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TURKEY

Turkish ambassador: Saab CEO called us

Turkey's ambassador in Stockholm on Tuesday denied reports that her country was interested in purchasing Saab Automobile, claiming Saab CEO Victor Muller had sought a meeting in a last ditch effort to save the company from bankruptcy.

Turkish ambassador: Saab CEO called us

Shortly after the Vänersborg District Court approved Saab’s bankruptcy petition on Monday afternoon, Sveriges Television (SVT) reported that Turkey had been in contact with the Swedish government and Saab management to express its interest in purchasing the beleaguered Swedish automaker.

While Turkey’s ambassador in Stockholm, Zergün Korutürk confirmed that she and other embassy officials met with Muller on December 14th, she explained that the meeting came at the request of the Saab CEO.

“The CEO of Saab came to see me at his own request at the embassy residence,” Korutürk told The Local.

She explained that during the meeting, Muller, referenced contacts he had in Turkey which had signaled to him that the country was interested in launching production of a Turkish automobile brand.

“He thought Saab would be a good choice” to help kick-start Turkey’s domestic car production plans, Korutürk said of Muller’s proposal.

“I told him I would inform the authorities in my country of all that he had told me.”

Korutürk explained that Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made no secret of his hope for Turkey to have a purely domestic auto brand.

She emphasized, however, that there are no negotiations underway between Turkey and Saab regarding a possible purchase.

“There’s nothing more I can say because nothing else happened,” said Korutürk.

Meanwhile, Chinese automaker Youngman, whose decision to pull out of a deal to purchase Saab precipitated the Swedish carmaker’s bankruptcy, is reportedly still interested in purchasing the Saab’s assets.

According to Sveriges Radio (SR), a delegation from Youngman is set to travel to Saab headquarters in Trollhättan in western Sweden as early as Wednesday.

Bankruptcy administrator Hans Berqgvist confirmed that he had been in touch with Youngman and hopes to meet with representatives from the Chinese company before Christmas.

Youngman is interested in keeping Saab’s Trollhättan plant open, but with production on a smaller scale than previously, the company’s Swedish spokesperson, Johan Nylen with the Baker McKenzie law firm, told Swedish business daily Dagens Industri (DI).

However, any further production wouldn’t likely start for at least two years, as it would take that long to develop a new model.

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ISLAM

Erdogan calls French separatism bill ‘guillotine’ of democracy

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday denounced a planned French law designed to counter "Islamist separatism" as a "guillotine" of democracy.

Erdogan calls French separatism bill 'guillotine' of democracy
Erdogan has already denounced the proposed measures as "anti-Muslim". Photo: Adem ALTAN/AFP

The draft legislation has been criticised both inside France and abroad for stigmatising Muslims and giving the state new powers to limit speech and religious groups.

“The adoption of this law, which is openly in contradiction of human rights, freedom of religion and European values, will be a guillotine blow inflicted on French democracy,” said Erdogan in a speech in Ankara.

The current version of the planned law would only serve the cause of extremism, putting NGOs under pressure and “forcing young people to choose between their beliefs and their education”, he added.

READ ALSO: What’s in France’s new law to crack down on Islamist extremism?

“We call on the French authorities, and first of all President (Emmanuel) Macron, to act sensibly,” he continued. “We expect a rapid withdrawal of this bill.”

Erdogan also said he was ready to work with France on security issues and integration, but relations between the two leaders have been strained for some time.

France’s government is in the process of passing new legislation to crack down on what it has termed “Islamist separatism”, which would give the state more power to vet and disband religious groups judged to be threats to the nation.

Erdogan has already denounced the proposed measures as “anti-Muslim”.

READ ALSO: Has Macron succeeded in creating an ‘Islam for France’?

Last October, Erdogan questioned Macron’s “mental health”, accusing him of waging a “campaign of hatred” against Islam, after the French president defended the right of cartoonists to caricature the prophet Mohammed.

The two countries are also at odds on a number of other issues, including Libya, Syria and the eastern Mediterranean.

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