Category: News

  • Gul Hosts Karzai and Zardari for a Trilateral Summit in Istanbul

    Gul Hosts Karzai and Zardari for a Trilateral Summit in Istanbul

    Gul Hosts Karzai and Zardari for a Trilateral Summit in Istanbul

    Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 5 Issue: 232
    December 5, 2008 02:19 PM Age: 3 hrs
    Category: Eurasia Daily Monitor, Turkey, Foreign Policy
    By: Saban Kardas

    Turkey is hosting another major international gathering, marking its growing profile in regional and international diplomacy. Turkish President Abdullah Gul has brought together Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in a trilateral meeting being held in Istanbul on December 5 (www.cnnturk.com, December 5).

    This is the second such trilateral summit that Turkey has arranged. The presidents of Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan met for the first time on April 29 and 30, 2007, in Ankara. At that time the Pakistani and Afghan leaders issued the so-called Ankara Declaration, which underlined their intention to take concrete steps toward regional development and the fight against terrorism. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to form a joint working group to follow up on the conclusions of the summit and maintain the trilateral process (Stratejik Analiz, June 2007; www.asam.org.tr).

    Gul extended his invitation for a new meeting to his counterparts during the UN General Assembly in September 2008, and they accepted. After deliberations over the scheduling, the three heads of state finally decided to meet in Istanbul. The main items on the summit agenda are cooperation in security and the economy. The joint working group composed of senior-level officials met the day before to discuss the specific areas set in the first trilateral meeting. Given Turkey’s experience, the parties are expected to reach an agreement to train Afghan and Pakistani officers in Turkey’s anti-drug trafficking and anti-terrorism educational centers. The joint declaration prepared by the working group will be approved by the leaders and made public. Moreover, representatives of the business sector met within the framework of the Istanbul Forum founded by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) with it’s the equivalent bodies from Afghanistan and Pakistan (www.cankaya.gov.tr, December 3; www.cnnturk.com, December 5).

    The inclusion of the private sector and economic issues as a separate group reflects Turkey’s recent foreign policy philosophy that a comprehensive solution to political problems can be built on the foundations of strong economic cooperation.

    Some Turkish observers nonetheless criticize the fact that the real purpose of such a “trilateral” mechanism has never been clear, and the details of such talks have not been made public (ANKA, December 4). Several bilateral contacts undertaken as part of the wider event are significant. On the sidelines of the summit Karzai and Zardari are holding bilateral talks with each other, and each is meeting separately with Gul.

    By initiating this trilateral process, Turkey is seeking to increase trust between the two neighbors through high-level contacts, as well as build an infrastructure for cooperation (www.trt.net.tr, December 5). Turkey’s main asset is its positive bilateral relations with both neighbors and its relatively neutral position toward their bilateral problems. Turkey has traditionally considered Pakistan a sister nation and maintained close ties with Islamabad, despite the occasional changes in each country’s domestic politics. Turkey has had a similar relationship with Afghanistan. It has played an active role in international efforts to rebuild Afghanistan and has supported the central government since the U.S. invasion. Turkey has been part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) since its inception.

    Moreover, as a Muslim country integrated into Western security architecture, Turkey is in a unique position to facilitate cooperation between these countries and the Western powers. Turkey’s new role from January 2009 as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council is likely to also augment its leverage in this area.

    Turkey’s bilateral meetings with Pakistan and Afghanistan further highlight its attempts to become involved in the current sensitive issues of South Asian diplomacy. Prime Minister Erdogan visited New Delhi in November (EDM, November 25). Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in Turkey on December 2 as Gul’s official guest, and several bilateral agreements were signed during his stay (www.cankaya.gov.tr, December 3).

    Turkey’s activism in the region is particularly welcome to Pakistan. Pakistani sources praised the contribution of past Turkish efforts in “removing misunderstandings and enabling the two countries [Pakistan and Afghanistan] to focus on collaborative measures for bringing stability to the region.” Pakistani foreign office officials also expect the trilateral meeting to contribute to progress and prosperity in the region (Associated Press of Pakistan, December 4; www.thearynews.com, December 4).

    Islamabad is also taking advantage of Turkish mediation in other countries. The United States and Afghanistan have criticized Islamabad for failing to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas. When U.S. missile strikes and American incursions into Pakistani territory raised tension in the region, Pakistan approached Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to use his county’s influence among NATO members and the United States to stop these military operations (www.dunyabulteni.net, November 3).

    After the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai severed relations between India and Pakistan, Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan engaged in extensive telephone diplomacy with Pakistani and Indian officials, contributing to worldwide efforts to ease tension between the two nuclear nations. At his Pakistani counterpart’s request, Erdogan spoke with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, calling on them to prevent tension between India and Pakistan from escalating. An additional asset here was Turkey’s good relations with India (Zaman, December 1).

    Turkey’s role in initiating this trilateral dialogue highlights its new role as a peace-broker in regional disputes. Turkey has successfully asserted itself as a mediator in the talks between Syria and Israel and between the Palestinians and Israel. It has proposed a Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform and has offered its services to mediate in the Iranian nuclear issue. This new activism has earned Turkey applause. U.S. President George W. Bush recently called Gul to congratulate him for his country’s efforts in fostering cooperation between the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as Turkey’s constructive role in Iraq (Anadolu Ajansi, December 4).

    https://jamestown.org/program/gul-hosts-karzai-and-zardari-for-a-trilateral-summit-in-istanbul/

  • General Rashid Dostum is in Turkey

    General Rashid Dostum is in Turkey

    Ankara – APA. Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that leader of Afghanistan’s Uzbek community, General Rashid Dostum is in Turkey, APA reports quoting Turkish media. Spokesman for Turkish Foreign Ministry Burak Ozugergin told journalists the reports that Dostum was in Turkey were true. Asked whether General had been illegally sent into exile by afghan government, the spokesman said no criminal case had been launched on Dostum in Afghanistan and he was not in house arrest in Turkey. Ozugergin said Dostum was together with his family living in Turkey.
    “General Dostum is the leader of Turkic community in Afghanistan. It is normal for him to hold meetings in Turkey,” he said.
    Enver Sedat, representative of the political party led by Rashid Dostum told Anadolu Agency that General had left for Ankara at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Ministry to celebrate Gurban holiday together with his family and would return after the holiday.

  • Can Turkey’s AKP Survive the Upcoming Local Elections?

    Can Turkey’s AKP Survive the Upcoming Local Elections?

    Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 5 Issue: 230
    December 3, 2008 10:15 AM Age: 1 days
    Category: Eurasia Daily Monitor, Turkey, Domestic/Social
    By: Saban Kardas
    Turkish politics is entering a new era of contestation and heightened debate with the approach of the March 2009 municipal elections. The influence of partisan politics in local elections is usually moderate, but Turkish experts generally believe that municipal elections have been shaped by trends in national politics. When they are held right before parliamentary elections, they have served as “opinion polls” and signaled the winners. When held after parliamentary elections, local elections have functioned as vote of confidence for the incumbents (Radikal, November 23). In that sense, their meaning goes well beyond electing the next mayor or city councilman; they have come to pose serious tests to governing parties. The AKP passed such a test with great success: after its landslide electoral victory in the November 2002 general elections, there were questions on the part of the secular elites about how the AKP would govern Turkey, given its origins in previously-banned Islamic parties. The results of the March 2004 municipal elections, in which the AKP increased its strength, served as a reaffirmation of popular support for the AKP’s policies, removing many of the remaining objections to the new government. Since its electoral victory in the July 2007 general elections, many new issues have arisen; and the AKP has been consumed by domestic political developments, as well as the impending economic crisis. The local elections might be another opportunity for it to gain fresh legitimacy.

    The first challenge to the AKP is on the issue of reforms. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP have been criticized by pro-reform circles as well as EU officials for slowing down domestic transformation. After coming to power in 2003, the AKP implemented drastic changes in the country’s economic and political structures, preparing the ground for the start of EU accession negotiations in 2005. Since then, domestic transformation has been relegated to a secondary status on Erdogan’s agenda. Particularly after the Constitutional Court’s controversial decision on the closure case against the AKP, which fell short of shutting down the party yet imposed fines for being a center of anti-secular activities, Erdogan appears to have completely abandoned the political reform project, including making a new, more liberal constitution.

    Reformers have been troubled by Erdogan’s close relationship with the new military leadership (Taraf, October 17). The EU officials have also criticized the Erdogan government for seeking to substitute its foreign policy activism for domestic reforms (www.fox.com.tr, November 27). Even his own supporters have started to raise objections to Erdogan’s new style in government, reflecting the dissatisfaction among the AKP’s core constituencies as well (www.ntvmsnbc.com, November 6). Despite mounting criticism, Erdogan has insisted on the rectitude of its policies. Against this background of AKP soul-searching on the political spectrum, the local elections will put to test Erdogan’s nationalist and pro-status quo political platform and his confrontational leadership style (Today’s Zaman, November 29).

    Another major challenge is the electoral battle in southeastern Turkey, which is predominantly populated by Kurdish-speaking voters. Since the July 2007 elections, the AKP has sought to project itself as the representative of the entire political spectrum in Turkey, including conservative Turks, liberal reformists, and Kurds. As a matter of fact, the AKP came out as the first party in ballots in the Kurdish provinces. Since then, the AKP’s motto has been “We will win Diyarbakir too” (Aksam, December 4, 2007), which implied that the AKP was intent on winning the major provincial municipalities controlled by the pro-Kurdish nationalist Democratic Society Party (DTP). The AKP’s aspirations to be an all-encompassing party, coupled with Erdogan’s increasingly pro-nationalist discourse, pitted it against the DTP.

    Erdogan had continuously claimed that the AKP abhorred identity politics and any form of ethnic, regional, or religious nationalism (Anadolu Ajansi, June 4, 2006). Ironically, through its antagonism toward the DTP, the AKP might have triggered just such identity politics. The growing tension between the two parties over their competition for Kurdish votes accounts for much of the street violence in the eastern and western parts of Turkey, as well as the radicalization of Kurdish and Turkish nationalist sentiments. Some Turkish political observers believe that the AKP might have fallen into the DTP’s trap by going along with the latter’s confrontational approach (www.haber7.com, November 29). Local elections in the region will partly demonstrate whether the people will support the DTP or the AKP— in other words, solving the Kurdish problem through meeting their demands for more political and ethnic rights versus solving the problem by providing more social and economic development projects in Kurdish areas.

    The AKP government has also come under criticism for its delayed response to the financial crisis, which is another major source of challenge. Initially, the government maintained that Turkey might escape the effects of the global crisis and resisted the calls for seeking international assistance. Recently, the government came to terms with the reality of the economic crisis and initiated negotiations with the IMF. Experts argue that short of an agreement with the IMF, the Turkish economy might undergo a serious recession (Referans, December 3). In the meantime, the crisis has affected the production sector, with some industries starting to shut down their plants and lay off workers or put them on unpaid vacation (Referans, October 27, November 11). After all, the AKP came to power as a result of its rivals’ failed economic policies, and it has been able to hold on to power thanks to its successful handling of the economy. If massive unemployment were to break out, it might have devastating consequences for the AKP’s performance in the elections. Nonetheless, experts note that it may be too early to tell how far the economic crisis will go and whether it may affect voting behavior. They note in particular that the Turkish people are aware that the current crisis has been caused by the global financial system; hence, people might not necessarily rush to blame the AKP government for the sagging economy (Milliyet, December 3).

    Despite its shortcomings, the AKP, like Erdogan for that matter, is far from being a lame duck. It still has several weapons in its arsenal. First, given Turkey’s unitary state structure, the central government controls enormous resources. As the incumbent party, it could channel resources to alleviate the conditions of crisis-stricken segments of society, preventing erosion in popular support. Second, the AKP and its predecessors made their reputations through their successful track record in local government, and the Turkish electorate still recognizes them as the “party of services.” Finally, the opposition parties are in complete disarray, and there is still no plausible alternative on the horizon that has the capability to knock the AKP down.

  • Azerbaijan Consulate General in Kars inaugurates its new administrative building

    Azerbaijan Consulate General in Kars inaugurates its new administrative building

    Kars–APA. Azerbaijan Consulate General in Kars, Turkey inaugurated its new administrative building, Azerbaijan Press Council told APA.

    Leading media representatives, non-governmental organizations and public and political figures attended the ceremony. Welcoming the participants Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Kars Hasan Zeynalov spoke about the consulate’s 4-year activity. Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Istanbul Sayyad Aran focused on the ceremony’s role in the deepening of Turkey-Azerbaijan friendship. Member of Azerbaijani Parliament Nizami Khudiyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council Aflatun Amashov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Vagif Sadigov, Governor of Igdir City Saim Safffet Karahisarli, Governor of Kars Mehmet Ufuk Erden and others called the ceremony as a historic event for both Kars and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani journalists began their tour on Igdir and Kars on the Press Council’s initiative on December 2. Representatives of the non-governmental organizations and members of the Azerbaijani parliament were also included in the delegation. On Wednesday the delegation leaves for Igdir, where the monument of Azerbaijani martyrs will be opened on December 4.

  • New office of Azerbaijani consulate general to be opened in Kars city

    New office of Azerbaijani consulate general to be opened in Kars city

    Azerbaijani MPs have left for Turkey to take part in the inauguration of the new office of Azerbaijani consulate general in Kars,Turkey.

     

    Azerbaijani MPs Nizami Khudiyev and Rustam Khalilov have left for Turkey today. They will take part in the inauguration ceremony of the new office of Azerbaijani consulate general in Kars city, Turkey.  

    Press service of Milli Majlis (Parliament) informed ANS PRESS that Azerbaijani deputies will be familiarized with the activity of the consulate general within their visit on December 2-4.

  • Turk art in Miami

    Turk art in Miami

    ISTANBUL – Art Basel Miami Beach is the most important art show in the United States, a cultural and social highlight in the region. It is the sister event to Switzerland’s Art Basel, the most prestigious internatıonal art show for the past 39 years

    Turkish artist Gülay Alpay will create worlds within worlds at an artist fair in Miami. The artist will make use of every inch of the 10 x 6 x 10 foot space that delineates artists’ booths by making this measurement also the size of her work. This is a method Alpay has come to be known for as a means of entering her paintings and existing within them. The use of space is a way visitors are welcomed to interact and participate in her world and her art.

    Alpay will recreate her studio at the Artist Fair in an Open Studio Tour where visitors can enter the artist’s state of mind. Alpay has an extensive social and technological network with artists and non-artists alike and visitors can make submissions to her work within her recreated studio space. All doodles submitted to her space will appear in Alpay’s final installation, creating a multi-colored base, with all the spontaneity the Miami Artist Fair can handle.

    This world made of silk and acrylic paint will offer many surprises including painting clothed in silk, that will have its last strokes of paint spontaneously added by the artist as a collaboration between the artist and the visitor or buyer. Alpay is looking forward to exchanging and fusing her volatile and brilliantly colorful energy with each and every person who visits her studio at The Artist Fair, doing so playfully, spontaneously and for the sake of peace and beauty.


    Most important art show in the US
    The Art Basel Miami Beach show is the most important art show in the United States, a cultural and social highlight in the region. As the sister event to Switzerland’s Art Basel, the most prestigious worldwide international art show for the past 39 years, Art Basel Miami Beach combines an international selection of artists from top galleries with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design. Exhibition sites are located in the city’s beautiful Art Deco district, within walking distance of the beach and many hotels.

    An exclusive selection of more than 220 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by over 2,000 artists. The exhibiting galleries are among the world’s most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers. Special exhibition sections feature young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art. The show will be vital event for art lovers, allowing them to both discover new developments in contemporary art and experience rare museum-caliber artworks.

    Venue: Shelborne Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
    Date: December 4-7, 2008 Interactive Public Art
    Installation/ Performance
    Curated by Tchera Niyego