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Turkey to pay 150 percent more, $300 for Azerbaijani natural gas Lengthy negotiations between Turkish and Azerbaijani officials on gas prices have finally come to an end as Turkey has agreed to buy Azerbaijani gas at $300 per thousand cubic meters, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız informed reporters following his meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki last week	Koza to spend TL 900 million from IPO for investments in mining, media The initial public offering (IPO) of Koza Altın, Turkey’s largest gold miner, resulted in more than TL 900 million ($600 million), which is enough to cover possible investments for the company to expand its operations in gold mining and make new additions to its companies in the media business.
Unrestricted travel from Syria turns Hatay into ‘health base’ Following the recent abolishment of visa requirements between Turkey and Syria, the southern province of Hatay has seen a remarkable increase in the number of patients from Syria, as well as from other neighboring countries, who seek to benefit from better health services in Turkey.	EPDK expects TL 5 billion of investments in energy by private sector in 2010 Projects in the energy field that were financed by the private sector will be finished and will start production in 2010, the president of the Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK), Hasan Köktaş, has said.

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Finance officials work to stress economic unity Top international finance officials renewed their commitments to keep spending to support a global rebound while playing down differences over new US approaches on bank reform.	Gov’t, civil servants meet for first time to discuss ‘right to strike’ Officials from the government and representatives from civil servant confederations will meet on Tuesday to discuss, for the first time in Turkey, public servants’ right to strike.
Finmin says Greece sticks to austerity plan, Q1 crucial Greece will stick to its deficit-cutting plan and the first three months of the year will be crucial for regaining investors and EU confidence, the country’s finance minister said in an interview on Sunday.	Japanese Yamaha to export Turkish motorcycles to Africa Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha Motor Co. has agreed with Turkey’s Ramzey on the manufacturing of 100,000 motorcycles for export to Africa within the next three years.

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Ministry cancels bureaucrats’ illegal SGK registrations The Ministry of Labor has found some 20 senior public servants guilty of having their children under the age of 15 registered with the Social Security Institution (SGK) in anticipation of early retirement.	Government to clamp down on tax evasion The Finance Ministry is about to implement a “compulsory collection” system to minimize its losses incurred through tax evasion.
Barter economy provides alternatives during global crisis A support system for firms and individuals dealing with bounced checks and large unpaid receivables during the global economic crisis came about through the millennia-old bartering system, according to Mustafa Demir, the general director of the İstanbul Barter Bourse.	$729 million from hazelnut exports One of the leading hazelnut producers in the world, Turkey exported 118,332 tons of hazelnuts in the first five months of the hazelnut export season, which starts on Sept. 1 of every year, yielding revenue of more than $728.87 million.