Turkish Forum

Category: Iran

  • tehran times : Tehran galleries taking part in Contemporary Istanbul exhibit

    tehran times : Tehran galleries taking part in Contemporary Istanbul exhibit

    Tehran galleries taking part in Contemporary Istanbul exhibit

    Tehran Times Art Desk

    TEHRAN – Tehran’s Asar and Etemad galleries will participate in the fifth edition of the Contemporary Istanbul exhibit, which runs from November 25 to 28.

    The Asar Gallery will be displaying selected works by seven Iranian artists with the central theme of population.

    Alireza Adambakan, Samira Alikhanzadeh, Reza Azimian, Mohammad Ghazali, Ahmad Morshedlu, Babak Roshaninejad, and Sadeq Tirafkan will be displaying their works.

    The name of the artists attending the event from Etemad Gallery was not released in the news.

    For four days, Contemporary Istanbul will be hosting national and international galleries, artists from all over the world, collectors, museum directors, curators, art critics, members of the press and art lovers at the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC).

    As the most extensive “modern and contemporary art” event in Turkey, Contemporary Istanbul aims to promote the cultural and artistic life of Turkey.

    via tehran times : Tehran galleries taking part in Contemporary Istanbul exhibit.

  • Turkey’s coup leaders to go on trial?

    Turkey’s coup leaders to go on trial?

    A legal debate has begun in Turkey over the trial of generals behind the 1980 military coup who were counting on legal loopholes and the statue of limitations.

    Turkey’s former Chief of Staff General Kenan Evren led a right-wing military coup against the government in 1980, staying in power for four years, during which hundreds of lives were lost and the constitution was rewritten.

    On September 12 of this year, a public referendum was held, marking the 30th anniversary of the coup. The referendum, which passed by a majority, removed Article 15 from the Constitution which had previously provided Evren and other generals protection from standing trial.

    Legal experts say, however, that Article 15 was in effect an amnesty, rather than immunity, and therefore cannot be revoked.

    Behir Sinan Akboga, a lawyer with the Istanbul Bar Association, told Press TV, “The question is, can we try Evren and coup members if we remove Article 15 of the Constitution? No, we can’t; because Article 15 provided a cloaked amnesty and was accepted with a 92 percent public vote.”

    “The date of the crime is important because we can talk about time limits here. According to Turkish penal code, a crime must be judged within 30 years of its occurrence,” Akboga added.

    Ertugrul Kurkcu of the Bianet News Portal said, “It’s really important for Turkey. It’s as important as the Pinochet trial in Chile which, incidentally, couldn’t commence for a long time. Unfortunately, I think it will be the same here as the government doesn’t have a real strategy in this case.”

    (Source: Press TV)

    via tehran times : Turkey’s coup leaders to go on trial?.

  • US: We’re Open To Turkey Being Location Of A Follow-Up Meeting Between Iran & West

    US: We’re Open To Turkey Being Location Of A Follow-Up Meeting Between Iran & West

    p51U.S. State Department’s spokesman Philip Crowley said that the United States was open to Turkey being the possible location of a follow-up meeting between Iran and the western world.

    Upon a question about the meetings between Iran and 5+1 countries on Iran’s nuclear program, Crowley said, “we are open to Turkey being the possible location of a follow-up meeting. So we have no objections to Turkey playing a role in this process.”

    “We are still waiting for a response by Iran to the invitation of Catherine Ashton, the European High Representative, to meet on December 5th,” said Crowley.

    “Iran has not yet affirmed that date or a location. I believe Catherine Ashton has suggested that the first meeting should take place in a more central location in Europe, perhaps Austria or Switzerland. But we have indicated that we are open to Turkey being the possible location of a follow-up meeting. So we have no objections to Turkey playing a role in this process, but it’s our view, as shared by others, that the first meeting should be in either Switzerland or Austria,” said Crowley.

    AA

  • Missile system may put Ankara on the front line against Iran

    Missile system may put Ankara on the front line against Iran

    ISTANBUL // Driven by concerns that a proposed Nato defence shield could ruin its own efforts to improve ties with neighbouring Iran and to boost its regional role, Turkey is demanding changes to the alliance’s plans for the missile system.

    This photo claims to show a missile launch during Iranian war games outside Semnan, about 240 kilometers east of Tehran. Iranian Army / AP Photo
    This photo claims to show a missile launch during Iranian war games outside Semnan, about 240 kilometers east of Tehran. Iranian Army / AP Photo

    Ankara has not ruled out the possibility of failing to find an agreement during a Nato summit meeting starting today.

    “If there is an agreement, great,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, said earlier this week. “If no agreement can be reached, there is nothing for us to say.”

    A stand by Turkey against the project at the two-day summit meeting of the 28 Nato member states in Lisbon would be sure to trigger new concerns about a suspected re-orientation of Ankara’s foreign policy away from the West. But Mr Erdogan’s government argues it is only trying to preserve its national interests within Nato.

    The prime minister made it clear his government was aware of its obligations as a member of the Western defence bloc, which Turkey joined in 1952 and where decisions are taken with the consent of all member states.

    “Without a doubt, this is a step to be taken as a Nato member”, Mr Erdogan said about participation in the missile project.

    Nato wants to install a missile system in Europe in defence against potential attacks with ballistic missiles on the continent from countries like Iran or North Korea.

    A previous plan for a Nato missile shield in eastern Europe drew criticism from Russia, but the alliance hopes that it can win Moscow’s support for the new plan.

    As the only Nato member bordering Iran, which has a military missile system and is suspected by the West of conducting a secret programme to develop nuclear weapons, Turkey plays an important role in the alliance’s plans.

    Experts say Nato missiles deployed in Turkey would be able to shoot down Iranian missiles shortly after their launch. James Townsend, the United States’ deputy assistant secretary of defence for European and Nato policy, was quoted by Turkish media last month as saying that Turkey was “very much along the front lines” of a potential conflict with ballistic missiles.

    Turkey is concerned that the missile shield could put Ankara back into a frontline position similar to that it occupied during the Cold War, when it was Nato’s south-eastern outpost on the border with the Soviet Union.

    Another concern is that the missile plan could spoil Ankara’s relations with Iran and might be used in a US-led military confrontation that it does not want to be a part of. Mr Erdogan said he raised Turkey’s “sensitivities” in a conversation with Barack Obama, the US president, during the G20 summit in Seoul last week.

    Mr Erdogan said Turkey would insist on receiving the command over the missiles deployed on its territory. “It has certainly to be given to us,” Mr Erdogan said about the command. “Otherwise it will be impossible to agree to such a thing.”

    As an alliance project like the missile defence system would have a joint Nato command, rather than a national one, news reports suggested that Mr Erdogan was trying to make sure that Turkey would have a place in that command mechanism and that important parts of the missile system would be based in Turkey.

    The Turkish prime minister also renewed his government’s demand that no country would be singled out as a source of threat in a document, describing the new Nato strategy for the coming 10 to 15 years, which is to be adopted in Lisbon.

    Ankara is concerned that naming Iran as a threat to the alliance could undermine its own efforts to improve ties to Tehran. Relations between the two countries have flourished in recent years. Earlier this year, Turkey, in cooperation with Brazil, hammered out an agreement with Tehran that was designed to defuse the row surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme. The West rejected the deal, however, prompting Turkey to vote against fresh Iran sanctions in the United Nations Security Council. Next page

    Missile system may put Ankara on the front line against Iran.

  • Erdogan Discusses Missile Defense with Obama Ahead of NATO’s Summit in Lisbon

    Erdogan Discusses Missile Defense with Obama Ahead of NATO’s Summit in Lisbon

    Erdogan Discusses Missile Defense with Obama Ahead of NATO’s Summit in Lisbon

    Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 207

    November 15, 2010

    By: Saban Kardas

    Turkey’s reserved position on the US-led missile shield ahead of NATO’s Lisbon Summit on November 19-20 continues to remain a major issue affecting Turkish-US relations. Since the US values this project as part of its overall policy on the Iranian nuclear program and its agenda of transforming NATO, Turkey’s rather reluctant attitude has raised questions about its commitment to the Alliance and its relations with the United States (EDM, October 21).

    There is growing consensus among foreign and domestic observers that pressure has been building on Turkey to clarify its position, especially at a time when most other NATO members (as well as Russia) seemingly adopted a cooperative position. If Turkey still treats NATO as the centerpiece of its defense and security policies, according to the argument, Turkey cannot diverge from its allies at this critical juncture.

    Earlier, Turkish officials dismissed any suggestion that Turkey is being pressured to support the project. However, one cannot deny the requirement of acting in concert with its allies, which is increasingly forcing Turkey to make a decision. In preparation for the Lisbon Summit, President Abdullah Gul convened a meeting, bringing together Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, and other top officials (Anadolu Ajansi, November 5). Recent statements by Turkish leaders reflect a broad consensus at the apex of the Turkish state, formed through such meetings. Overall, it appears that Turkey is unlikely to yield to pressure, and will perhaps continue to negotiate until the Lisbon summit to have its demands recognized by its allies.

    The missile shield also emerged on the agenda during Erdogan’s meeting with President Barack Obama at the G20 Summit in Seoul, where he conveyed Turkey’s sensitivities regarding the project (www.cnnturk.com, November 13). Commenting on his meeting with Obama, Erdogan reiterated Ankara’s position on the missile shield. First, he emphasized that as a NATO member, Turkey would take part in the project provided that it is developed within the NATO umbrella. Second, in Ankara’s view, the plans for the missile shield should not list any country as the potential target. Third, the project should provide protection for the entire Turkish territory as well as other members, underscoring the principle of the indivisibility of security. Moreover, the US needs to offer Turkey clarifications about the location of the system, and the technical details about its deployment and decision-making procedures.

    Erdogan also added that Turkey has yet to reach a decision. However, Erdogan underlined that he found the US responsive to Turkish demands for further clarification in the ongoing talks, and the points he listed would constitute the basis of Ankara’s position. At the Lisbon summit, Turkey will be represented by Gul, Davutoglu and Defense Minister, Vecdi Gonul. Depending on whether NATO officials satisfy Turkish concerns, Ankara would make a decision on participation in the program.

    During a hearing in the Turkish parliament on the foreign ministry’s budget, Davutoglu, ruled out any pressure on Turkey, yet admitted that NATO is justified to make contingency plans against the threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles. However, Davutoglu made a nuanced point, which he has been reiterating for some time. Davutoglu accepts that as a member of the Alliance, Turkey will act in coordination with its allies, but he emphasized that as an equal partner, or “owner” as he described it, of the Alliance, Turkey wants its voice to be fully heard since decisions in NATO are taken collectively (Anadolu Ajansi, November 12, Hurriyet Daily News, October 30).

    In other words, Davutoglu believes that Turkey’s role in NATO is not solely confined to saying “yes” or “no” to a decision already taken; rather it wants to take part in making critical decisions that will affect the future of the Alliance as a whole. Davutoglu rejects the presentation of Turkey as an outlying country that needs to be convinced by the rest of the allies. Rather, Turkey is at the center of Alliance and wants to actively shape its threat perceptions. In that regard, the missile shield debate has a broader meaning for Turkish foreign policy. It provides a major test for the sustainability of Davutoglu’s new foreign policy doctrine that emphasizes independent action and agenda-setting in international affairs.

    Likewise, Davutoglu maintains that the US-led missile shield should not undermine Turkish relations with its neighbors. As Erdogan emphasized, Turkey opposes mentioning any country as the target of the anti-ballistic system. Although ballistic missile programs of many countries are cited as posing a risk of proliferation, hence they are used in justifying developing a NATO missile shield, it is no secret that Iran has been viewed as the most immediate source of such a threat. Since Turkey raised reservations about referring to Iran as a potential threat during an earlier NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels last month, there have been signs of acknowledging Ankara’s concerns by US and NATO officials. In an interview, NATO Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, declined to name Iran as a potential threat that the planned missile shield is designed to counter (The New York Times, November 2).

    Turkish concern over the impact of the missile shield for relations with its neighbors again shows how another pillar in the new Turkish foreign policy affects Turkey’s thinking on this issue. Turkey has been working to overcome historical rivalries and build friendlier relations with its neighbors, as summarized in the “zero-problems-with-neighbors” doctrine. Turkey is concerned that if the proposed missile shield ends up singling out Iran or Syria, it might compromise its regional policy. Therefore, Davutoglu has been repeatedly arguing that NATO should avoid taking action that might draw new lines of division, making Turkey a “frontier country” as in the Cold War.

    Granted, Turkey so far has refrained from categorically rejecting the project, which adds some degree of predictability to its response in Lisbon. Turkey also has laid out its priorities unequivocally, which seem to be appreciated by other NATO members. It will be up to the other Allies to reach a common understanding with Turkey, so that a joint position is adopted in Lisbon.

    https://jamestown.org/program/erdogan-discusses-missile-defense-with-obama-ahead-of-natos-summit-in-lisbon/

  • NATO missiles in Turkey would defend Israel’s ‘crimes’

    NATO missiles in Turkey would defend Israel’s ‘crimes’

    RIA Novosti

    missile

    17:25 16/11/2010 MOSCOW, November 16 (RIA Novosti) – The possible deployment of NATO missile defense systems in Turkey is solely aimed at defending Israeli interests, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

    “There are dubious intentions behind the story which raised concerns in regional and Islamic countries. We are not a threat to regional countries, and the countries in our region, except the Zionist regime, are not a threat to us,” Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying.

    “The measure aims at supporting the Zionist regime and protecting it against its crimes,” Mehmanparast said, adding “we hope that regional nations would prevent such measures.”

    Iran has already expressed its concerns on the issue to Turkey, “our friend and neighboring country,” the spokesman said.

    Turkish media reported last week that Ankara would agree to deploy NATO missiles on its territory only on Turkey’s own terms. It said the system should be built by NATO, rather than the United States, that the shield should protect all the alliance’s member states, and that Ankara would not allow NATO to turn Turkey into the alliance’s frontline state, as it was during the Cold War.

    Earlier this month, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Turkey would not agree to host a missile shield that targeted Iran, Turkey’s trade and political ally.

    “Mentioning one country, Iran… is wrong and will not happen. A particular country will not be targeted…We will definitely not accept that,” Gul said in an interview with the BBC’s Turkish service.

    Turkey is expected to announce its final decision on the missile defense shield during the NATO summit in Lisbon on November 18-19.