Turkish Forum

Category: Armenian Question

“The great Turk is governing in peace twenty nations from different religions. Turks have taught to Christians how to be moderate in peace and gentle in victory.”Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary

  • EU: NEED TO RESTART TALKS WITH TURKEY, WISE MEN SAY

    EU: NEED TO RESTART TALKS WITH TURKEY, WISE MEN SAY

    euwisemen(ANSAmed) – BRUSSELS – An appeal was launched today in Brussels by the ‘wise men’ of the Independent Commission on Turkey to restart negotiations on EU membership with Ankara, which have been caught in a vicious circle for four years. The wise men – former Finnish President and Nobel prizewinner for Peace Martti Ahtisaari; fomer EU Commissioner Emma Bonino, Italy, and Hans van den Broek, Holland; former French Premier Michel Rocard; former Spanish Foreign Minister Marcelino Oreja; Austria’s former Secretary General for Foreign Affairs Albert Roahn – presented their report ‘Turkey in Europe, breaking the vicious circle’, taking the opportunity to make observations on the recent turbulent years in relations between Ankara and the EU. It all started with a ‘paradox’, said Rohan: ”Since negotiations started in 2005, the virtuous circle has turned into a vicious circle”. There are several reasons for this change of tack: the thorny issue of Cyprus, with the failed 2004 referendum over the reunification of the island following the ‘no’ vote by the Greek-Cypriots, the slowing-down of reforms by Ankara, and also ”the opposition to Turkey’s entry on the part of several European leaders and public opinion in many countries”. The positions of the leaders, said Rohan, ”are in stark contradiction to the unanimous decision to open adhesion negotiations taken by heads of State and government in December 2004. This attitude has given Turkey the impression of not being wanted, of being treated differently from other candidates. But this approach is contrary to European interests: Turkey is a strategic country for energy routes, its presence in the Caucasus, its economic strength in Central Asia, and its negotiating weight in the Middle East”. The result is that now more than half of the 35 chapters of negotiations for adhesion are blocked, either because of Cyprus’ veto, as a response to the lack of full application of the Ankara Protocol on the part of Turkey, which regulates customs relations with the 27 countries, or because of the block placed informally by other chapters. France has blocked five chapters, preferring to focus on partnership rather than integration. Austria, Germany and Holland also have political positions or public opinion overwhelmingly against Turkey’s inclusion in the EU. As for Italy, Bonino said that ”lately, for the first time, opposing positions have been taken very very firmly by the Northern League”. For this reason the former EU commissioner has called on Berlusconi to ”mediate” inside the Government so as to define a clear position ahead on the EU summit on December 9-10, during which the next steps for the adhesion talks will be defined. Emma Bonino said that the question ”of identity is an alibi for not saying anything, for not saying that they are Muslims, there are 80 million of them. I always feel like saying, what is the European identity? For me, Europe is a State of rights, division of power, democracy, open society; I do not believe that Europe is a religious project or a geographic project”. In this negative context, there are only a few signs of a change in tendency, for example the resumption of Turkish-Armenian dialogue. But the ‘wise men’ insist that ”an effort is needed, we need good news from Turkey, on its reform plans, and a greater sense of responsibility on the part of the authorities and the European media”. ‘‘Not just the credibility of Europe towards Turkey, but the international role of the EU are at stake”, concluded Ahtisaari. (ANSAmed).

    Source: 

  • Clash near Karabakh kills 4 Armenian soldiers-

    Clash near Karabakh kills 4 Armenian soldiers-

    reports 10 Sep 2009 08:45:32 GMT Source: Reuters BAKU, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Four Armenian soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with Azeri armed forces near breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh on Thursday, Azerbaijan’s ANS Press news agency reported. ANS reported the exchange took place in the Agdam district adjacent to the rebel territory, which threw off Azeri rule in the early 1990s. The defence ministries of Azerbaijan and Armenia could not immediately be reached for comment. (Reporting by Matt Robinson; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)  

    —
    Yusif Babanly
    Board of Directors
    Azerbaijani American Council (AAC)

    [email protected]
    www.aac.azeris.org

    ———————-

    This skirmish may be an important message that Turkish-Armenian border opening without the liberation of Azeri territories will most likely result in a war. Azerbaijan will then have no other option to force Armenians to obey with UN resolutions.

    Obviously, war cannot be conducted without Russian control and arms, hence Azerbaijan will most likely lean more towards Russia, hence ruining all the Western energy projects.

    Javid

    On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 7:17 AM, Fatma
    wrote:
    in Turkey, the NTV radio announced the event as;
    Armenian soldiers were trying to expand their territories as the cause of the skirmish.
    Fatma S.
  • Turkish Press Reacts to Turkish-Armenian Normalization

    Turkish Press Reacts to Turkish-Armenian Normalization

    Turkish Press Reacts to Turkish-Armenian Normalization

    Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 6 Issue: 163
    September 8, 2009
    By: Saban Kardas
     
    On August 31 a joint statement issued by Turkey and Armenia announced that both had agreed to start talks on the establishment of diplomatic ties and the development of bilateral relations. The parties initialed two protocols to regulate these issues, and the consultations on these will be finalized within six weeks before being forwarded to their national parliaments for ratification (www.mfa.gov.tr, August 31). The announcement generated a heated debate on the future of Turkish-Armenian relations as well as its implications for Azerbaijan and the involvement of other international actors.

    The content of the protocols show that the parties built on the progress they had achieved by April, which was interrupted by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s intervention to allay the concerns of Azerbaijan. Following intense bilateral contacts, secret diplomacy and pressure from the United States and European countries, Turkey and Armenia announced a roadmap for normalization in April, the contents of which remained undisclosed. Due to mounting domestic opposition and protests from Azerbaijan, Erdogan reiterated unequivocally that the progress of Turkish-Armenian relations would be contingent upon Armenia’s constructive attitude in its dispute with Azerbaijan. To relieve Azeri concerns, Erdogan emphasized that Turkey would not proceed with normalization, without an end to the Armenian occupation of Karabakh (EDM, May 14). Although there were concerns that the normalization process might have come to a premature end, the parties maintained their secret dialogue facilitated by Switzerland (EDM, June 30).

    By reiterating their commitment to the peaceful resolution of regional disputes, the parties implicitly recognize the Karabakh issue, but the protocols make no mention of it, nor set it as a precondition for opening the Turkish-Armenian border. In taking this step despite this “missing element,” the Turkish government again raised concerns as to whether it might accelerate the rapprochement with Armenia by decoupling it from the Karabakh issue. Consequently, opposition both domestically and in Azerbaijan expressed discomfort with these developments. In response, Erdogan reconnected the two processes politically, by arguing that the ratification of the protocols would depend on the resolution of Karabakh issue, reflecting Ankara’s concern to keep Baku on board (Vatan, September 2).

    The leverage Azerbaijan exerts over Turkish foreign policy led to different interpretations from the Turkish press. The nationalist media continued to express their unconditional support for Azerbaijan’s position and criticized the government’s recent initiatives (Ortadogu, September 3)

    Many mainstream commentators, however, maintain that returning to the status quo ante might be difficult, and that instead of seeking to restore Karabakh through military means, Baku should focus on diplomatic measures to free the occupied Azeri territories, and in return grant greater autonomy to the area and open a corridor between Armenia and Karabakh (Milliyet, September 3). Although Erdogan might ideally prefer a maximalist position on the return of Karabakh, other actors within the Turkish government also seem to be ready to settle for such an arrangement recognizing the new reality in the region. In fact, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Abdullah Gul are interested in seeing the process through and opening the border by the end of the year (Radikal, September 2), despite Erdogan’s occasional nationalistic outbursts.

    Other commentators view the rapprochement as a partly American project and believe that both Turkey and Azerbaijan are urged, if not pressured, by the Obama administration to solve their problems with Armenia. They even suggest that the mediation services provided by Swiss diplomats might only represent a cover for American facilitation between the Turkish and Armenian delegations, which is partly shared by the opposition parties, mainly the Republican People’s Party (Milliyet, September 4; Hurriyet, September 2). The pro-government press, in contrast, challenges these arguments and maintains that searching for foreign actors behind such initiatives reflects a problematic attitude on the part of the Turkish opposition. It presents these recent developments as an achievement of the AKP government and treats them as affirmation of Turkey’s expanding role in regional diplomacy (Star, September 4).

    Explaining the normalization with reference to the involvement of outside actors inevitably raises questions about the motivations of “outsiders.” At this juncture, the role of energy issues is emphasized by the Turkish media. There is a perception that the process is promoted by the West as part of its energy policies. They speculate that Turkish-Armenian normalization is promoted in order that Armenia might emerge as an alternative route to Georgia for the future transportation of Caspian basin resources (Milliyet, September 3).

    Such analyses inevitably ignore the issue of the Russian position. There is already a process underway between Azerbaijan and Armenia toward the resolution of the Karabakh dispute, facilitated by Russia and supported by the United States. Although the Russian side claims that it is playing a constructive role, the Turkish media maintains some skepticism toward Moscow’s intentions. There are media reports maintaining that Russian intelligence found out about the secret talks between Ankara and Yerevan and passed this information to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, which led him to distance himself from Turkey in April (Milliyet, September 3). If such reports are correct, they might indicate Russian efforts to sow seeds of distrust between Baku and Ankara, and undermine policies to integrate Yerevan into a Western orbit.

    It is unclear whether Aliyev was aware in advance of the signing of the recent protocols, but Ankara apparently made efforts to inform Baku. Indeed, it has been a growing concern for Ankara to comfort Baku about the secret talks with Yerevan, and regain Azeri confidence since the bitter episode in April. A few days before the recent announcement to sign the protocols, Erdogan spoke to Aliyev on the telephone and sent two special envoys to Baku to brief him on the progress in Turkish-Armenian talks (Zaman, August 28). Azerbaijan’s Ambassador in Ankara Zakir Hashimov said that Davutoglu reassured his Azeri counterpart that the border would not be opened before the resolution of the Karabakh issue (Hurriyet Daily News, September 6).

    In the days ahead, a new domestic and foreign policy challenge will confront the AKP government, as it seeks to refine the details of the normalization with Armenia. A breakthrough in Azeri-Armenian talks might untie the knot, but it remains to be seen whether the international and regional pressures on Baku and Yerevan will produce such an outcome.

    https://jamestown.org/program/turkish-press-reacts-to-turkish-armenian-normalization/
  • Azerbaijan and Turkey Protect Armenia’s National Interest Inadvertently

    Azerbaijan and Turkey Protect Armenia’s National Interest Inadvertently

    Publisher, The California Courier

    After reviewing hundreds of articles in regional and international media outlets and scores of statements by various officials regarding the Protocols between Armenia and Turkey, it is clear that these agreements will not be ratified by the Turkish Parliament, unless the Armenian government first makes concessions on Karabagh (Artsakh).

    As expected, there was great agitation against the Protocols last week among opposition political parties in both Armenia and Turkey. Furthermore, some Azeri officials and analysts criticized Turkish leaders for appearing to go back on their repeated promises of not opening Turkey’s border with Armenia until the Karabagh conflict was resolved.

    On April 22nd, when Armenia and Turkey made public a “Roadmap” to regulate their contentious relations and open their mutual border, Azerbaijan strongly objected, threatening to retaliate against Turkey by taking a number of steps, including cutting off oil supplies. Turkish leaders immediately stopped the implementation of the “Roadmap” in order to appease their “Junior brother,” Azerbaijan. Turkish officials repeatedly announced that they would not open their country’s border with Armenia, unless the Karabagh conflict was settled to the satisfaction of Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Erdogan felt obligated to fly to Baku in May to make the same pledge in his address to the Azeri Parliament.

    But as international pressure mounted on both Armenia and Turkey to go forward with the frozen “Roadmap,” Turkish leaders were careful not to alienate Azerbaijan once again. This time around, they fully briefed Pres. Aliyev during every step of their discussions with Armenia, repeatedly assuring Azerbaijan that its interests would be protected and that nothing would be agreed upon with Armenia, unless the Karabagh conflict was first settled. Just before the two Protocols were announced on August 31, Prime Minister Erdogan briefed Pres. Aliyev by telephone and a high-level Turkish delegation flew to Baku for follow-up talks.

    A close reading of the lengthy text of the professionally crafted two Protocols and the appended Timetable indicates that the most critical detail – the date of their expected ratification – is left out! The documents spell out in great precision the terms of the agreements as well as the specific deadline for each of “the steps to be undertaken.” For example, they state that as of August 31, Armenia and Turkey have six weeks to complete “internal political consultations” before the Protocols are submitted to their respective Parliaments for ratification. The documents also specify the exact timeline for the opening of the border and the formation of various committees.

    However, all of these steps are contingent upon the crucial prerequisite of ratification of the Protocols by the two Parliaments, for which no date and no deadline is mandated. The joint announcement issued on August 31 by Armenia and Turkey, simply calls on both sides to “make their best efforts” for the “timely” ratification of the Protocols. The missing deadline is certainly not the result of an oversight!

    After securing Armenian officials’ agreement to Turkey’s two preconditions – the formation of a “historical” committee and recognizing its territorial integrity – Ankara found a clever solution for its third precondition. It made the opening of the border with Armenia contingent upon the resolution of the Artsakh conflict, without including a direct reference to this requirement in the Protocols.

    Since the ratification of the proposed agreement by the two Parliaments does not have a particular deadline, the Turkish government will probably apply its extensive diplomatic resources to pressure Armenia – via the OSCE Minsk Group of mediators on Artsakh, composed of France, Russia and the United States – into making concessions acceptable to Azerbaijan.

    Turkey could therefore be expected to delay the ratification of the Protocols by its Parliament until Azerbaijan’s conditions are met on Artsakh. In recent days, several Turkish commentators pointed out this gaping loophole in the Protocols, boasting that Turkey would not open its border until Armenia makes territorial concessions on Artsakh. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made that same pledge practically on a daily basis since the August 31 announcement. Interestingly, Pres. Aliyev has not said one critical word about this agreement which calls for the opening of the border with Armenia – something he vehemently opposes. The reason is that he is assured by Ankara that nothing of that sort would take place until Artsakh is delivered to him on a silver platter!

    Armenia’s President and Foreign Minister, on the other hand, have been repeatedly stating that they would not accept any linkage between the Artsakh negotiations and the opening of the Turkish border. In order to preserve their own credibility and safeguard the country’s national interests, Armenia’s leaders should not make even the smallest concession on Artsakh and not ratify these Protocols, until the Turkish Parliament ratifies them first. But, since Turkey refuses to ratify them without the settlement of the Artsakh conflict, the whole agreement would collapse and the international community would then hold Turkey solely responsible for its failure!

  • ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY DISCUSSES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

    ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY DISCUSSES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

    September 3, 2009, 8:14 pm
    AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO

    San Diego, CA –  As part of the Armenian Assembly of America’s (Assembly) ongoing educational outreach regarding the Armenian Genocide, Assembly Western Region Director Yeghig Keshishian spoke to a class of freshman students at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Keshishian addressed the students at the request of Professor Fonna Forman-Barzilai who teaches the course, “Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing.” The course explores the psychological, cultural and social constructions surrounding the genocides of the 20th century. Professor Forman-Barzilai, is a faculty member at the Political Science Department and was an honored guest speaker at the 2009 April 24th Armenian Genocide Commemorative Vigil in San Diego.

    Keshishian discussed the genocide of minorities, such as the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and provided the students with an overview of the history of the Armenian Genocide in the context of James Waller’s book about perpetrators, titled: Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing. Keshishian also discussed Turkey’s ongoing campaign of genocide denial and how it plays out in the United States.

    “I appreciated this unique opportunity to discuss the Armenian Genocide with college students,” stated Keshishian, adding that “The Assembly appreciates Professor Forman-Barzalia’s commitment to apprise students of past genocides and for her commitment to education as an important medium for its humanizing effect on our collective humanity. California has played a leading role in genocide education and prevention and the Armenian Assembly is proud to play a positive role in this regard.”
    Keshishian closed with a brief discussion of the current state of relations between the Republics of Armenia and Turkey, and noted that Armenia has consistently offered to normalize relations without preconditions.
    Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt membership organization.

    ###

    NR#2009-065
    Photo Caption:
    Keshishian with Professor Forman-Barzalia
  • Unbelievable! protocols: Armenia, Switzerland, and Turkey

    Unbelievable! protocols: Armenia, Switzerland, and Turkey

    Sep 4th, 2009 @ 10:28 am › Garen Yegparian

    I suppose I owe some gratitude to the “leaders” in Yerevan’s halls of power for making it so easy to mouth off over their often imbecilic actions and policies. Forget about selling out/off natural resources and industrial infrastructure; even forget about the rampant corruption making people impoverished and cynical about building a truly representative government; let’s even turn a blind eye to the fawning and foolish act of honoring the megalomaniacal president of Georgia who’s busy persecuting the Armenians of Javakhk. All these and more are now eclipsed by the wholesale giveaway of Armenia’s and Armenians most basic rights and powerful legal weapons.

    Of course I’m referring to the two protocols just released by the government of Armenia, Switzerland, and Turkey. If you haven’t read them, please do, you can find them on this publication’s website. They’re very compact and efficient in dissemination of pathetic policy. Just see how far your jaw drops.

    Since I’m not fond of writing long, cumbersome articles, addressing all the foolishness filling those few pages is impossible. I’ll focus on the three most egregious elements in these platitude-filled documents. Discussing Turkey and respect for human rights in the same document, as occurs in the protocols, is just to laughable to address seriously.

    The sanctification the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity play right into not only Turkey’s hands, but Azerbaijan’s as well. Silly me, I thought Armenians agreed that we will settle for no less than the Wilsonian demarcation of borders. If the Republic of Armenia says the current border is what it recognizes, then it signs away OUR rights to these territories. Simultaneously, Artzakh gets ceded to Azerbaijan by the same foolish stroke of a pen. Remember, Azerbaijan’s claims to Artzakh are based on the irrelevant, inapplicable “inviolability of borders and territorial integrity” arguments.

    Then we have the much touted- by Turkey, its ilk, and their supporters- historical commission. Through these protocols, Armenia agrees to the creation of this stage for endless foot-dragging and a denialist talkfest. Remember TARC? How will this be any different? Just more U.S. Department of State funded meaningless new-age type chatter. While David Krikorian, the Ohio congressional candidate is spending valuable time and money on fighting Genocide denial, what is allegedly the highest official body representing Armenians, the government of the RoA, is busy giving away the store when it comes to Genocide recognition, and, naturally and consequently, reparations for damages arising from this example of Turkey’s malevolence.

    Of course there’s the canard about the benefits of opening the Armenia-Turkey border. Turkey’s blockade may well be the best thing happening to Armenia’s minimal economy. Ankara has been successful in developing its economy so that it is one of the fastest growing in the world. Their manufacturing, and even agricultural, products would overwhelm what little Armenia has, further plunging the population into overseas-remittance-reliant misery. The irony here is that Turkey, having imposed the blockade over our success in Artzakh, now finds itself in a jam. Ankara WANTS to reopen the border to benefit its economy, but can’t be perceived as turning on its kissin’-cousins in Baku. What better way out than to get Armenia to BEG for something that hurts Armenia, benefits Turkey, and provides cover against Azerbaijan’s expectations.

    What’s going on? For whatever reason, Armenia’s current government has embarked on a losing streak. Plus, these people seem to have incredibly outsized egos, can’t recognize their errors, and therefore don’t cut our losses. It seems that with each step they take in this lurid dance with their Turkish counterparts, they’re trying to efface the shame and embarrassment of the previous step. They serve up some new, even grander plan. But this “new and improved” approach ends up digging them even deeper into a hole of utter shame. Plus they do all this behind closed doors, away from the “prying” eyes of those of us who have a stake in the future of our nation and actually care to make it better.

    It’s time to start hitting the government of the RoA much harder than it’s ever been hit. It’s time to demonstrate at official events. It’s time to let our revulsion show. And if after everything they persist in their nationally destructive path, then it will be time to assemble in a national conclave- Artzakh, Javakhk, Turkey’s crypto-Armenians and overt ones too, and Diaspora-to declare that on matters of Armenian rights-territorial, human, Genocide, reparations-the government of the Republic of Armenia has no right to speak for us.

    If you agree, please say so, especially when you meet government representatives or visit Armenia. Maybe they’ll get the message.