Turkish Contractors in Turkmenistan Facing Payment Crisis
Turkish construction companies in Turkmenistan are on the edge of big losses as the government rejects to pay an alleged $1 billion for completed or ongoing projects, businessmen say. The Turkmen government is either seizing equipment or offering new and attractive contracts to overcome upcoming legal problems, they say Turkish construction companies in Turkmenistan are hardly financing their ongoing projects in the country as the government is not doing any payments, according to some businessmen.Turkish construction firms doing business in Turkmenistan are facing financial problems as the government is rejecting to pay the cost of completed projects worth $1 billion, according to contractors speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Sunday.
“More than 40 Turkish construction firms have been subjected to mistreatment,” said Tarık Bozbey, head of the Mediterranean Exporters Union and head of Bozbey Construction. “Turkish firms there are in a serious financial struggle.”
Bozbey said that because the Turkmen government was not making its obligatory payments the construction of some projects could not be completed. The government seized construction vehicles and equipment from some Turkish firms “illegally,” according to Bozbey. “This means billions of dollars in losses for the firms,” he said, adding that the Turkmen state had violated international laws by mistreating the Turkish firms.
Turkish defense industry companies' new target has become Latin American countries. Turkish defense industry companies continue to make promotions and marketing in all corners of the world. Following a recent protocol signed in Indonesia that was worth 400 million USD, the Turkish Undersecretariat of Defense Industry (SSM) is helping Turkish defense industry companies to market their goods in Latin American countries. 
Turkish businessman Aydin Dogan agreed to sell the Milliyet and Vatan newspapers to DK Gazetecilik & Yayincilik AS, owned by the Demiroren and Karacan groups, for $74 million. Dogan will sell Milliyet for $48 million and Vatan for $26 million, unit Dogan Gazetecilik AS (DGZTE), which controls the newspapers, said in a filing with the Istanbul Stock Exchange today. 
Turkey offers Swedish investors vast opportunities for cheap employment and regional access, according to İshak Alaton, chairman of Turkish-Swedish Business Council at Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey, or DEİK.
JEDDAH: With the opening of the branch of a leading Turkish bank in Jeddah, trade and commerce between Turkey and Saudi Arabia will reach new heights, said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan here on Saturday.
EAST HARTFORD, CT--(Marketwire - March 13, 2011) - Turkish Airlines (THY), the national carrier of Turkey, has again selected the International Aero Engines AG V2500 SelectOne™ engine to power its A320 family aircraft. IAE will deliver 10 firm engines in 2013.
PARIS — Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (Melco) of Japan, in its biggest-ever commercial satellite award, has bested its U.S. and European competitors to win a Turkish government contract to build two telecommunications satellites, Melco announced March 8.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Turkey has recently decided to implement INKSURE's machine readable taggant solution for the security of the country's museum and historical site entrance tickets. The Ministry will implement the solution on entry tickets and smart museum entry cards for the next six years. As of 1 January 2011, the cards include a high-security hot-stamped hologram and the tickets include a hologram label. This solution makes the tickets and cards extremely difficult to counterfeit, yet very easy to authenticate in the field. The hologram contains overt security features created by MTM Security, a Turkish hologram manufacturer and covert security features created by InkSure Technologies, an American machine-readable taggant technology manufacturer.
Turkey has finally broken its silence over the Egyptian crisis after major newspapers criticised the government for its inexplicable silence on the issue.
The head of Turkey's Housing Development Administration (TOKI) said on Saturday that his organization could build nearly 100,000 new houses in Venezuela. Commenting on Venezuela's calling on Turkey to extend support for housing projects after a recent flood disaster that left nearly 140,000 Venezuelans homeless, TOKI President Erdogan Bayraktar said his organization could take 10 to 100 contractors to Venezuela as a first step.
A growth of 17.2 percent is envisaged in public investments in 2011, an election year. Out of the TL47.9bn worth of public investments planned for 2011, TL16.7bn is to be carried out by local administrations.
While many tourism authorities agree that the financial crisis, still prevailing especially in Europe, continues to badly affect Turkish tourism, an 11 percent increase in the number of tourists visiting the southern city of Antalya in 2010 is a positive sign for sector representatives. 
Turkey is stepping up its role in Iraq, vying with Iran as a regional power. These powerful neighbors use investments and building projects to ensure long-term influence. The competition is heating up as the U.S. prepares to withdraw troops from Iraq by the end of next year. Northern Iraq is the staging ground for Turkey's bid for economic dominance, and the Marina restaurant in Irbil is the kind of place that businessmen come to make deals. The food is pricey, and the live entertainment is in Turkish, a sign of Turkey's growing role. In the central market, Turkish products are available in every shop stall. (A scene at shopping mall in Erbil) 
