Briefings from the Turkish press

Dr. Daron Acemoğlu: “Dictatorships never go away on their own”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty member Dr. Daron Acemoğlu spoke during a High Advisory Council meeting of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD).

Stating that democracies have a very positive effect on the economic growth of countries, Acemoğlu said, “Dictatorships never go away on their own, especially during economic crises… since the economic crises often lead to democracy. And yet, despite these challenges, democracies are the ones making the contributions.”

Acemoğlu also drew attention to the importance of quality growth. “In times of quality growth in the 2000s, inequality is also falling. However, we see that inequality increases again when quality growth and institutionalization deteriorate,” said Acemoğlu, adding that inequality is not only a problem for Europe and the US, but also for Turkey.

Acemoğlu said, “If we look at any institutional index, we notice that there have been many regressions in the last 15 years in Turkey. Especially in the last five or six years, Turkey has experienced the highest institutional regression, after Mali. These include the regression of freedom of the media and freedom of expression in particular.” In the 2021 World Press Freedom Index announced by the International Reporters Without Borders, Turkey was ranked 153rd out of 180 countries.

A Report from The Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (TİHEK) on Armenia’s violations in Karabakh

The Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (TİHEK) has published a report entitled “Armenia’s Actions in Karabakh: Report on Human Rights Violations and Follow-up of Violations.” The report stated that there is evidence that Armenia systematically killed civilians in the Karabakh War and that more than 20-thousand people lost their lives during the 28-year Karabakh occupation, and many settlements were destroyed during the 44-day war. It is also stated that 3,326 detached houses, 504 civilian facilities and 120 multi-story settlements were destroyed by Armenia and that during the 44-day war 12 children lost their lives and 50 children were injured. The report also mentions that Armenia widely violated the rules of international law regulating the weapons and methods of warfare in the conflicts and used some prohibited weapons to attack settlements and civilian infrastructure. In addition, it says that Armenia had targeted health buildings and health workers with immunity, used child soldiers in armed conflicts, abused journalists and healthcare professionals and caused heavy damage to the environment and to the works of historical and cultural value.

“Turkuaz” Express block train carries wheat seeds to green the lands of Karabakh

The first wheat seeds that will be planted in Karabakh were transported by “Turkuaz” Express block train on October 15 through the new route connecting Turkey to Azerbaijan: the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) Railway.

In Van, treasure hunters destroy Urartian heritage with construction machines

Treasure hunters are destroying Zirnekol Hill, an Urartian historical site, using construction machines in search for valuable antiques.

Iran-Armenian drug network collapses with Karabakh liberation

It has been reported that Iran and Armenia are producing illegal drugs in Karabakh, which Azerbaijan liberated from the Armenian occupation after 28 years. The Armenian state, which ignored all calls and recommendations of the international organizations, continued its illegal actions for years by acting against the norms and principles of international law.

The carpet that the customer brought to clean turned out to be worth a fortune

A 110 year-old carpet woven by Kumkapi carpetmaster Zareh Penyamin was on display during the fourth annual Traditional Malatya Promotion Days exhibition. The value of the carpet was revealed when Bülent Çakırhan, who is engaged in the carpet business, encountered the carpet when his customer brought it to clean. Stating that the carpet is worth 150 thousand dollars, Çakırhan said, “I was shocked when I saw it because we usually see these carpets in museums. I immediately called the owner of the carpet and bought it.” The carpet has four verses on it. “Hagop” was written on the lower left corner of the carpet as a demonstration of appreciation from Penyamin to his apprentice.

Paylan: If we do not raise our voices, the 2022 budget will be the “budget of the war”

The 2022 Central Government Budget Bill will be discussed in the Parliamentary Plan and Budget Committee as of October 26. Ahead of the committee’s upcoming meetings, HDP’s Garo Paylan commented, “The budget doesn’t meet the demands of the people.” “When the defense budget has increased, the people have become impoverished,” he added. “When the choice is war, the demands of the people are forgotten.”

The name of Istanbul-Bakırköy’s Dadyan Street has changed once again – “We have been living here as brothers for years. What has been done is very wrong”

Requests for giving Hovahannes Dadyan’s name to the street where the Dzınunt Surp Asdvadzadzin Church and Dadyan School are located have not been accepted for years. Dadyan was an engineer who lived during the Ottoman era and built the church and the school himself on this street in the Zeytinlik District in Istanbul-Bakırköy.

Mesut Özdemir, president of the Dadyan Foundation, has been a longtime critic of this decision not to name the street Dadyan since 2008. Neighborhood residents are also against the change of the name of the street.

Several thousand-year-old Hasuni Caves became a junkyard!

The smell and smoke coming out of the landfill between the Hasuni Caves and İncesu village, which are six kilometers away from the Silvan district of Diyarbakir and where ruins from 1000 BC to the 13th century are located, disturb both the tourists and the villagers. It has been like this for around 20 years now.

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Tsoler Aghjian

Tsoler Aghjian is a registered pharmacist from Lebanon who has pursued her PharmD degree from the Lebanese University and gained her experience by working in several community pharmacies. Her professional interests focus on patient coaching and medication therapy management. She speaks five languages: Armenian, Arabic, English, French and Turkish; she is currently learning Spanish and considers translation a hobby. Her favorite quote is Paracelsus’ “Sola dosis facit venenum”.