Hope both Turkish and Indian currencies recover: Turkey's Ambassador
New Delhi, Sep 12 : With Turkey's currency in a free fall amid a trade war with the US, the Ambassador of Turkey to India, Sakir Özkan Torunlar on Wednesday said he hopes the fall in the lira and the Indian rupee would soon be retrieved.
He was speaking at an informal meeting with the media at his residence here with a focus on current tourism statistics and trends between India and Turkey.
On the fall in Turkey's lira and India's rupee, the Ambassador said: "I hope the track will reverse for both the currencies. I think this is a temporary phase which our countries will gradually get over."
Since the start of the year, Turkey's currency has fallen over 45 per cent against the US dollars. As a result, all imported goods became more expensive practically overnight.
The catalyst for the current crisis was US sanctions, which the Trump administration imposed on August 1 after the Turkey government refused to hand over an American pastor it has detained for almost two years. Turkey responded by doubling tariffs on US cars, alcohol and other goods.
When asked about the conflict with the US, Ambassador Torunlar said the international community should follow the rules and regulations laid down by the WTO or "in (case of a)a conflict, raise their opinion with organizations in Geneva."
The Ambassador also talked about the warm relation between India and Turkey saying the number of Indian tourists has doubled in just a year.
"In 2017, Turkey hosted more than 32 million international tourists among them 87,000 were from India. This year, from January to July, we recorded a 25% increase in the number of overall tourists. That means we will be hosting 40 million international tourists by the end of 2018.
"When we look at figures from India, we see a 95% increase for the same period. If this trend continues we will be hosting almost 2 lakhs Indian tourists by the year-end," he said.
Deniz Ersöz, Culture and Tourism Counsellor, Turkish Embassy, talked about what all his country has to offer to Indian tourists.
"Istanbul, Antalya, Cappadocia, Troy and Izmir are extremely popular with Indian travellers. However, Bodrum and Marmaris have also emerged as major tourist attractions in recent past. In addition to that, Konya where Celaleddin Rumi spent his last 45 years, the sacred site where he was buried is also among the popular destinations for Indians, " he said.
He added that Istanbul will be getting a new airport by the end of October this year.
"It will be one of the largest airports in the world with a capacity of 200 million passengers per year," he said.
On the occasion, Arjun Kapoor, Sales Manager-North and East India, Turkish airlines, said that to promote tourism in the country, the airlines also offer a pre-city tour for all the transit passengers.
"The airlines will take the transit passengers to visit all the Istanbul's historical and cultural areas and then take the passengers back to airport to catch their flight," Kapoor said.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
