Turkish Forum

Category: Asia and Pacific

  • Istanbul will host the next General Assembly of OANA

    Istanbul will host the next General Assembly of OANA

    BAKU (Azerbaijan), Sept 4 (Bernama) — Istanbul will host the next General Assembly of the Organisation of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA) in 2010, said OANA president Dr Ahmad Muchlis Yusuf.

    Speaking at the conclusion of the 30th OANA Executive Board meeting here Wednesday, he said the Turkish news agency, Anadolu, had offered to host the meeting since Istanbul had been designated as the European culture capital for that year.

    Dr Ahmad Muchlis said the venue for the next OANA Executive Board meeting had yet to be finalised although Iran’s Mehr News Agency had tentatively offered to host it next year.

    Malaysian National News Agency :: BERNAMA.

  • “Turkey’s current steps remind of Iran’s actions in 1992, which rescued Armenia”

    “Turkey’s current steps remind of Iran’s actions in 1992, which rescued Armenia”

    Turkey’s current steps, if exactly President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Yerevan, remind of Iran’s actions in 1992, when this country rescued Armenia, said head of the center of political innovations and technologies Mubariz Ahmedoghlu at a press conference on the political results of August.

    In September-October of 1992, when Azerbaijan put Armenia against the wall, Iran opened its borders with this country and provided it with fuel and food. (more…)

  • Gül, Bush speak on the phone after Lavrov talks in Istanbul

    Gül, Bush speak on the phone after Lavrov talks in Istanbul

    ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

    President Abdullah Gül yesterday held a telephone conversation with U.S. President George W. Bush for “comprehensive consultations” over regional and international matters, reported the Anatolia news agency.

    The two leaders discussed the Turkish-led Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform, as well as the problem over the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk and the negotiations set for today on the divided island of Cyprus, said Anatolia, citing unidentified sources.

    The telephone conversation follows a meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Istanbul. At the expense of triggering a collision course with the west, Russia declared last month that it recognizes the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The global balances upset in the wake of the latest Caucasus crisis has left Turkey in a dilemma as the country may be forced to choose between the two if the rift deepens in the near future.

    The passage of NATO’s military vessels through the Turkish straits, under the Montreux Convention of 1936, to dispatch humanitarian aid to war-torn Georgia has become a source of controversy. Russian military officials raised concerns over the NATO buildup in the Black Sea.

  • Georgian Prime Minister to Participate in Istanbul International Conference

    Georgian Prime Minister to Participate in Istanbul International Conference

    Georgia, Tbilisi, 1 September / Trend News corr. N.Kirtskhalia/ Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze will participate in the Istanbul International Conference 5th Annual Emerging Europa. According to Georgian governmental administration, the conference will take place on 5-6 September.
    Georgian delegation will include Georgia’s Ambassador to Turkey Grigol Mgaloblishvili, Deputy Energy Minister Levan Mchedlishvili, Director of the Investment Agency Nata Kasradze, Prime Minister’s advisor Giorgi Melikidze, head of the governmental chancellery protocol department Giorgi Zurabishvili.

    Bilateral meetings between Georgian delegation and participants will take place within the conference to draw investments to Georgia.

    The correspondent can be contacted at trend@trend.az

  • OBAMA / BIDEN DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL TICKET STRONG ON GENOCIDE RECOGNITION; U.S.-ARMENIA RELATIONS

    OBAMA / BIDEN DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL TICKET STRONG ON GENOCIDE RECOGNITION; U.S.-ARMENIA RELATIONS

    Armenian National Committee of Americanin Ermeni oylarini yonlendirmekte uyguladigi akilci yonteme imrenmemek elde degil.  Bakiniz, ne kadar genis bir arastirma yapmislar.  Hala, Joe Biden’in secimlerden sonra Turkiye lehine fikir degistirecegini savunacak misiniz?
    Fatma S.

     

     

    Armenian National Committee of America
    1711 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
    Tel. (202) 775-1918 * Fax. (202) 775-5648 * Email.anca@anca.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    For Immediate Release ~ 2008-08-23
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian ~ Tel: (202) 775-1918

     

    OBAMA / BIDEN DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL TICKET STRONG ON GENOCIDE RECOGNITION; U.S.-ARMENIA RELATIONS

     
    WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomed Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s announcement of longtime Armenian American issues supporter, Sen. Joe Biden as his choice for Vice-President. Sen. Biden, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been an outspoken advocate of U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide and brings the principled international leadership needed to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

    “As we stated back in January, Armenian Americans, a community that is deeply committed to a moral U.S. foreign policy and constructive American engagement abroad, respect Senator Biden’s leadership and, today, we welcome his addition to the Democratic ticket,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

    Elected to office in 1972, Senator Biden has been a voice of moral clarity on issues of concern to the Armenian American community including:

    * Support for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, dating back to his work with Senator Bob Dole to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution (S.J.Res.212) in 1990, and stronger U.S.-Armenia relations.

    * A perennial supporter of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, adopted in 1992, which restricted U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan due to its ongoing blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

    * In May, 2007, Senator Biden, in response to a question from the Los Angeles Times editorial board about the Armenian Genocide Resolution (S.Res.106), said: “I support it, and the reason is simple: I have found in my experience that you cannot have a solid relationship with a country based on fiction. It occurred. It occurred.” Senator Biden has been cosponsor of every resolution reaffirming the Armenian Genocide introduced in the Senate over the past 20 years.

    * In connection with his leadership in pressing the Administration to explain its firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, and the controversy over the subsequent nomination of Dick Hoagland in 2007, Senator Biden secured from the Administration a number of commitments, among them that:

    — The next U.S. Ambassador to Armenia will meet extensively with representatives of the Armenian American community before and during their tenure in Yerevan.

    — The State Department will brief Members of Congress on its efforts to promote Turkish recognition of the real history of the Armenian Genocide.

    — U.S. ambassadors to Yerevan and Ankara would exchange visits for the purpose of ending Turkey’s economic blockade of Armenia.

    * He authored a resolution (S.Res.65), which was adopted in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by unanimous consent, to honor journalist Hrant Dink, who was assassinated in Turkey last year for writing about the Armenian Genocide.

    * In July, 2008, Sen. Biden reiterated his commitment to securing U.S. and Turkish recognition of the Armenian Genocide in connection with the nomination of U.S. Ambassador to Armenian Marie Yovanovitch. “Recognition by the United States of the Armenian Genocide is not the final goal. The real goal is the recognition of Turkey – of the Turkish Government – of the Armenian Genocide and the establishment of a common Turkish-Armenian understanding of the events and tragedy that took place,” stated Sen. Biden.

    The ANCA endorsed Senator Obama in the Democratic primaries and will announce its general election endorsement decision following the Democratic and Republican primaries. The ANC of Iowa had endorsed Sen. Joe Biden in his presidential election bid prior to the Iowa primary earlier this year.

    #####
     
    Sen. Biden’s Support on Armenian American Issues
    ANCA Press Releases 2000 to Present

    June 19, 2001 Turkish Diplomats Express Fear Over Senator Biden’s Chairmanship of Foreign Relations Committee
    August 19, 2001 Senators Biden and Sarbanes Set to Oppose Attack Helicopter Deal with Turkey
    October 15, 2002 ANCA ER Releases Congressional Endorsements for 2002 General Election
    June 10, 2003 Resolution Marking Anniversary of Genocide Convention, Recognizing Armenian Genocide Introduced in U.S. Senate
    April 18, 2005 Record Number of Senators Call on President Bush to Properly Characterize Armenian Genocide
    January 20, 2006 Sen. Joe Biden – Ranking Member on Foreign Relations Committee – Cosponsors Armenian Genocide Resolution
    June 28, 2006 Senate Panel Presses Proposed U.S. Envoy for Clear Explanation of U.S Policy on the Armenian Genocide
    July 24, 2006 State Department Misled Senate on Turkish Communications About Amb. Evans
    August 1, 2006 Sen. Biden Delays Senate Foreign Relations Committee Vote on Hoagland Nomination
    March 2, 2007 Senate Panel to Consider Legislation Condemning Murder of Hrant Dink
    March 28, 2007 Senate Panel Adopts Biden Resolution Honoring Hrant Dink
    January 2, 2008 ANC-Iowa Endorses Biden In Democratic Caucus
    January 23, 2008 Joe Biden Cosponsors Armenian Genocide Resolution
    April 28, 2008 His Eminence Oshagan Choloyan Urges Vigilance Against Genocide In Capitol Hill Meetings
    July 29, 2008 Senators Biden, Boxer, Menendez Force Bush Administration to Distance U.S. from Turkey’s Genocide Denial Policy
  • Georgian, Russian FMs expected in Turkey

    Georgian, Russian FMs expected in Turkey

    ANKARA – The foreign ministers of Georgia and Russia are expected to visit Turkey separately in a few days’ time for talks on the escalating crisis in the Caucasus, a government official said Friday.Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will host his Georgian counterpart Eka Tkeshelashvili on Sunday in Istanbul, two days before he meets Sergei Lavrov of Russia on September 2 in the same city, said the official, who requested anonymity.

    There were no plans for a three-way ministerial meeting, he added.

    Turkey was put on edge as Russia sent tanks and troops into Georgian territory on August 8, a day after a Georgian offensive to retake the rebel region of South Ossetia.

    Tensions increased on Tuesday when Russia recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia — another secessionist Georgian teritory on the Black Sea — as independent states.

    Turkey, which has developed close ties with Georgia, said at the time that it supported its northeastern neighbour’s territorial integrity, but refrained from openly condemning Russia.

    Ankara has in recent years worked hard to improve ties with Moscow, which has become an important trading partner and Turkey’s biggest supplier of natural gas.

    Russia is on the other hand angry that NATO member Turkey has allowed US and NATO warships through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits into the Black Sea.

    Moscow has accused the Atlantic alliance of building up its forces in the Black Sea and has said it was taking “measures of precaution”.

    NATO has denied Russia’s accusations while Turkey says the ships’ passage was in line with the 1936 Montreaux Convention which sets limits for the number and type of military vessels in the Black Sea.

    NATO says five ships are currently in the Black Sea for routine exercises planned before the Georgian conflict while two US warships are in Georgia to provide humanitarian aid.

    han/gk

    Source : Turkishpress