Finally, we have a Qatar Street in Istanbul

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has changed the name of the 3.5-kilometer long ??stinye Bay?r?? Street where the posh mall ?stinye Park is located into ?Qatar Street.? At the municipal assembly, despite the objections of the opposition party members, the name ?Qatar Street? was approved with the votes of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) members.

This street is in Istanbul?s Sar?yer district and the district municipality is one where the main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP) is in the majority. A member of the greater municipal assembly, CHP member Ali R?za Y?lmaz, said, ?If need be, then we will hold a referendum in Sar?yer.? Y?lmaz, who is also a member of the Sar?yer Municipal Assembly, is right.

Because, after the Gezi Park incidents, we all remember Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topba? pledging, ?Even if the name of a bus stop is to be changed in Istanbul, we will ask this to the people.?

Last December, Ankara?s 415th street was named ?Qatar Street? in a ceremony where Finance Minister Mehmet ?im?ek also participated.

Well, of course, there was no mention of a referendum in Ankara.

I will not speculate on the claims that Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu met the Emir of Qatar right after the street in ?stinye was named ?Qatar Street,? or that there have been 56 top level official visits to Qatar between 2002 and 2013.

I have a different point of view in the ?Qatar Street? incident. 

Qatar, which has a huge financial power despite its size, has significant investments in about 40 countries in the world.

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which was formed in 2003, is estimated to have a portfolio more than $60 billion. For instance, the QIA bought France?s famous...