Turkish Forum

Category: Asia and Pacific

  • RUSSIA: MOSCOW HOSTS CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN

    RUSSIA: MOSCOW HOSTS CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN

    RIA Novosti

    Russia is ready to actively contribute to normalization of the situation in Afghanistan, President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday in a welcome message to the participants of an international conference, RIA Novosti reports.

    The Moscow conference on Afghanistan was held under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – a regional security organization comprising Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

    The conference participants – SCO ministers and representatives of G8 members, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iran, the UN, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the OSCE, the EU and NATO – gathered to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and in the Middle East and work out a strategy of fight against terrorism and drug production.

    The CSTO comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

    “I am convinced that the conference results will become a weighty contribution to the efforts by member countries and observers of the SCO, other states and international organizations to assist Afghanistan,” said the president’s message, which was read by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

    “For its part, Russia is ready for active joint steps aimed at normalizing the situation in the country and ensuring its peaceful and creative development,” it said.

    Medvedev said the conference was a very important event and noted that its participants would have to discuss a number of serious problems touching upon the interests of Afghanistan and other countries.

    The president said Russia is interested in wide cooperation with the international community to resolve Afghanistan’s problems.

    Lavrov, heading the Russian delegation, said the SCO and CSTO proposed forming belts of drug, terrorist and financial security in Afghanistan.

    The Foreign Ministry said Lavrov would attend an international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague on March 31, which will bring together foreign ministers of states involved in Afghanistan, as well as representatives of international organizations.

    “The minister will outline the main results of the conference on Afghanistan in Moscow,” the ministry said.

    At Friday’s conference in Moscow, a Chinese deputy foreign minister said China had provided $180 million assistance to Afghanistan and written off all its outstanding debts.

    The Turkish foreign minister said Turkey intended to contribute to SCO efforts on an Afghan settlement and an Iranian deputy foreign minister said it was time to switch over from declarations to actions in the Afghan settlement.

  • South Australia Passes Armenian Genocide Motion

    South Australia Passes Armenian Genocide Motion

    MEDIA RELEASE March 25, 2009

    The Peak Public Affairs Committee of the Armenian-Australian Community
    ADELAIDE: An Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) delegation was present as South Australian Parliament’s Legislative Council passed a motion recognising the Armenian Genocide as “one of the greatest crimes against humanity”.

    The motion, introduced by the Hon. David Ridgway MLC (Leader of the Liberal Opposition in Legislative Council) and seconded by the Hon. Bernard Finnigan (Member of the Labor Government in Legislative Council) went through unopposed, and sees the Upper House of South Australia’s parliament join the New South Wales parliament in condemning “the genocide of the Armenians and all other acts of genocide”.

    However this motion is unique, as it is the first to include recognition of recently-uncovered material detailing the significant humanitarian effort by the people of South Australia who aided the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide almost a century ago.

    South Australians, as part of the global Near East Relief effort, answered to calls for aid by donating clothing, money and infrastructure – an orphenage in Lebanon which housed the child survivors of the attempt by Ottoman Turkey to exterminate its Christian-Armenian minority.

    When introducing the motion a fortnight ago, a proud Mr. Ridgway said: “I would like to recognise South Australia’s role in the first major international humanitarian relief effort. As was the case for the genocide itself, that effort was not broadly publicised.”

    Mr. Ridgway added: “It goes without saying that such acts as the Armenian genocide epitomise prejudices against race, religion and culture. For most Australians those attitudes are difficult to comprehend but, unfortunately, they remain commonplace in many societies today.”

    Mr. Finnigan also addressed the house in seconding the motion: “In light of growing international awareness of the Armenian genocide – and given the horrific nature of the genocide itself – it is time for we South Australians to do our part.”

    ANC Australia Political Relations Officer, Mr. Vache Kahramanian commended Mr. Ridgway, Mr. Finnigan and their Legislative Council colleagues for recognising what he described a “proud intertwining of histories for Armenian-Australians”.

    He said: “It is fitting that South Australia is the first to honour this significant moment in Australian history – the first time this great nation came to the aid of a needy people a whole world away.”

    Mr. Kahramanian added: “It is important for nations like Australia to recognise and condemn all acts of genocide, as some – like the Armenian Genocide – remain unpunished.”

    Mr. Ridgway commended the Armenian-Australian community and ANC Australia for their excellent leadership.

    “I am grateful to be in an ongoing working relationship with the Armenian community,” he said. “The Armenian National Committee is dedicated to a campaign which advocates recognition of the genocide, and today’s motion is also a tribute to its tireless efforts on behalf of the Armenian community.”


    THE MOTION IN FULL

    That this Council recognises that the Armenian Genocide is one of the greatest crimes against humanity and –

    I. joins the members of the Armenian-Australian community in honouring the memory of the innocent men, women and children who fell victim to this genocide;

    II. condemns the genocide of the Armenians and all other acts of genocide as the ultimate act of racial, religious and cultural intolerance;

    III. recognises the importance of remembering and learning from such dark chapters in human history to ensure that such crimes against humanity are not allowed to be repeated;

    IV. acknowledges the significant humanitarian contribution made by the people of South Australia to the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide; and

    V. calls on the Commonwealth Government to officially condemn the genocide of the Armenians.


    ———-YORUM – RESPONCE BY SUKRU SERVER AYA ————————-

    To: david.ridgway@parliament.sa.gov.au; finnigan@parliament.sa.gov.au
    Subject: Counter Comments For The Genocide Motion
    Att: Hon David Ridgway and Hon Bernard Finnigan,

    We’ll publish your response in full, if you care to respond

    Kind Regards

    ———————————————————-

    AVUSTRALYA ‘YA  İLK  DİREKT  CEVAP  SAHİPLERİNE  ULAŞTI –  BAKALIM CEVAP  VEREBİLECEKLER Mİ?

    Reply By Sukru Aya (Bold & Blue)

    Armenian National Committee of Australia, March 25, 2009

    ADELAIDE: An Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) delegation was present as South Australian Parliament’s Legislative Council passed a motion recognising the Armenian Genocide as “one of the greatest crimes against humanity”.

    The motion, introduced by the Hon. David Ridgway MLC (Leader of the Liberal Opposition in Legislative Council) and seconded by the Hon. Bernard Finnigan . . (Member of the Labor Government in Legislative Council) went through unopposed, and sees the Upper House of South Australia’s parliament join the New South Wales parliament in condemning “the genocide of the Armenians and all other acts of genocide”.

    However this motion is unique, as it is the first to include recognition of recently-uncovered material detailing the significant humanitarian effort by the people of South Australia who aided the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide almost a century ago.

    * Armenians in the city of Van Revolted and declared their own Republic in mid April 1915. Their (235) leaders in Istanbul was rounded up on April 24th (the day they commemorate as Genocide) and ANZAC landing started next day, on April 25th! Law of temporary relocation was enforced in late May and people in war zones or sections causing fifth column activities were sent to Southern provinces where there was no war. None was sent as south as Beirut where there was no war! Hence, Armenians in Beirut cannot claim any connection with relocation or victimization! There is no verdict or even a court case to name this past drama “genocide”. The parliament is fabricating a verdict by self-given authority!

    “The administration committee at Beirut, until the recent Cilician exodus, has been free from the more pressing problems of general relief until has been able to place large numbers of orphans in homes, thereby reducing the number of orphans in Near East Relief institutions in Syrian area to 6.775.” ( p.9 Near East Relief Report, US Congress 22.04.1922 No.192)

    South Australians, as part of the global Near East Relief effort, answered to calls for aid by donating clothing, money and infrastructure – an orphanage in Lebanon which housed the child survivors of the attempt by Ottoman Turkey to exterminate its Christian-Armenian minority.

    * There were several RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS, the largest one being U.S. Near East Relief Organization. Excerpt proves that the orphans at Beirut, were those of the Armenians who were sent to Syria-Palestine, who did not die, and went back with the British and later French troops in 1919, some in soldier uniforms. New atrocities met resistance of the people and French armies had to make peace and evacuate the lands in Sept. 1920 signing peace with Nationalist Government. The orphans in Beirut are those mentioned in the Relief Report. They have no connection whatsoever with the relocation; they were the children of those who went back to resettle again to Turkey (estimated 150 to 300.000) but decided to leave with the French army. Beirut was the transfer port of those to several countries, Egypt, Greece, France, USA etc.

    When introducing the motion a fortnight ago, a proud Mr. Ridgway said: “I would like to recognise South Australia’s role in the first major international humanitarian relief effort. As was the case for the genocide itself, that effort was not broadly publicised.”

    It is ironic that Mr. Ridgway, does not remember why the ANZACS went to Gallipoli -to fight people they had no connection,- and die there, yet building a reciprocal sentiment of chivalry, respect and decency even under warfare. The Armenians successfully collected money from all countries, to buy arms, ammunition under excuse to save victims. (Reno Evening Gazette, Oct.15, 1915: “Professional beggars who have bled their own countrymen for years and now trying to induce kindly Americans to support them, not caring whether United States would or should not be embroiled with Turkey…” . The Armenian contribution to WW1 was to be one of the largest trouble mongers, exploiting the benevolence of all other Christian nations. ANZACS did not only donate money, but they lost their lives there for unjust cause, and not this vital part but the money part of the episode is remembered!

    Mr. Ridgway added: “It goes without saying that such acts as the Armenian genocide epitomise prejudices against race, religion and culture. For most Australians those attitudes are difficult to comprehend but, unfortunately, they remain commonplace in many societies today.”

    The speaker has not read anything on the subject, other than what has been drafted to him by lobbyists and in doing so, he forgets the dramas and genocide executed to the Aborigines in their own homeland. The speaker is in no position to lecture other nations tens of thousands kilometers away. There was never any genocide or racial hatred! These charges are lie!

    Mr. Finnigan also addressed the house in seconding the motion: “In light of growing international awareness of the Armenian genocide – and given the horrific nature of the genocide itself – it is time for we South Australians to do our part.”

    Mr. Finnigan speaks of “international awareness” but not of international law and justice and right of defense. He does the mistake of supporting a huge slander, to please some politicians of Armenian ethnicity who bring their old mythological grudges all the way to Australia, to provoke societies, spreading hatred instead of compassion and tolerance.

    ANC Australia Political Relations Officer, Mr. Vache Kahramanian commended Mr. Ridgway, Mr. Finnigan and their Legislative Council colleagues for recognising what he described a “proud intertwining of histories for Armenian-Australians”.

    He said: “It is fitting that South Australia is the first to honour this significant moment in Australian history – the first time this great nation came to the aid of a needy people a whole world away.”

    These are cheap salesmanship talk. Did this person offer any condolence or respect for those ANZACS who lost their lives for no serious justification? No! Their concern has always been benefit – money for their own. Let others die, but pay!

    Mr. Kahramanian added: “It is important for nations like Australia to recognise and condemn all acts of genocide, as some – like the Armenian Genocide – remain unpunished.”

    Mr. Kahramanian is selling a fabricated lie, not even scholarly argued for the truth essence in it. This person, like his forefathers is “selling victimization”, buttering others with polished words, as long as they serve ANC’s interests only!

    Mr. Ridgway commended the Armenian-Australian community and ANC Australia for their excellent leadership.

    “I am grateful to be in an ongoing working relationship with the Armenian community,” he said. “The Armenian National Committee is dedicated to a campaign which advocates recognition of the genocide, and today’s motion is also a tribute to its tireless efforts on behalf of the Armenian community.”

    Armenian Communities are famous for their Monuments and Museums for blood and hatred. Did they ever think of contributing anything or participating one of the remembrance days held every year in Gallipoli for the ANZAC martyrs? [From Reno Evening Gazette Oct.15,1915: “. . by apocryphal tales of outrages, have procured contributions from their Armenian countrymen abroad and in this country and have lived in luxury on the proceeds for the past 30 years.”

    THE MOTION IN FULL
    That this Council recognises that the Armenian Genocide is one of the greatest crimes against humanity and –

    I. joins the members of the Armenian-Australian community in honouring the memory of the innocent men, women and children who fell victim to this genocide;

    II. condemns the genocide of the Armenians and all other acts of genocide as the ultimate act of racial, religious and cultural intolerance;

    III. recognises the importance of remembering and learning from such dark chapters in human history to ensure that such crimes against humanity are not allowed to be repeated;

    IV. acknowledges the significant humanitarian contribution made by the people of South Australia to the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide; and

    V. calls on the Commonwealth Government to officially condemn the genocide of the Armenians.

    The details and justifications shown in this selfish motion, serves nothing to the interest of Australia. On the contrary it injects feud and hatred in the minds of “peaceful, well-wishing people” and exploits the Australian society’s sense of benevolence and fairness.,


    This site will publish their messages here, if they care to respond

  • A New World Order

    A New World Order

    An end of hubris

    Nov 19th 2008
    From The World in 2009 print edition

    America will be less powerful, but still the essential nation in creating a new world order, argues Henry Kissinger, a former secretary of state and founder of Kissinger Associates

    Reuters

    The most significant event of 2009 will be the transformation of the Washington consensus that market principles trumped national boundaries. The WTO, the IMF and the World Bank defended that system globally. Periodic financial crises were interpreted not as warning signals of what could befall the industrial nations but as aberrations of the developing world to be remedied by domestic stringency—a policy which the advanced countries were not, in the event, prepared to apply to themselves.

    The absence of restraint encouraged a speculation whose growing sophistication matched its mounting lack of transparency. An unparalleled period of growth followed, but also the delusion that an economic system could sustain itself via debt indefinitely. In reality, a country could live in such a profligate manner only so long as the rest of the world retained confidence in its economic prescriptions. That period has now ended.

    Any economic system, but especially a market economy, produces winners and losers. If the gap between them becomes too great, the losers will organise themselves politically and seek to recast the existing system—within nations and between them. This will be a major theme of 2009.

    America’s unique military and political power produced a comparable psychological distortion. The sudden collapse of the Soviet Union tempted the United States to proclaim universal political goals in a world of seeming unipolarity—but objectives were defined by slogans rather than strategic feasibility.

    Now that the clay feet of the economic system have been exposed, the gap between a global system for economics and the global political system based on the state must be addressed as a dominant task in 2009. The economy must be put on a sound footing, entitlement programmes reviewed and the national dependence on debt overcome. Hopefully, in the process, past lessons of excessive state control will not be forgotten.

    The debate will be over priorities, transcending the longstanding debate between idealism and realism. Economic constraints will oblige America to define its global objectives in terms of a mature concept of the national interest. Of course, a country that has always prided itself on its exceptionalism will not abandon the moral convictions by which it defined its greatness. But America needs to learn to discipline itself into a strategy of gradualism that seeks greatness in the accumulation of the attainable. By the same token, our allies must be prepared to face the necessary rather than confining foreign policy to so-called soft power.

    Every major country will be driven by the constraints of the fiscal crisis to re-examine its relationship to America. All—and especially those holding American debt—will be assessing the decisions that brought them to this point. As America narrows its horizons, what is a plausible security system and aimed at what threats? What is the future of capitalism? How, in such circumstances, does the world deal with global challenges, such as nuclear proliferation or climate change?

    America will remain the most powerful country, but will not retain the position of self-proclaimed tutor. As it learns the limits of hegemony, it should define implementing consultation beyond largely American conceptions. The G8 will need a new role to embrace China, India, Brazil and perhaps South Africa.

    The immediate challenge

    In Iraq, if the surge strategy holds, there must be a diplomatic conference in 2009 to establish principles of non-intervention and define the country’s international responsibilities.

    The dilatory diplomacy towards Iran must be brought to a focus. The time available to forestall an Iranian nuclear programme is shrinking and American involvement is essential in defining what we and our allies are prepared to seek and concede and, above all, the penalty to invoke if negotiations reach a stalemate. Failing that, we will have opted to live in a world of an accelerating nuclear arms race and altered parameters of security.

    In 2009 the realities of Afghanistan will impose themselves. No outside power has ever prevailed by establishing central rule, as Britain learnt in the 19th century and the Soviet Union in the 20th. The collection of nearly autonomous provinces which define Afghanistan coalesce in opposition to outside attempts to impose central rule. Decentralisation of the current effort is essential.

    All this requires a new dialogue between America and the rest of the world. Other countries, while asserting their growing roles, are likely to conclude that a less powerful America still remains indispensable. America will have to learn that world order depends on a structure that participants support because they helped bring it about. If progress is made on these enterprises, 2009 will mark the beginning of a new world order.

    Source: www.economist.com, Nov 19th 2008

    “New World Order” transmutes into “Age of Compatible Interest”

  • ARMENIA RUSSIA TO MINE URANIUM STIRS

    ARMENIA RUSSIA TO MINE URANIUM STIRS

    Marianna Grigoryan 3/26/09

    It is not just railways, energy and telecommunications that unite Russian and Armenian business interests. This summer, a controversial joint project to mine uranium is expected to break ground; a prospect that some Armenian environmentalists warn could turn Armenia into “an environmental disaster zone.”

    The project, launched in February 2008, means fuel for Armenia’s nuclear power plant and for export. Details about financing are sketchy, although Armenia and Russia were originally said to be equal partners in the venture. Russia’s atomic energy agency, Rosatom, has claimed that it will put in “several million dollars” for research up until 2010. But the joint enterprise handling the project cannot elaborate.

    Exploration began last fall in the southern region of Syunik, known for its metal ore riches. The project has so far relied primarily on Soviet-era data. Rosatom Senior Director Sergei Kirienko projected in 2008 that the sites could contain “up to 60,000 tons” of uranium ore.

    Academician and geochemist Sergei Grigorian, who oversees the geological survey of the Syunik uranium deposits, told EurasiaNet it is still too soon to speak about exact figures concerning the deposits. The work, though, he affirmed, “is on the right track.”

    “I personally suspended exploration work [at this same location] during the Soviet era, because I believed the exploitation of uranium mines [in Armenia] was senseless since there were larger deposits in other Soviet republics,” said Grigorian. “But today, when uranium costs up to $300 per kilogram, exploitation of the [Armenian] deposits will bring benefits, if the ore is used carefully.”

    The director of the joint company set up to oversee the project, the Armenian-Russian Mining Company, adds that for the next two years the focus will be on geological surveys alone.

    “We can’t tell the exact amount of available deposits, but the extraction will cover quite a large territory in both the northern and the southern regions of Syunik,” said director Mkrtich Kirakosian. The start of underground survey work, originally expected for this spring, “might be somewhat delayed” some months as the project waits for government authorization for the work, he added.

    Despite the lack of specifics, environmentalists are already issuing dire warnings. Syunik already is home to the copper mining works of Kapan and Kajaran. Inga Zarafian, chairman of the non-governmental organization Ecolur, said that opening a uranium mine in the area would greatly increase the ecological hazards.

    Traces of heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic have already been found in the hair of children living near what is expected to be the uranium project’s primary mining site, Lernadzor, some three kilometers away from Kajaran. Surveys by the Armenian National Academy of Science’s Ecosphere Research Center show that ground radiation in the area exceeds the permitted level by more than three and a half times; ground contamination by heavy metals is several times higher than allowed.

    Given the risks, public discussions on the mining project are a must, Zafarian affirms. “Talking about this tomorrow may be too late,” Zarafian said. “The territories are already environmentally endangered. . . . Now, they are going to exploit uranium mines there. Imagine what’s going happen to the place!”

    Lernadzor village head Stepan Poghosian says that locals are worried about the health risks once actual mining begins. “Everybody knows what uranium is. . . . People don’t want to live in a place that may cause diseases in their children,” Poghosian said. “The exploitation of uranium is not rain, a mudslide or hail, things that villagers can handle.”

    Both experts involved in the survey work and the Ministry of Environmental Protection insist that the project involves no hazards, and that mining operations will be “transparent.”

    The uranium deposits are mostly hidden within the ground’s crust and will be extracted via tunneling, said survey overseer Grigorian, who seconds the call for a public hearing on the matter. “The mining might be dangerous if it were, say, in the basin of Lake Sevan, but there is no such danger because Syunik is a mountainous region,” said Grigorian. “Maybe a very small area is threatened there, at the entrance to the tunnel, but the rest of the work will be done underground. So, the population’s fears of radiation are groundless.”

    Armenian-Russian Mining Company Director Kirakosian echoes that line. “It’s too soon to talk about environmental problems because, so far, it’s just about the survey,” he said, adding that all work follows existing legislation and “observes all environmental requirements.”

    Environmentalist Hakob Sanasarian, chairman of the Greens’ Union of Armenia, counters that uranium prospecting at the Syunik site was stopped for a good reason during the Soviet era. “The suspension . . . was not a decision that just happened,” Sanasarian said. Grigorian, who worked on the site in Soviet times, however, maintains that the work stopped only because other sites had larger deposits. “The environmental hazards threaten to cause genetic modifications in humans, as well as cancer, and other defects. Nature will have its revenge one day.”

    Meanwhile, local residents say they are left in a quandary about whether to go or to stay. “I don’t know what is going to happen,” said Lernadzor’s Petrosian. “We have lived here our whole lives . . .”

    Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in Yerevan.

    Posted March 26, 2009 © Eurasianet

    Source:  www.eurasianet.org, 26 March 2009

  • Armenian’s war games

    Armenian’s war games

     
     

    [ 26 Mar 2009 13:24 ]
    Aghdam. Teymur Zahidoghlu-APA. Armenian Armed Forces have started large-scale military exercises in the occupied part of Azerbaijan’s Aghdam region.

    As APA’s Bureau reports, heavy and armored vehicle firing is heard not only unoccupied part of Aghdam but also other neighboring regions such as villages of Aghjabadi, Barda and Terter regions.

    A few days ago, Armenian Army staged war games in the occupied lands of Azerbaiajn with involvement of artillery, armored vehicles and troops.

  • KEYNOTE SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY

    KEYNOTE SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY

    KEYNOTE SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY AT THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS SUMMIT

    (BRUSSELS, 26 MARCH 2009)

    Distinguished Guests,

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    It is a great pleasure for me to participate in the Seventh European Business Summit. I am confident that, the Summit will provide to the business community yet another occasion to address important problems that face Europe, at present.

    Business people will better know that, the “fine line” between success and failure is the ability to shape perceptions according to changing conditions. I believe that the same applies to international affairs.

    To influence global developments, we should be able to renew our perceptions about political, social and economic challenges.

    The European Union was conceived by such visionary leaders as Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman: They have changed the perceptions about the future of Europe by launching the idea of a united continent.

    This project started as a marriage of coal and steel. However, today, the same project has reached the dimension of a political, economic and social integration process. The dream of a “European Union” is today a reality.

    Furthermore, the European Union is now poised to be a major force to run world affairs in the 21st century.

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    While the EU is now a global economic and political powerhouse, it is not immune to global challenges.

    Quite the opposite!

    The most immediate challenge the EU, together with the world community, faces is the recent global financial and economic crisis. This is a testing time for Europe. But Europe has faced other challenges in the past. It has always succeeded in overcoming them. Europe should be confident in its capacity to overcome today’s ordeal and emerge from it even stronger.

    The EU today draws its strength from the sense of common destiny, with its common values, policies and institutions. It is well equipped to face present challenges.

    I have no doubt that at the end, thanks to the truly European spirit of debate and compromise, we shall emerge from this crisis stronger than before. Such a debate has already started to produce creative ideas.

    The EU’s greatest achievements of the last decades, from the “Single Market” to “enlargement”, have all been the results of acting collectively and responsibly in an inclusive way. Today, the EU, employing the same principles and instruments, is finding the right path to its political and economic future.

    No one can claim that, in the face of today’s economic, political and social crises, an inward-looking, divided, weak or smaller EU would be better off.

    Distinguished Guests,

    Turkey, as an accession country, a member of the G-20, and the sixth largest European economy, is uniquely placed to work hand in hand with the EU to overcome the global economic crisis which started out in the financial markets.

    Turkey is ready to do its share in order to deal with this global economic crisis and to provide sustainable solutions. Indeed, Turkey went through such a financial crisis in 2001. We lost almost one fourth of our GDP. As a result, we made extensive structural reforms focused on strengthening the regulatory bodies. This proved to be an expensive but valuable lesson. At least today, our banking system is very sound.

    We all know that the basis of economic activity is transparency and trust. Therefore, while reforming the financial system, this basic tenet must be upheld. We share the consensus view that governments, central banks and the business world must engage in strong collective action in this direction.

    We must also stimulate economic growth while keeping inflation under control. Therefore, it is essential to support the real economy and at the same time promote social solidarity.

    We need to give much thought to a new global financial architecture based on supervision and regulation. It is a positive development, that such issues are now being dealt with, not only at the national level, but also at the supranational level. In this direction, the World Bank, the IMF and other financial organizations need to be restructured to answer the requirements of modern economic times.

    A well-regulated free market economy should definitely continue to be our main point of reference. We should never overlook the productivity brought about by private sector activity. Although the shares of some financial institutions have been or will have to be transferred to national treasuries, these shares should come back to the hands of the private sector whenever conditions permit.

    Protectionism is also a dangerous trend. In the medium to long term, it is our own people, the consumers, who pay the price of protectionist policies. At the end of the day, such policies hurt everybody.

    In this respect, Turkey is ready to cooperate with the EU at the G-20 and the Doha Round.

    I hope that the EU will also stand up for the basic principles which have made it a great economy.

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Let us consider some of the major challenges facing Europe today:

    Economic recession; Unemployment; Demographic decline; Illegal immigration; Terrorism; Energy security; Climate change and others.

    I am convinced that all of these challenges will be tackled much more effectively when the EU finally enlarges to Turkey. The ties that bind Turkey and the EU together are already strong and deep-rooted:

    – Our common values, like democracy, rule of law and human rights,

    – Our strong economic partnership framed by a highly successful Customs Union,

    – Our shared interests on matters like energy security, good governance, effective regulation of the free market and the fight against poverty,

    – Our joint objectives of expanding peace and stability in our region and beyond.

    The interests of Turkey and the EU overlap in a vast geography and across many areas.

    Turkey’s geography and its historical ties in a large region covering the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia give it unique opportunities. Out of the thirteen European Security and Defense Policy missions worldwide, seven are being conducted in Turkey’s neighborhood. Turkey is the largest non-EU contributor to ESDP missions.

    On issues as diverse as Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kosovo and others, Turkey’s efforts directed at facilitating dialogue and compromise are clearly constructive. Just to cite a few examples:

    – Israel and Syria began indirect peace talks under Turkey’s auspices.

    – Turkey, together with Egypt, is actively working for inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

    – My trips to Baghdad two days ago and to Teheran two weeks ago are indications of our efforts to contribute to international peace and stability.

    – Next week, we shall bring together the Presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan together with their military and intelligence officials in Ankara.

    – My first-ever trip to Armenia last year and our initiative for the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform have been part of our commitment to a better atmosphere in the Caucasus region.

    In short, Turkey is a force for good in a number of the world’s principal pressure points. Clearly, increased synergy between Turkey and the EU will be to our mutual benefit.

    Therefore, obstacles preventing benefits of such a synergy, like the Cyprus issue, should be removed before wasting more time and losing more opportunities. Turkey and Turkish Cypriots have already done their share for a peaceful settlement of this issue. We are committed to continue in the same line. Our vision is to create another strong pillar of Europe in the Eastern Mediterranean among Turkey, Greece and the island of Cyprus once a comprehensive settlement has been reached.

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Energy is yet another area of interest for all of us. It is obvious that energy security is closely associated with prosperity and stability.

    In this respect, let us not forget that Turkey is close to nearly 70 percent of the world’s energy resources. It has a strategic location along the main transport routes of the oil and natural gas resources of the Middle East, Central Asia and Caspian regions.

    Turkey’s energy security strategy overlaps with the EU’s policy of diversification of energy supply routes. Indeed, Turkey is aiming at becoming Europe’s fourth artery of natural gas after Russia, Norway and Algeria. Following the realization of the main projects of the East-West Corridor, we are now working with our partners to realize the Southern Energy Corridor which includes natural gas pipeline projects going through the territory of Turkey.

    In this context, the Nabucco Project is a priority of our energy strategy. It will play a crucial role in moving gas further towards European markets.

    Distinguished Guests,

    I have outlined some of the main areas where Turkey is uniquely placed to help address the challenges faced by Europe. Turkey is a negotiating candidate country determined to join the EU. Turkey continues on its path to accession and an enormous transformation process is also taking place. The comprehensive political reforms enacted in the past six years have enhanced our democratic system. We are determined to take them further ahead.

    We will continue the negotiations in good faith with the shared objective of accession as clearly stated in the negotiating framework of the EU. It is essential that Turkey’s accession process be continued objectively, fairly, in a foreseeable way and according to the rules of the game.

    Distinguished Guests,

    Strategic vision is no longer confined to military or geopolitical considerations alone. Strategic approaches now aim for common values, intercultural dialogue and mutual harmony. Such a strategic approach implies Turkey’s accession to the EU.

    Turkey’s accession will carry within it some keys to solving many of the EU’s political, social and economic problems. I shall remind you that tomorrow’s Turkey will be a much different and stronger country compared to what it is today. When Turkey becomes a member, it will shoulder some of the burdens of Europe.

    Turkey is proof that a well-functioning secular democracy in a predominantly Muslim society can prosper, preserve its traditional values and also be a part of Western institutions.

    None of these are new concepts in defending the cause of Turkey’s accession to the EU. However, their importance increases as the challenges confronting us gain urgency with every day going by.

    The case is a rather simple one: The world needs the EU’s soft power. And to become a global power, the EU needs Turkey. For such a successful “peace project” involving 500 million people, Turkey’s integration is the most viable way forward.

    Distinguished Guests,

    The EU needs to approach this matter with a sense of vision.

    It must take the vision of its own Founding Fathers who aimed to eliminate barriers which divided Europe and not create new barriers. Therefore, I wish to recall the Czech Presidency’s motto: “Europe without barriers”.

    Thank you for your attention.