Turkish Forum

Category: Main Issues

  • U.S. presidential candidates no longer need to say Genocide

    U.S. presidential candidates no longer need to say Genocide

    Harut Sassounian:

    The visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Yerevan stirred up a wave of comments both in Armenia and abroad. There was certainly a feedback from American Armenians, who are mostly the heirs of Genocide survivors. Harut Sassounian, the publisher of The California Courier, the oldest independent English-language Armenian newspaper in the United States, presents his view to PanARMENIAN.Net.
    30.09.2008 GMT+04:00
    Do you think that the Armenian-Turkish border can be opened after Gul’s visit?
    Since it was Turkey that closed the border, it is up to Turkey to open it. Turkey has no right to make any demands from Armenians in return for the opening of the border.

    Furthermore, Armenia’s economy could be damaged by the opening of the Turkish border. The Armenian parliament should urgently pass a law prohibiting foreign entities from leasing or buying lands located in strategic areas of Armenia or containing strategic resources. Such a law would ensure the economic and strategic security of the Republic.

    How do you assess the possibility of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations?
    It would be naпve to suppose that soccer matches, cultural exchange programs or meetings of Armenian and Turkish NGO’s could lead to reconciliation between the two countries period. Serious issues like the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, recognition of the Armenian Genocide and its consequences, and territorial demands can not be resolved by singing and dancing together. Pres. Gul came to Yerevan to support his country’s soccer team. Turkey would have looked bad in front of the West if he had turned down the Armenian President’s invitation.
    Russian political scientists suppose that to normalize relations with Turkey, Armenia will have to choose between Karabakh and Genocide recognition…
    I don’t think that the President of Armenia needs to choose between Karabakh (Artsakh) and the Armenian Genocide. These two issues are separate, but equally important for Armenia. Turkey should not expect any concessions from Armenia in return for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide which is a historical fact. It is in Turkey’s interest to find the courage to face this shameful episode of its history.

    The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is an established state and Azerbaijan has to accept this reality.

    The Armenian community of the United States supports those Congressmen who sponsored the resolution of the Armenian Genocide in Congress. What’s your opinion about this issue?
    I would like to remind the readers that the U.S. House of Representatives has already adopted two congressional resolutions on the Armenian Genocide — the first was in 1975 and the second in 1984. Armenians do not need to demand that every newly-elected Congress recognize this fact which has already been recognized twice. The same thing is true for U.S. Presidents. Pres. Reagan issued a Presidential Proclamation back in 1981 which mentioned the Armenian Genocide. In my opinion, another presidential statement or congressional resolution is unnecessary. Armenians do not need to beg U.S. Presidential candidates to say Genocide again and again.
    What should the Armenian community of the United States press for?
    The United States should be an impartial mediator in the Karabakh conflict, render greater assistance to Armenia and Artsakh, urge Turkey to protect the rights of its Armenian minority, and return historic Armenian churches to the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople (Istanbul).

    «PanARMENIAN.Net», 30.09.2008
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  • Cypriot president seeks end to military exercises

    Cypriot president seeks end to military exercises

    STRASBOURG, France: President Dimitris Christofias of Cyprus urged the U.N. and Turkish Cypriot leaders on Tuesday to support his call to abolish annual military exercises and to demilitarize Cyprus’ divided capital city.

    Christofias said the moves would “improve the climate” and increase the chances of success in reunification talks with his Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

    The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded in response to a coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece. Turkey keeps 35,000 troops in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, and a small number of Greek troops are stationed in the south. A U.N.-patrolled buffer zone separates the two communities.

    Cypriot president seeks end to military exercises – International Herald Tribune.

  • Turkey hopes to finish Cyprus water pipeline by 2009

    Turkey hopes to finish Cyprus water pipeline by 2009

    Turkey hopes to complete construction of an undersea water pipeline to northern Cyprus by June 2009 to help it battle droughts, Anatolian Agency reported Tuesday.

    The project, which was launched in 2000 following a severe water shortage on the parched island, aims to pump 75 million cubic metres (2.65 billion cubic feet) into the Northern Cyprus every year.

    Anatolia, citing sources in Turkey’s hydraulic works authority, said the plan is to finish the 110-kilometer (70-mile) Mediterranean pipeline by June 14.

    Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had said in July that the government wanted the project to be completed within three years.

    Source : Hurriyet

  • U.S. Ambassadorial nominee for Turkey doesn’t dispute Morgenthau’s record on Armenian Genocide

    U.S. Ambassadorial nominee for Turkey doesn’t dispute Morgenthau’s record on Armenian Genocide

    /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ambassador to Turkey designate James Jeffrey, in response to questions from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman and Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden (D-DE), affirmed that official U.S. diplomatic reports by Ambassadors Morgenthau and Elkus and other Armenian Genocide-era U.S. diplomats in the Ottoman Empire did, in fact, describe the attempted extermination of the Armenian population, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) told PanARMENIAN.Net.

    “Although falling far short of a clear and proper recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Ambassador Jeffrey, in his response to Senator Biden’s questioning, moved U.S. policy in the right direction by publicly agreeing – after long years of official disregard, disrespect, and dismissal of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s proud legacy – that our nation’s diplomatic representatives to the Ottoman Empire did, in fact, document the Ottoman government’s clear intent and systematic campaign to destroy its Armenian population,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We want to thank Chairman Biden for his thoughtful inquiries that led to this reaffirmation of the American record, and to, once again, express our appreciation to Senators Menendez and Kerry for their incisive lines of questioning during the Foreign Relations Committee’s confirmation hearing earlier this week.”

    In questions submitted to the Amb. Jeffrey, Sen. Biden asked: “Do you dispute that U.S. diplomats serving in the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide documented a systematic, government-sponsored campaign ‘with intent to destroy, in whole or in part’ the Armenian population?”

    Ambassador-Designate Jeffrey provided the following response: No. I have read many of the historical records from 1915-1916 related to U.S. diplomatic reporting on these events in Turkey, and I do not dispute that Ambassador Morgenthau, Ambassador Elkus, and other diplomats during that time period reported on what they described as an attempt to exterminate the Armenian population.

    Source: www.panarmenian.net, 27.09.2008

  • Orthodox patriarch backs Turkey’s EU bid

    Orthodox patriarch backs Turkey’s EU bid

    BRUSSELS, Belgium: The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians urged the European Union on Wednesday to take on Turkey as a member if it improves democratic and human rights standards.

    “Europe needs to bring Turkey into its project,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I told the European Parliament.

    “What I and the majority of the people of Turkey wish is full integration, full membership of the European Union, on condition that the criteria and preconditions that apply to all candidates are abided by,” he told a later news conference.

    Bartholomew, who is based in Istanbul, Turkey, is the spiritual leader of hundreds of millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide.

    He appealed to the EU not to make religious or cultural differences an obstacle to Turkish membership. Turkey’s population of 70 million is predominantly Muslim.

    “But I do not think that should be considered to be a stumbling block,” Bartholomew said. “We must not exclude from the European family somebody who simply has a different belief from us.”

    But he said Turkey needs to improve protection for religious minorities as part of wider human rights reforms. Bartholomew called in particular for Turkish authorities to allow the reopening of a Greek Orthodox seminary and return Church property.

    Turkey’s efforts to join the EU have long been hampered by disputes over democratic standards, human rights and the divided island of Cyprus.

    The EU insists religion is not an obstacle to Turkey joining, but opinion polls indicate many Europeans are wary about letting the country into the 27-nation bloc.

    Bartholomew gave his backing to talks between the president of Cyprus and the country’s breakaway Turkish north in order to end the island’s 34-year division.

    “We are very optimistic and very hopeful that this time the dialogue between the two communities will have a happy outcome,” he said.

    Source: International Herald Tribune, September 24, 2008

  • EU Schools’ initiative and change grant for Turkish Cypriot community

    EU Schools’ initiative and change grant for Turkish Cypriot community

    The second Call for Proposals under the EU “Schools’ Initiative for Innovation and Change” Grant Scheme will give grants of between EUR10.000 and EUR 50.000 to pre-primary, primary and secondary schools in the northern part of Cyprus. Overall, up to EUR 745.000 will be available. The grants are financed from the EUR 259 mln EU aid programme for the Turkish Cypriot community.

    The grant scheme will offer support to the modernisation of the Turkish Cypriot community’s education sector by funding a range of activities including, amongst others, training courses, study visits, upgrading of materials and equipment. The aim of such activities is to promote the development of modern teaching and learning methods, to raise the capacity of teachers, to improve the overall management of the educational system and to encourage networking between stakeholders.

    The grant scheme consists of two Strands: Strand A covers small-scale upgrading projects, whereas Strand B aims at long-term and capacity raising projects. Pre-primary, primary and secondary schools can jointly apply for activities under Strand A and B, if such partnership is considered as bringing an added value or higher cost-efficiency.

    The deadline for submission of proposals is 20 November 2008, 16:00 Central European Time (17:00 local time). A first round of training courses for interested schools will be organised in the beginning of October 2008. The exact time and location of the training sessions will be forwarded to all pre-, primary and secondary schools through local contact points.

    Source: www.financialmirror.com, September 23, 2008