,442 Furniture and forest products 178,796 Logistics 153,335 Textile 125,803 Health 124,998 Press and media 87,396 The most established companies were limited companies Type Number of foreign investor Foreign investment (TL) Limited company 12,149 2,443,204,001 Joint-stock company 810 399,721,172 Unlimited company 732 21,900,000 Holding 2 1,140,000 Limited liability company 2 2,000,000 Cooperative housing society 1 100 Share in total Sectors Number of foreign investors Foreign capital (TL) Number of foreign investors % Foreign capital % Retail 3,937 703,919,870 28.75 24.54 Services 3,011 580,059,777 21.98 20.23 Food, agriculture and livestock 439 166,127,800 3.21 5.79 Textile 1,040 130,835,175 7.59 4.56 Construction and artefact 1,252 494,698,941 9.14 17.25 Mine and metals 400 135,132,531 2.92 4.71 Machine and automotive 527 109,985,496 3.85 3.83 Information technology 676 164,737,233 4.94 5.74 Press and media 447 39,065,825 3.26 1.36 Energy 255 98,602,150 1.86 3.44 Logistics 952 145,975,075 6.95 5.09 Health 655 81,874,000 4.78 2.85 Furniture and forest products 105 16,951,400 0.77 0.56 Total 13,696 2,867,965,273 100.00 100.00 Share in total Countries Number of foreign investors Foreign capital (TL) Number of foreign investors % Foreign capital % Syria 4,984 692,456,850 36.39 29.14 Netherlands 86 334,436,302 0.63 11.66 Iran 1,898 272,606,600 13.86 9.51 Luxembourg 13 148,305,340 0.009 5.17 Iraq 595 119,132,400 4.34 4.15 South Korea 9 113,100,000 0.07 3.94 Yemen 489 112,573,775 3.57 3.93 Egypt 757 111,092,200 5.53 3.87 Jordan 586 88,593,000 4.28 3.09 Germany 230 76,590,828 1.68 2.97 Azerbaijan 318 69,657,975 2.32 2.43 China 163 51,340,170 1.19 1.79 Libya 277 51,185,000 2.02 1.78 Qatar 38 47,760,945 0.28 1.67 Palestine 271 43,110,625 1.98 1.50 Other Total 2,982 13,696 536,023,262 2,867,965,273 21.77 100.00 18.69 100.­­­00

23 Temmuz 2019 Salı

Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry will prepare a legislation to support Turkish television series which make an annual turnover of £350 million ($461.5 million) and are watched by more than 500 million viewers worldwide. The amendment to the "Evaluation, classification and promotion of cinema films law" will provide incentives to Turkish TV series which will be shown abroad. It will also offer 30 percent financial support to foreign productions which are fully or partially shot in Turkey. Turkish series and productions are being showcased to 5,000 buyers from 110 countries at the MIPCOM entertainment and content market which kicked off in Cannes, France on Monday. A trade delegation comprising 45 representatives from 30 distribution and production companies attended MIPCOM. A Turkish animation booth was propped up at the fair for a second time with eight firms and 12 representatives of the animation industry. The fair will continue till Oct. 18. Speaking about the importance of cultural trade, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) President Sekib Avdagic said: "In this sense, the entrepreneurial spirit of the Turkish people and the richness of the sector boosts export in Cannes where the world's most important entertainment content market was established by meeting with international professionals." He said film and television which is described as "soft power" became a leading sector in the world, significantly contributing to the image of Turkey. "Turkish TV series are quite colorful. MIPCOM will see the launch of several new TV series from Turkey. There will be a number of successful projects. So, our expectation is also high," he said. Avdagic said the income from the Turkish series and film exports exceeded $300 million in 2017 from $100,000 in 2008. Pointing out that a good series could be sold abroad for $400,000-500,000 per episode, Avdagic said that a long-term series could make a turnover of over $50 million. Over 4,100 imported series were released on TV and online platforms in 2017 in the world, Avdagic said, adding that Britain and the U.S. are the top two exporting countries with more than 500 programs. "Turkey is one of the top five countries exporting series via TV and online platforms, as well as the U.K., the U.S., France and Germany," Avdagic said. 2019 FILM ACTION PLAN Turkish series catalogue: It is prepared by the ICOC Film Sector Coordination Committee of which the Culture and Tourism Ministry's General Directorate of Cinema is also a member. The digital version of the catalogue will be initially prepared. The information such as the name of the series, the number of episodes, the year of production, a brief review, ratings and the countries where they are watched will be included in the catalogue. Filming in Turkey Project: The original photos and videos of more than 150 natural, cultural and historical attractions in 17 Turkish provinces which are suitable for filming will be uploaded on the cinema portal. Istanbul Film Market: A film market will be launched in Istanbul with the support of a large international exhibition company which also organized MIPCOM. Thus, Istanbul will become an important center for the film market. 5 Film Fairs in Four Continents: ICOC will bring together Turkish filmmakers with foreign producers and purchasing delegations at the fairs. The Turkish productions will be introduced at five film and production fairs in four continents in 2018 and 2019. These fairs include MIPCOM and MIPTV in Cannes, ATF in Singapore, Discop in South Africa and Natpe in the U.S. Cooperation with China and Russia: China -- which conducts strict inspections -- is both the honored guest at MIPCOM 2018 and one of the four target countries of the Turkish Trade Ministry. Russia is also one of the target countries. Turkish Series Days: Especially Japan, Indonesia and Chile, where Turkish TV series are extensively watched, offer to launch "Turkish Series Days". Actors in the Turkish TV Series, the brands and products they use and places they live will be promoted. The streaming sector: Streaming -- which means being able to watch a film online without downloading it -- is a long-term and ground-breaking investment platform which has enormously changed the entertainment industry.

17 Ekim 2018 Çarşamba

Turkey is a large, rapidly developing country with a domestic consumer market of 80 million people. Over the last decade, Turkey has been aligning its regulations in anticipation of eventual EU membership, and its existing Customs Union with the EU currently offers significant opportunities for UK companies across a broad range of sectors. Turkey is big - with an area of 300,950 m2. It borders Greece, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq and Syria with easy land and sea access to the Gulf States, Near East and North Africa. As a result, there are opportunities for collaboration with Turkish companies to do business in third markets such as Central Asia and South Caucasus. BENEFITS FOR UK BUSINESSES Benefits for UK businesses exporting to Turkey include: Gateway to the markets of Central Asia, South Caucasus and the Middle East European business ethics and modern management practices Increasing use of English for business A six-day average to start a business Low social security contribution rate with an offer of a 5% rebate New initiatives to meet EU standards making it a more familiar business environment The youngest and fastest-growing population in Europe (700,000 graduates per year) Large consumer base with a growing middle class HIGH-TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS The bulk of Turkey’s economy is made up of a diversified services sector including real estate, tourism, financial services, education and health. Industry continues to play an important role, particularly in manufacturing which accounts for a large proportion of Turkish exports to Europe in the form of household goods e.g. Beko and Vestel. The Turkish Government aims to decrease Turkey’s import dependency in its growth and export structure, while increasing its capabilities to become an exporter of high-technology products. ENERGY TRANSIT HUB Turkey is also an important energy transit country and aims to become a European energy transit hub. Turkey has the capacity to transport 121 million tons of oil to the world markets per year, typically from the Middle East and Caspian to EU markets. This is roughly 3% of annual global oil consumption. It plans to increase its energy capacity with new pipelines and the opening of a Southern Gas Corridor for Caspian and Middle Eastern gas which would also allow for gas exports to reach the EU. For more information: www.turkey.doingbusinessguide.co.uk/the-guide 2,500 UK COMPANIES The Strategic Partnership signed by the UK and Turkish Prime Ministers in July 2010 cements the UK’s commitment to deepening the bilateral relationship. There are many existing business links between the UK and Turkey. Over 2,500 UK companies are currently operating in Turkey including global companies such as BP, Shell, Vodafone, Unilever, BAE, HSBC, Aviva and Diageo. Several retail giants and high street names such as Harvey Nichols, Kingfisher, Marks and Spencer and Laura Ashley also have extensive operations in Turkey. EUROPE’S 4TH BIGGEST ECONOMY According to HSBC’s ‘The World in 2050’ report in 2012 (http://www.businessinsider.com/these-economies-will-dominate-the-world-in-2050-2012-1?IR=T#12-turkey-39), Turkey will be the world’s 12th and Europe’s 4th biggest economy by 2050. Turkey aims to be among the world’s 10 largest economies by 2023, on the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic. IMPORTED INDUSTRIES The top-ten industries importing into Turkey are: Mineral fuels including oil Electrical machinery, equipment Machinery including computers Optical, technical, medical apparatus Vehicles Plastics, plastic articles Organic chemicals Gems, precious metals Aircraft, spacecraft TOP UK EXPORTS Machinery Pharmaceuticals Mechanical appliances Vehicles Iron and steel Plastics STRENGTHS OF THE TURKISH MARKET The world’s 16th largest economy and Europe’s sixth Forecast to be in the world’s top-ten economies by 2023 Strong Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth The youngest and fastest-growing population in Europe (700,000 graduates per year) Istanbul and Ankara are among the biggest cities in the world in terms of GDP Istanbul’s economy alone is larger than the collective economies of 12 EU countries Turkey has the world’s second largest contracting sector, after China Access to 1.5 billion customers in Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa and to markets with a total US $25 trillion GDP within four hours flight

31 Temmuz 2018 Salı

The Presidential Government System officially began with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s oath on July 9, 2018 at the Plenary Session of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Turkey adopted a new government system with June 24 elections. The Presidential Government System, passed in a referendum in 2017, was stipulated to enter into force after the elections on June 24. THE CABINET TO BE ESTABLISHED BY THE PRESIDENT With the new administration system, the government will be established not in the parliament but within the presidency. The head of the government will no longer be the prime minister but the president. The election age of deputies dropped from 25 to 18, whereas the number of deputies increased from 550 to 600 with the new government model. EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT The new government system will also have implications on the economy. An effective government model ensures rapid decision-making and those actions and reforms are decisive. PARLIAMENT WILL PASS LAWS The legislative (parliament) and executive (government) bodies will be strengthened with the presidential system. It will end the two-headed government system. The government will carry out the execution, the parliament will make laws and oversee the government. The parliament and government will be separated in a true meaning of the word. The nation will elect the parliament and the government and control them. LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS Legislative proposals will be given by the deputies. The Assembly will check the elected president and his cabinet. Because deputies will be in constant contact with their electorate, voters’ expectations will be reflected in a better way. CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL PEACE Strong government system will take Turkey to a more influential position in its region and global politics. It will also make greater contributions to regional and global peace and stability. As seen in the Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria, there will be greater opportunities in international cooperation and counter-terrorism. Turkey will assume a more effective and constructive role in resolving international issues. DECREE AUTHORITY In the Presidential Government System, the authority to issue a decree, now resting with the Council of Ministers, will be transferred to the President, acting as the single head of government. The president cannot issue decrees in the matters stipulated by the law. When the decree contradicts the law, the provisions of the law apply. If the parliament issues laws on the same issue, the decree becomes invalid. Decrees are subject to the control of the parliament and the Constitutional Court. YOUTH WILL ENTER THE PARLIAMENT The youth’s point of view will be reflected more in politics as they will be able to gain political experience at an early age. The deputy election age will fall from 25 to 18. STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION OF INSTITUTIONS Administrative regulations related to institutions will be made by presidential decrees. Structural transformations of institutions and the integration of units or institutions undertaking similar tasks will become easier. Institutions required with new technologies and applications will be quickly created. CHECK AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY The president's "non-liability" is removed. In other words, he/she will no longer be "authorized but non-liable.” The president faces supervision and criminal liability. According to the current constitution, the president can be put on trial only on charges of treason and three-fourths of the vote of the parliament. The new system makes it possible to launch an investigation on the grounds of committing a crime. The president’s all acts and proceedings will become subject to judicial review. NUMBER OF DEPUTIES TO INCREASE BY 50 The number of deputies will rise from 550 to 600, better suited to represent Turkey’s increasing population and giving citizens more representatives in their electoral areas. PUTTING AN END TO BUREAUCRATIC DELAYS The president will appoint and dismiss senior civil servants with decrees, putting an end to bureaucratic delays. It will enable changes regarding performance-based tasks to be undertaken in a much more swift fashion, allowing meritocracy come to the fore. ELECTIONS TO BE HELD EVERY FIVE YEARS Parliamentary elections will take place every five, rather than the current four year periods. Parliamentary and presidential elections will be held on the same day. This is aimed to decrease the possibility of early elections with the envision of uninterrupted five-year stabilization periods.

31 Temmuz 2018 Salı