Türkiye Today

Erdoğan warns Finland and Sweden to meet Ankara’s demands, US President Biden supports F-16 sale to Türkiye, Ankara court bans access to broadcasters DW and VoA, minimum wage raised a way below inflation…

Here is what you need to know what is happening in “Türkiye Today“:

1- Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdoğan said Ankara could still block Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO, stressing that the countries must meet Ankara’s demands and extradite terror suspects. 

He said that Sweden must extradite 73 alleged terrorists in order to secure Türkiye’s permission to join the military alliance in a press conference on June 30 on his way back from Madrid. 

“This business will not work if we don’t pass this in our parliament,” Erdoğan said adding, “First, Sweden and Finland must fulfil their duties and those are already in the text. But if they don’t fulfil these, then of course there is no way we would send it to our parliament.”

Sweden rebuffs Erdoğan’s comments

Following Erdoğan’s statement, Sweden’s Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said that extraditions are made by independent courts. 

“In Sweden, Swedish law is applied by independent courts,” Morgan Johansson said. “Non-Swedish citizens can be extradited at the request of other countries, but only if it is compatible with Swedish law and the European Convention. It is the Supreme Court that makes that determination and has the right to veto. That order is fixed.” YetkinReport, Guardian ,  Telegraph

2- U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States supports the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye and that he is confident the congressional approval needed for the sale can be obtained.

Speaking at a news conference in Madrid at the end of a NATO summit, he rejected suggestions that Washington’s support for the sale was in return for Türkiye lifting its block to the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland. Reuters

3- An Ankara court order to block access to broadcasters Deutsche Welle and Voice of America. Türkiye’s Istanbul Court issued an access block to DW and VoA websites upon the media watchdog’s request. The move came after the Radio and Television Regulation Agency (RTÜK) requested the outlets to be blocked after they refused to register Turkish regulations. The German public broadcaster says it plans to take legal action against the move. Politico 

If you ask what is the relationship between registration and access blocks, you can read from this link: YetkinReport

• The music video of the singer Mabel Matiz is also banned by RTÜK.

4- Türkiye can re-export grain products like wheat, oat, and barley from the Black Sea to countries in need after talks with Russia and Ukraine, President Tayyip Erdogan said on July 1, adding he would discuss the matter with both countries in the coming days. Reuters 

5- The banking watchdog’s recent decision to restrict the Turkish Lira borrowing sparked debate over the government’s measures to support the national currency; some argue the move amount to capital control rather than a precautionary measure. 

Minister of Finance and Treasury Nurettin Nebati refuted the capital control claims. ”Türkiye will never give concessions to free-market ideals,” he said on July 1 in Diyarbakır. 

Fatih Özatay’s assessment from YetkinReport: “Recent Banking Move: No solution to vigorish borrowing” 

Pelin Ünker’s report from DW: “Türkiye mulls capital controls amid currency crisis and record inflation” 

6- Türkiye raises the minimum wage by 30 percent. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the minimum wage will be raised by 30 percent to a base of 5,550 Turkish Liras. 

According to The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions’ (Türk-İş) “Starvation and Poverty Line Survey”

• The amount of minimum monthly food expenditure of a family of four to have a healthy, balanced and adequate diet (starvation line) has increased to 8,313 Turkish Lira (TRY).
• The expenditures of a family of four for food, clothing, housing (rent, electricity, water and fuel), transportation, education, healthcare, etc. (poverty line) amount to 20,818 TRY.
• The ‘cost of living’ of a single employee has increased to 8,313 Turkish Lira (TRY).

HDN, Bianet English