Category: Main Issues

  • Turkey wants end to Canada’s genocide stance

    Turkey wants end to Canada’s genocide stance

    Turkey’s ambassador to Canada says the Harper government’s decision to brand the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide may be hindering a potentially lucrative trading relationship.

    hi-852-turkey-genocide-france

    Turks demonstrate outside the French Embassy in Ankara in January 2012. Relations between Turkey and France turned cold when a bill was passed making illegal to deny the Armenian genocide. The bill was later ruled unconstitutional. (Burhan Ozbilici/Canadian Press)

    Ambassador Tuncay Babali made clear in a wide ranging interview with The Canadian Press that Canada’s position on the First World War-era slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians still carries a sting for his country.

    ‘[Genocide is] a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.’

    —Turkish Ambassador Tuncay Babali

    But that doesn’t mean Turkey doesn’t want to press on with forging a deeper economic relationship with Canada, ideally a free trade agreement to complement the current Canada-EU free trade talks once they are completed, he said.

    “I’m a true believer in the potential of our two nations. Canada has a lot to offer Turkey and Turkey in return has a lot to offer Canada,” said Babali, noting that Canada’s internal Foreign Policy Plan has identified Turkey as a key country of focus.

    “It cannot be business as usual while accusing a nation of genocide. It’s a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.”

    Babali said he suspects Canada is not engaging as quickly as Turkey would like because the genocide issue is still hanging over relations.

    “There is a pacing issue here,” he said. “We want results. We want action. We want concrete steps forward. Talking about positive things is OK, but it takes two to tango.”

    The $2.5 billion in two-way trade between countries “is far from the potential” of what Turkey predicts would result from deeper economic ties: $10 billion to $15 billion within five years, he said.

    He said Turkey would like to open free trade talks with Canada.

    Mending fences

    But on the genocide question, Babali said Turkey would like to see a gesture from Canada that the government is “trying to leave this behind us.”

    Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird cancelled a planned trip to Turkey in November. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

    A significant gesture would be a “high level” visit by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to Turkey. Baird cancelled a planned trip in November, Babali said, because of an important cabinet meeting in Ottawa.

    Babali was also encourged by Baird’s plans to travel to the West Bank on the weekend to discuss future Canadian aid contributions to the Palestinian Authority.

    He suggested Canada can do more in the Middle East peace process, even though Turkey is well aware of Ottawa’s strong support of Israel.

    “I think aid is important. To keep the channels open. You have to hear both sides. Canada has leverage that can play in those issues as well. It should be used in a stronger way.”

    Babali praised the efforts of Baird for mending fences with Turkey, including the personal friendship he has forged with his counterpart, Ahmet Davutolu, who visited Canada this past September.

    “If there is a political will from the Canadian side to move forward and improve our relations further, to live up to the promise and potential, we need concrete steps,” he said

    Ankara angered

    Canada’s Parliament voted in 2004 to recognize the events of 1915 to 1923 as a genocide carried out by Ottoman Turks during the Armenian uprising.

    The Harper government formally adopted that position after winning power, a decision that angered Ankara and sparked the temporary withdrawal of its ambassador from Ottawa.

    Turkey has lobbied hard internationally to block the genocide designation, although many other countries have used the term.

    In 2010, when the U.S. Congress abandoned a plan to declare the killings a genocide, Davutolu said ties could have been harmed between the two countries had “common sense” not prevailed.

    Last year, when France passed a law that would make it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide, Turkey responded by suspending military, economic and political ties. The French bill was later ruled unconstitutional.

    Ottawa last year unveiled a monument in honour of fallen Turkish diplomat Col. Atilla Altikat, who was assassinated in 1982. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

    Last summer, Canada took steps to heal the rift with Turkey. It unveiled a cone-shaped metal-and-wood monument dedicated to Col. Atilla Altikat, the country’s military attache gunned down in Ottawa, allegedly by Armenian terrorists, 30 years earlier.

    That appeared to go a long way toward bridging the gap between the two countries, both NATO allies.

    Babali reiterated what Davutolu said during his visit — that Turkey would like to strike a joint commission with Armenians to discuss the historical facts surrounding the issue.

    During the visit, Baird did not back away from his government’s earlier position, but said he appreciated the sensitivities at play.

    Babali said Turkey wants deeper economic ties with Canada, and it appears the country is open for business despite any bitterness over the Armenia policy.

    In the next 10 years, Turkey will launch 150 infrastructure projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars, many in the transportation sector. Babali cited Bombardier Inc. and SNC-Lavalin as potential investors.

    He also said there are also opportunities for Canadian companies in his country’s developing nuclear energy program and in shale gas exploration.

    via Turkey wants end to Canada’s genocide stance – World – CBC News.

  • Turkey wants end to Canada’s stance on Armenian genocide

    Turkey wants end to Canada’s stance on Armenian genocide

    Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press

    Published Sunday, April 7, 2013 12:40PM EDT

    OTTAWA — Turkey’s ambassador to Canada says the Harper government’s decision to brand the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide may be hindering a potentially lucrative trading relationship.

    Ambassador Tuncay Babali made clear in a wide ranging interview with The Canadian Press that Canada’s position on the First World War-era slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians still carries a sting for his country.

    But that doesn’t mean Turkey doesn’t want to press on with forging a deeper economic relationship with Canada, ideally a free trade agreement to compliment the current Canada-EU free trade talks once they are completed, he said.

    image

    Thousands of people march to mark the death of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman empire, in Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 24, 2012. (AP / Nick Ut)

    Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/turkey-wants-end-to-canada-s-stance-on-armenian-genocide-1.1227732#ixzz2PqZIHhWZ

    Thousands of demonstrators march to mark the death of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman empire in Los Angeles in this 2012 file photo. (AP / Damian Dovarganes)

    “I’m a true believer in the potential of our two nations. Canada has a lot to offer Turkey and Turkey in return has a lot to offer Canada,” said Babali, noting that Canada’s internal Foreign Policy Plan has identified Turkey as a key country of focus.

    “It cannot be business as usual while accusing a nation of genocide. It’s a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.”

    Babali said he suspects Canada is not engaging as quickly as Turkey would like because the genocide issue is still hanging over relations.

    “There is a pacing issue here,” he said. “We want results. We want action. We want concrete steps forward. Talking about positive things is ok, but it takes two to tango.”

    The $2.5 billion in two-way trade between countries “is far from the potential” of what Turkey predicts would result from deeper economic ties: $10-$15 billion within five years, he said.

    He said Turkey would like to open free trade talks with Canada.

    But on the genocide question, Babali said Turkey would like to see a gesture from Canada that the government is “trying to leave this behind us.”

    A significant gesture would be a “high level” visit by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to Turkey. Baird cancelled a planned trip in November, Babali said, because of an important cabinet meeting in Ottawa.

    Babali was also encourged by Baird’s plans to travel to the West Bank on the weekend to discuss future Canadian aid contributions to the Palestinian Authority.

    He suggested Canada can do more in the Middle East peace process, even though Turkey is well aware of Ottawa’s strong support of Israel.

    “I think aid is important. To keep the channels open. You have to hear both sides. Canada has leverage that can play in those issues as well. It should be used in a stronger way.”

    Babali praised the efforts of Baird for mending fences with Turkey, including the personal friendship he has forged with his counterpart, Ahmet Davutolu, who visited Canada this past September.

    “We have good room to manoeuvre here after our minister’s visit. But it takes two to tango,” he said.

    “If there is a political will from the Canadian side to move forward and improve our relations further, to live up to the promise and potential, we need concrete steps.”

    Canada’s Parliament voted in 2004 to recognize the events of 1915 to 1923 as a genocide carried out by Ottoman Turks during the Armenian uprising.

    The Harper government formally adopted that position after winning power, a decision that angered Ankara and sparked the temporary withdrawal of its ambassador from Ottawa.

    Turkey has lobbied hard internationally to block the genocide designation, although many other countries have used the term.

    In 2010, when the U.S. Congress abandoned a plan to declare the killings a genocide, Davutolu said ties could have been harmed between the two countries had “common sense” not prevailed.

    Last year, when France passed a law that makes it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide, Turkey responded by suspending military, economic and political ties.

    Last summer, Canada took steps to heal the rift with Turkey. It unveiled a cone-shaped metal-and-wood monument dedicated to Col. Atilla Altikat, the country’s military attache gunned down in Ottawa, allegedly by Armenian terrorists, 30 years earlier.

    That appeared to go a long way towards bridging the gap between the two countries, both NATO allies.

    Babali reiterated what Davutolu said during his visit — that Turkey would like to strike a joint commission with Armenians to discuss the historical facts surrounding the issue.

    During the visit, Baird did not back away from his government’s earlier position, but said he appreciated the sensitivities at play.

    Babali said Turkey wants deeper economic ties with Canada, and it appears the country is open for business despite any bitterness over the Armenia policy.

    In the next 10 years, Turkey will launch 150 infrastructure projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars, many in the transportation sector. Babali cited Bombardier Inc. and SNC-Lavalin as potential investors.

    He also said there are also opportunities for Canadian companies in his country’s developing nuclear energy program and in shale gas exploration.

    via Turkey wants end to Canada’s stance on Armenian genocide | CTV News.

  • Turkey Faces Tough Anniversary

    Turkey Faces Tough Anniversary

    A string of violent attacks against elderly Armenians in an historically Armenian quarter of Istanbul (one woman has already died of her wounds) is making headlines in Turkey. The despicable violence is forcing Turks to do some soul-searching on their troubled history of mistreating Armenians. The New York Times reports:

    Marcharmenians-e1365103582906[T]he attacks have awakened fears—rooted in past episodes of repression that residents say had waned in recent years as Turkey became more accommodating toward its minorities.

    “The community is always living with fear because the Armenian community has always been under pressure,” said Rober Koptas, the editor of Agos, an Armenian newspaper here that has devoted several issues to coverage of the attacks. “We were always regarded as foreigners, as second-class citizens.” […]

    This is only the latest flare-up in a conflict that goes back centuries, reaching a peak in the Armenian Genocide of the early 1900s and slowly simmering since then.

    Turkey has never honestly faced up to the horrors of the genocide, but two things are now forcing a reckoning. First, the calendar: 2015 will be the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the horrors, and the world is going to be talking about this. Second, modern Turkey has aspirations to a much greater role in its neighborhood and has begun to lay a claim to political and cultural leadership of the Islamic world. That means Turkey’s dirtiest laundry is going to be aired in plain view of an often unsympathetic public.

    This is going to be an important event in Turkey’s history that could either catapult the country to a better position in global culture and politics or leave it battered, bruised, rejected and, quite probably, embittered.

    We wish Turkey well, and urge our Turkish friends to see this challenge as an opportunity.

    [Armenian civilians, escorted by armed Ottoman soldiers, April 1915, courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

    via Turkey Faces Tough Anniversary | Via Meadia.

  • A Chance to Reunify Cyprus

    A Chance to Reunify Cyprus

    A barrier along the Green Line in Nicosia, the last divided capital of Europe.

    By MICHAEL MOLLER

    03iht-edmoller03-articleLarge

    It has often been said that Cyprus never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. This maxim was being bandied about especially after the negative Greek Cypriot vote on reunification in 2004. Life was good in their south of the island then and there was no apparent cost to sticking with the status quo.

    A new reality has now imposed itself on the Greek Cypriots. The situation is dire and the immediate future does not look encouraging unless imaginative solutions are found. I firmly believe those solutions are now within reach.

    Here’s why. Economic and social conditions in the Turkish-controlled north are improving, creating a more level playing field between the two sides. Turkey is now an increasingly important player both regionally and internationally, and a major anchor of stability in a turbulent region.

    The ties between Turkey and Greece are now closer and friendlier, changing the framework within which the Cyprus problem has traditionally been viewed.

    Greece’s economic woes have changed its priorities. Its orientation is firmly anchored in Europe, and it is a steadfast supporter of Turkish accession to the European Union. At the same time, the high price Cyprus is now paying for its past symbiotic financial relationship with Greece may affect their future relationship.

    These new realities — good and bad — offer an opportunity to move forward on the long-sought solution for Cyprus.

    Five years ago, the Cyprus center of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) published some startling assertions on the monetary benefits that would come within the first year of reunification. PRIO’s conservative estimate was that every Cypriot family would get an extra €2,500 per year.

    While the context has changed, the conclusion that reunification would bring increased prosperity would probably be similar today.

    The new Greek Cypriot president, with his solid pro-unification credentials, is well placed to propose bold measures toward a unified island with a greater common prosperity. And the Turkish Cypriot leadership is now in a stronger position than ever to negotiate a solution on more equal terms.

    Turkey’s European aspirations can no longer be denied. But part of that road goes through Cyprus, and the sooner that problem is solved, the sooner Turkey can be welcomed as a full member of a stronger and more integrated Europe.

    The European Union can no longer afford to consider Cyprus an irritating peripheral problem. Cyprus is part of Europe and as such, especially now, very much a European problem.

    It is time for a solid, united and active European policy and commitment to the reunification of the island based on a clear and shared conviction that it is in everyone’s vital interest.

    If not, we are looking at another bailout down the road and the risk of triggering further catastrophic consequences for the integrity of the European construct.

    However the fate of the European Union plays out, there are undeniable benefits in ensuring strong partnerships within the southern Mediterranean basin. The different economies and security, energy, water and other needs can only be strengthened through closer union.

    The United Nations has been a steady presence in the daily lives of Cypriots for almost 50 years. But it too must take heed of the new realities and realign its strategies.

    Cyprus has plenty of assets — geographical location, natural resources, a well-educated populations, infrastructure and now, once again in its long and tortured history, the attention of the international community.

    It is time to put them to good use.

    Michael Moller is a former United Nations special representative for Cyprus.

    A version of this op-ed appeared in print on April 3, 2013, in The International Herald Tribune.

    via A Chance to Reunify Cyprus – NYTimes.com.

  • Turkey says Cyprus crisis is chance to end division

    Turkey says Cyprus crisis is chance to end division

    By Andrius Sytas

    VILNIUS | Wed Apr 3, 2013 12:08pm EDT

    (Reuters) – Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday the financial crisis in Cyprus presented an “important opportunity” to end the division of the island, split between the Greek Cypriot south and Turkish north.

    The Mediterranean island concluded a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout deal with the euro zone and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday in order to stave off bankruptcy.

    Turkey's President Gul smiles during a visit to the Swedish parliament in Stockholm

    It has been divided since a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by a Turkish invasion of the north in 1974. Efforts to reunite it have repeatedly failed and Turkey is the only nation to recognize the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

    “There is at the moment significant economic crisis on the island. This should be seen as important opportunity … Because if the island was to unite, there would be a greater economic potential,” Gul said during an official visit to Lithuania.

    “There are some restrictions, embargoes on the island. Our suggestion is to lift any and all kinds of restriction or embargo simultaneously so that we can create a new climate for moving forward,” he said.

    “I hope that this message will be well understood.”

    Turkey’s failure to extend a customs agreement with the European Union by opening its ports to goods from Cyprus has hindered its ambitions to join the EU.

    Turkey began EU entry talks in 2005, a year after Cyprus was admitted, but its bid has been blocked by the intractable dispute over the island, as well as by long-standing opposition from core EU members Germany and France.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted the Cyprus dispute as a stumbling block when she visited Turkey in February.

    Relations between Greece and Turkey have thawed over the years, making a resolution more imaginable than in the past.

    Beset by economic crisis at home, Greece last month pledged to double annual trade with its eastern neighbor to $10 billion by 2015.

    Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras met his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul and signed deals on issues ranging from agriculture to disaster relief.

    Gul said the potential for cooperation between Turkey and Greece made the possible benefits of Cypriot reunification even greater.

    (Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

    via Turkey says Cyprus crisis is chance to end division | Reuters.

  • Cyprus ponders another start

    Cyprus ponders another start

    AS IT grapples with the prospect of years of economic pain, Cyprus will try to draw strength from its not-so-distant experience of invasion – and the fact that a whole generation knows what it means to rebuild from scratch.

    But it is a tough task.

    Customers queue up outside a branch of Laiki Bank as they wait for the reopening of the bank in Nicosia. Picture: REUTERS
    Customers queue up outside a branch of Laiki Bank as they wait for the reopening of the bank in Nicosia. Picture: REUTERS

    Any inspiration will be badly needed in the small east Mediterranean island nation of under a million people, as even the most optimistic forecasters predict years of recession and sky-high unemployment.

    In many ways, the challenge facing Cyprus now, following an international bailout that effectively wipes out a hefty chunk of the banking sector, is more daunting than the events of 1974 when the island was split into an internationally recognised Greek-speaking south and a breakaway Turkish north, following Turkey’s invasion in the wake of an attempted coup by supporters of union with Greece.

    The country’s room for manoeuvre is limited, given that it has already largely exhausted the potential for development from a primarily agricultural state.

    And any reboot of the economy of the Greek-Cypriot side – the part of the island that has joined the European Union and is afflicted by the recent bailout woes – will have to be done within the limitations of a colossal debt mountain, a collapsed property bubble, a sclerotic European economy and a seeming dearth of international sympathy.

    “It’s an economic tragedy this time and the difference is you don’t know where it’ll end up,” said Andreas Georgiou, 80. “This could stir social unrest, people are worried about their families and about putting their kids through school. In 1974, we had support from the outside, our people were willing to go abroad and find work to send money home. But could this happen again?”

    After the invasion, Turkey ended up with control of nearly 40% of the island and much of its economic potential.

    Greek-Cypriots were largely cut off from the world, losing the deep-water port of Famagusta and the international airport in Nicosia, which has since been home to peacekeeping troops from the United Nations.

    The Turkish side also ended up with the bulk of the country’s pre-1974 agricultural base as well as the lion’s share of the burgeoning tourism industry.

    And tens of thousands of refugees living in camps had to be rehoused.

    The University of Cyprus has estimated that the invasion and division cost Greek- Cypriot individuals and companies over à109-billion.

    Despite the economic devastation wrought by the invasion, Cyprus found itself on the mend, at least economically, within a few years of the event as the government backed a series of emergency economic plans with international support.

    Between 1976 and 1997 Cyprus was growing at over 6% a year, with tourism at the heart of the economy’s rebirth.

    Businesses, big and small, prevailed as many of the country’s youth returned home after getting university degrees around the world, notably from Greece, Britain, and the US.

    “A lesson that came out of 1974 was that people learnt that you could lose your property and your money, but if you’ve got an education, you can start again and rebuild,” said James Ker-Lindsay, a senior research fellow at the London School of Economics, who has written extensively on modern Cyprus.

    However, one unintended consequence of that drive to educate was the unbalancing of the Cypriot economy away from agriculture and tourism towards financial services, said Ker-Lindsay.

    The booming financial sector got a further turbo charge from the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, and Russian money – some thought to be of dubious origin – started flowing into the country’s banks, an influx of capital that further unbalanced the economy.

    Membership of the EU in 2004 and the adoption of the euro four years later were meant to solidify the country’s advance and set a course for further prosperity.

    However, Europe’s debt crisis, and in particular the problems of Greece, tore up the Cypriot economic model and the country eventually had to accept an onerous package of measures to stave off bankruptcy.

    – Sapa-AP

    * This article was first published in Sunday Times: Business Times

    via Cyprus ponders another start | Business Times | BDlive.