Eurasia Press & News
ANKARA, Turkey
The army announced on Tuesday (August 4th) that it has appointed new commanders of its air and naval forces. In a statement, the General Staff said the Air Force will be commanded by General Hasan Aksay, who will replace retiring General Aydogan Babaoglu. Admiral Esref Ugur Yigit will head the navy in place of Admiral Metin Atac. The new appointments take effect on August 30th. They were announced after the annual session of the Supreme Military Council and approved by President Abdullah Gul. The statement also said that three officers have been dismissed for suspected links to Islamic groups.
In other news, parliament failed on Tuesday to elect a new speaker to replace incumbent Koksal Toptan, whose mandate expires on Sunday. In two rounds of voting, no candidate managed to attract the necessary two-thirds majority of 367 votes. Five candidates will vie again for support on Wednesday.
