Month: March 2007

"WE PLAN TO ATTRACT SIGNIFICANT MEANS FROM FOREIGN SOURCES"

Mediamax Agency, Armenia
March 13 2007

Interview to the Executive Director of Inecobank Mher Grigorian to
Mediamax Agency (Banks.am)

– Lately "Inecobank" signed two credit contracts – with the EBRD at
the sum of $5mln (financing of micro- and small business) and with
the BSTDB at the sum of $3mln (financing of foreign trade). Will
those contracts lead to the improvement of crediting conditions by
"Inecobank"?

– "Inecobank" cooperates with many well-known international
organizations, among which the International Financial Corporation
(IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),
KfW and others.

We are not going to limit ourselves to the above-mentioned financing
sources, and in the course of 2007 we plan to attract significant
sums from the foreign sources.

Our bank has always been adherent to the strategy of financing
according to the market tariffs, and the given credits are not
an exception. Unfortunately, the Armenian banks are not yet
able to attract resources by very low interest rates, and taking
into consideration the increasing demand for credits in Armenia,
I consider it unlikely that the credit interest rates will decrease
in the nearest future – especially in case of foreign currency credits.

-The international financial structures have been assisting your bank
before in the sphere of financing of foreign trade. In particular,
in 2005 "Inecobank" joined the program of EBRD on assistance in the
sphere of foreign trade crediting. Does your bank have any plans as
to the implementation of factoring service?

– The program of EBRD on financing foreign trade differs from the
program of BSTDB. In the first case, direct financing is not being
realized, but an issue of warrants and letters of credits, approved by
international banks. What concerns the factoring, yes; we carry out
works in that direction: we have organized trainings for the staff,
initiated a small study of the market. I believe that in the course
of 2007, we will conclude a few agreements with Armenian companies,
which realize wholesale and small wholesale trade, but here we talk
about the inner factoring yet.

– "Inecobank" is included in the program of the German KfW bank
"Stable development of mortgage market". Can we suppose that the
mortgage credits, provided within the framework of the program, will
become privileged for mortgage borrowers, and how will in this case
the issue of selection of potential borrowers be decided upon?

– There are so-called "minimal standards of the credit qualities"
elaborated within the framework of the program, which determine
the criteria of the borrowers’ selection. Unfortunately, the given
criteria are quite strict and allow involving only the most solvent
group of the potential borrowers. On the other hand, this is natural:
the 6mln euro, allocated by the KfW for crediting, is not a large sum,
so we cannot talk about a large-scale mortgage program.

– Starting from December of 1997, "Inecobank", first from all the
Armenian commercial banks started to service the trade of consumer
goods on credit. Do you preserve the leading position in the given
segment?

– Quite true, when 10 years ago "Inecobank" started granting consumer
credits, it was the only one to realize such activities, and today
almost all the banks provide the given service. It is well-known that
each product has a cycle of existence, and we aim at not preserving
the leadership, but changing the format of consumer crediting,
facilitating and accelerating its process.

Our bank has elaborated a system, named "On the spot crediting",
that is the crediting in the shop. The customers will not have to
visit the bank anymore before they make the purchase – the whole
procedure will be realized immediately in the shop by means of the
electronic system, worked out by "Inecobank". We believe that the
given direction is one of the priority ones and think that as soon
as it is put into operation, we will strengthen our positions.

– Lately, it is more often talked about the necessity to increase
the growth of trust of the population for the banking system. What
steps does your bank take up in that direction?

– We pay special attention to the image of the bank, and up till now
there has been no case that would negatively influence the reputation
of our bank. An important role is played in the formation of the image
and the increase of trust for the bank by the irreproachable reputation
of our share-holders, among which are the international institutional
investors IFC and ShoreCap International, as well as the trust from
the part of our international partners: EBRD, KfW, ADB and others.

To be granted a credit by this or that international organization
or a bank, we undergo a certain procedure of legal and financial
examination, which is called Due Dilligence – a set of measures,
which are taken up to check and to objectively assess the legality
and the financial situation of the bank. Our bank has undergone 5
such examinations, and each time – successfully.

By the way, last year the volumes of assets, attracted by our bank
from individuals, exceeded the indices of 2005 by 26.8%, which we
relate to the growth of trust for the bank.

– Lately, the International Financial Corporation (IFC) became the
10% share-holder of "Inecobank". Should we expect any changes in the
strategic policy of the bank?

– Surely, the participation of an organization, such as IFC, plays an
important part in the development of the bank, implying an inflow of
new resources both from the population and the international financial
organizations. The attracted assets will be directed to both the
development of the current services and the elaboration and provision
of new ones, which will assist the general development of the bank.

It is natural that together with the development and the enlargement
of the bank, some changes will take place in its strategy as well,
but our main goal will remain unchanged – the maximal satisfaction
of the customers’ needs. The bank has been and will be adherent in
the future to the principles of customer-oriented activities.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH POLITICIAN CONVICTED OF BREACHING SWISS ANTI-RACISM LAWS

Legalbrief , South Africa
March 13 2007

Published in: Legalbrief Today
Date: Tue 13 March 2007
Category: General
Issue No: 1784

A prominent Turkish politician was been convicted of breaching Swiss
anti-racism laws by saying that the early 20th-century killing of
Armenians could not be described as genocide.

According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, the Turkish Foreign
Ministry reacted swiftly to the decision, saying it was saddened
by the Swiss court’s ruling to punish Dogu Perincek, leader of the
Turkish Workers’ Party, and to ignore ‘his freedom of expression’.

Perincek was ordered to pay a fine of $2 450 and was given a suspended
penalty of $7 360. Perincek was charged with breaking Swiss law by
denying during a visit to Switzerland in 2005 that the World War I
killings of up to 1.5m Armenians amounted to genocide. He has since
repeated his claim, including at his recent trial. In his closing
statement, Judge Pierre-Henri Winzap described the defendant as
an intelligent and cultivated person, but added that to deny the
Armenian genocide was an arrogant provocation because it was an
accepted historical fact.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BERNARD FASSIER: "IF THE MAIN PRINCIPLES OF THE SETTLEMENT PROCESS ARE FORMED IN GENEVA, MAMMADYAROV AND OSKANYAN SHOULD MEET AGAIN"

Today, Azerbaijan
March 13 2007

All conditions have been created for successful meeting of Azerbaijani
and Armenian Foreign Ministers in Geneva, OSCE Minsk Group French
co-chair Bernard Fassier told journalists in Yerevan.

Highly appreciating his visits to Baku and Yerevan the co-chair said
they have a lot of expectations from the Geneva talks.

I can not predict how constructive the Geneva negotiations will be,
as the meeting has not taken place yet. But all conditions have been
created for successful meeting and everything depends on the will
of the sides. The meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents was
very constructive, but then the dialogue became a little worse. The
statements of the sides made the co-chairs negotiate in Paris and
organize Geneva meeting of the Foreign Ministers, the co-chair said.

Bernard Fassier stressed that the sides have not been given fantastic
proposals on the settlement of the conflict.

If Geneva negotiations are a success and the main principles of the
process of settlement are formed, the foreign ministers should meet
for the second and third time, the co-chair said, APA reports.

URL:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Brand of "Jermuk" Mineral Water Should be Formed for Progression of This Product in World Markets

Arminfo
2007-03-13 13:30:00

A brand of "Jermuk" mineral water should be formed for progression of
this product in the world markets, a well-known Armenian economist
Eduard Aghajanov said at today’s press-conference in the Yerevan
"Pastarq" club.

In his opinion, great financial means and time are required to form
and promote the brand. Even after that, E. Aghajanov said, it is
impossible to guarantee the enterprise’s success with a 100% confidence
since the world market is filled with producers. "We have to think
over the creation of joint ventures with the well-known producers"
, the economist said, having reminded that, in the near future,
a liter of mineral water in the international market will cost more
expensive than a barrel of oil. In Aghajanov’s opinion, this is a good
chance for Armenia’s economy development. E. Aghajanov did not fail
to reproach the Armenian authorities with the absence of mechanisms
for the home exporters support. Especially as the internal market of
Armenia is too small for the development of any branch of production.

To remind, the US Food and Drug Administration had warned the American
producers last week that the mineral water "Jermuk", imported from
Armenia, contains arsenic and is dangerous for health.

HISTORIAN SEEKS IMMIGRANTS TO RECOUNT ELLIS ISLAND EXPERIENCES
By Sally Kalson

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA
March 13 2007

If you’re an immigrant who passed through Ellis Island, even as a baby;
if you were stationed there with the Coast Guard or worked there as
an employee prior to 1954; if you were interned there as a German,
Italian or Japanese "enemy alien" during wartime, Janet Levine wants
to hear from you.

Ms. Levine is the oral historian with the Ellis Island Immigration
Museum, part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. She is coming
to Pittsburgh on March 26 to conduct taped interviews with residents
who have any of the above associations with the processing center
through which millions of newcomers passed from 1892 to 1954.

Her visit here could last up to a week, depending on how many
interviews materialize. Those interested in telling their stories
may call Ms. Levine’s New York office, 1-212-363-3206, ext. 157,
and leave a message for her to return.

"We’re seeking people with firsthand experience of passing through
Ellis Island, even if they don’t remember that part of their
immigration," Ms. Levine said.

"The intent is to gather life stories. Ellis Island is the criterion
we use, but it isn’t the primary emphasis. I have interviewed people
who were born on the ship or shortly thereafter. The focus is growing
up in the immigrant community."

Ms. Levine will select interview subjects based on age at arrival,
overall experience and gaps in the current collection. Interviews
last an hour, and most are conducted in the subject’s residence. The
only requirement is a quiet spot near an electrical outlet.

"I do it like a conversation," she said. "We go through life before
they came, the decision to come, the departure, the ship voyage,
coming into New York harbor and Ellis Island, where they went from
there, first impressions and a thumbnail sketch of their lives here.

Whatever they remember is fine and what they don’t remember doesn’t
matter."

Eventually, the tapes and transcriptions will go into the museum’s 20
public computers, available to everyone from international researchers
to children on a school field trip. Subjects get an audio tape of
the interview, she said, adding: "Families are very happy to have it."

In particular, Ms. Levine is looking to fill gaps in the museum’s
collection.

"We would love to find someone from Bulgaria," she said. "We don’t
have one person from there.

"Also, most of the Italians and Eastern Europeans we have are Jewish
people who were fleeing persecution. We have a lot of those from
Poland," she said, but very few non-Jewish Poles.

"We have Armenians from Turkey, but not many Turks.

"We also have fewer people from France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal,
Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. We’d like to have more from
Croatia, more Czechs and Austrians — although we do have three of
the von Trapps [of ‘Sound of Music’ fame]. We can also use people
from the Caribbean and Africa."

The collection has a sprinkling of interviews with Chinese and
Japanese, she said, although most of those newcomers arrived via the
West Coast.

The Pittsburgh visit — a first for the museum’s oral history project
— is one of an ongoing series of expeditions across the country in
search of Ellis Island stories.

Ms. Levine already has several interviews lined up with people who
visited the museum and filled out a questionnaire. They include
brothers who came with their mother from Italy in 1937 to avoid the
Italian army; a former member of the Coast Guard who was stationed
there in 1941; a German who fled with his parents to avoid the Nazis;
and a Croatian woman who arrived in 1920.

Ellis Island was the first federal processing station for immigrants.

It opened in 1892, and was reincarnated as an immigration museum
in 1990.

Prior to its original opening, newcomers who arrived at various
ports were processed by the states. But 75 percent still came through
New York.

The period from 1880 to 1924 became what Ms. Levine called "the
largest migration of people in human history."

At first, she said, those who came into New York harbor disembarked
at Castle Garden, a fort in Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan. But
their numbers grew so large that the U.S. government set up the intake
apparatus at Ellis Island to exercise more control.

Those who arrived in first- or second-class passage were assumed
to have means of support; they continued to enter via Castle Garden
after a cursory medical exam on the ship. Ellis Island was for the
poorer masses who arrived in third class or steerage.

"The point was to weed out people who might become a public charge,"
said Ms. Levine.

The poorer passengers had to undergo a more rigorous physical exam.

Their papers had to be in order, and they had to have $25. Women and
children had to be picked up by a man. Those without money or a man
to retrieve them had to have a sponsor.

Such stories are among many already archived in the museum’s
collection. The first taped interview was done at the Statue of Liberty
by oral historian Margo Nash in 1971. She taped 200 interviews with
people who had made a life for themselves in the New World. Often
they talked about how different the statue looked from when they
first saw it.

Now, Ms. Levine said, the museum has 2,000 archived interviews,
plus another series conducted around the country in the mid-1980s in
preparation for the museum’s opening. Excerpts are used in exhibits
where visitors can listen in by phone.

If family members did their own audio taped interviews that are of
good quality, the museum will accept them as donation, she said. The
museum library also has donated diaries that were kept by immigrants,
and a permanent exhibit of things newcomers brought with them from
the old country.

In addition, the museum houses the American Family History Center,
which affords computerized access to passenger manifests from all
the ships that came into New York harbor from 1892 to 1924, when more
stringent quota laws came into effect.

EX-KARABAKH LEADER SILENT AFTER ‘INTERROGATION’
By Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
March 13 2007

Samvel Babayan, Nagorno-Karabakh’s former military leader increasingly
involved in Armenian politics, pointedly avoided any contacts with
media on Tuesday after being reportedly summoned to a feared security
agency for questioning.

Newspaper reports in Yerevan said Babayan and several members of his
Dashink (Alliance) party were interrogated by officers of the National
Security Service (NSS) on suspicion of illegal arms possession on
Monday. Some of them were said to have been briefly detained by the
Armenian successor to the Soviet KGB.

The NSS press service refused to confirm or deny the reports. "We
have no information about that yet," a spokesman told RFE/RL.

Babayan and his aides were also extremely tight-lipped, ignoring
repeated media inquiries throughout the day. Liana Terian, one of
Dashink’s top candidates for the May 12 parliamentary elections,
claimed at the party headquarters in Yerevan that the once powerful
general is too busy to provide explanations. She then told security
guards to order journalists away from the premises.

The reported interrogations are bound to be attributed to Dashink’s
active involvement in the Armenian election campaign. Babayan has
claimed to be in opposition to President Robert Kocharian ever since he
set up the party in late 2005, just over a year after his unexpected
release from a Karabakh prison. He had been serving a 14-year prison
sentence for a botched 2000 attempt on the life of Karabakh President
Arkady Ghukasian.

Dashink is contesting the elections under the system of proportional
representation and in some of Armenia’s 41 single-member districts.

Setting up one of the most intriguing individual contests, Babayan has
decided to challenge Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s controversial
brother Aleksandr in a constituency close to Karabakh.

The Yerevan newspaper "168 Zham" reported last week that the Armenian
authorities are considering declaring that Babayan is not eligible for
a parliament seat. Under Armenia’s constitution, only those Armenian
citizens who have permanently resided in the country for the past
five years can run for the National Assembly.

Babayan and his loyalists have repeatedly stated that he is eligible
to join the race, citing a 1989 act by the Soviet Armenian parliament
that declared Karabakh a part of Armenia. Kocharian and his allies
invoked the same document he controversially ran for president in
1998 less than a year after moving to Yerevan from Stepanakert.

According to "168 Zham," Babayan recently met unnamed "influential
officials" from the presidential administration and threatened to
appeal to the Constitutional Court in case he is not registered as
a candidate. "Samvel Babayan is ready to make serious and scandalous
revelations in the court," the paper said.

Incidentally, among the individuals who were seen entering the
Dashink offices on Tuesday was Kim Balayan, a Karabakh-born member
of the Constitutional Court. Contacted by RFE/RL later in the day,
Balayan denied discussing any political issues with Babayan. He said
he visited the former Karabakh strongman for "personal reasons" only.

ARE TREES POORLY POSITIONED?
By Ng Tze Yong

Electric New Paper, Singapore
March 13 2007

Yes, they hide buildings, says Heritage Society president

No, they give buildings unique tropical look, says architect

GREEN is Singapore’s favourite colour.

Singapore is the Green City, the Garden City, the City in the Garden.

Victoria Memorial Hall behind a ‘curtain of trees’. — KUA CHEE SIONG

But, as our photos show, this garden may be looking just a tad
overgrown.

Be a tourist for a day.

You might find your patience – and photographic skills – put to
the test.

Several of our iconic buildings are obscured behind a ‘green curtain’
of trees. And it’s almost impossible to take an unobstructed picture
of them.

Sometimes, it’s almost comical to watch tourists squat and tip-toe
as they hunt for that postcard-perfect view.

During his Budget Speech last year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
set out his vision of a ‘City in a Garden’.

And Singapore will be spending $700 million building more parks, park
connectors, rooftop gardens and even vertical and high-rise greenery.

That’s many more trees coming our way.

Is it time to start planning more carefully where and what we plant?

Dr Kevin Tan, the president of the Singapore Heritage Society, feels
there is ‘a certain insensitivity about the way some trees are planted,
especially those in front of landmarks’.

He said: ‘If you plant trees on road dividers, that’s fine. But why
plant big trees in front of historic landmarks?

‘The Urban Redevelopment Authority, Preservation of Monuments Board
and the National Parks Board should work more closely together.’

Mr Tim Auger, an editor, agrees.

When he was working on Singapore: The Encyclopedia, Mr Auger found
it tough to photograph Singapore’s landmarks.

‘If you cannot photograph a building properly, it’s hard to think
about promoting it as an icon,’ he said.

Besides, wouldn’t it be ironic if tourists who come here to see the
‘City in a Garden’ can’t see the City because of the Garden?

So why are we hiding historic buildings behind trees after spending
so much money to conserve them?

NO COMPLAINTS

The Singapore Tourism Board said it has not received any complaints
about this, while the URA said it has had some feedback from the
public about the issue.

Some say there is a case to be made for keeping the greenery.

Mr Simon Longman, director of streetscape at NParks, said trees have
‘aesthetic value’ and also provide much needed shade.

He added that Singapore is held up as a model for being a Garden City,
adding: ‘We should not be too hasty in abandoning our approach.’

The URA conserves historic buildings because they ‘imbue a city with a
sense of history and social memory’. But can they do that from behind
their ‘green curtain’?

Dr Yeo Kang Shua, a heritage lover who is also a trained architect,
said it’s a fine line to draw.

‘We can’t just look at the buildings or just the trees alone,’ he
said. ‘We need to look at the whole environment.’

He pointed out that there used to be a carpark in front of Victoria
Memorial Hall. ‘You could see the building completely. But the carpark
was an eyesore,’ he said.

Today, there’s a garden. But the trees obscure the view.

So is it better to have the carpark or the garden?

‘The camera is fixed. Humans are mobile,’ Dr Yeo said. ‘We can move
around to enjoy the building from different angles.’

Many of the pictures you see on the previous page are actually old
postcards.

Were the buildings photographed from those angles because that was
the best way to show the building?

‘Some buildings are meant to be monumental and enjoyed from far,’
Dr Yeo said.

An example: City Hall.

‘Other buildings are more intimate. They invite people to explore
its spaces up close,’ he said.

Like the Armenian Church. Its trees provide shade for its quaint
garden located in the heart of the city.

‘If you put these buildings on a pedestal, you make them look
unapproachable,’ said Dr Yeo.

This issue goes beyond historical landmarks.

Last year, a Straits Times columnist suggested cutting down trees in
Orchard Road because they overshadowed the buildings. Nature-lovers
promptly wrote in to protest.

But Orchard Road is a big street. For individual buildings, removing
just one or two trees will do the trick.

Ultimately, it’s an unusual tussle because it’s between romantics –
romantics who love old buildings versus romantics who love trees.

Which should we value more? The green or the old?

TREES COMPLEMENT

It’s not a win-lose situation.

Planted with care, tropical trees complement our landmarks, many of
which were built in the colonial style.

Said Dr Yeo: ‘Without these tropical trees, our churches will look
just like churches in England.’

Heritage guide Geraldene Lowe-Ismail loves the trees.

She said: ‘The shade allows tourists to linger and admire the building,
but it’s no good if they can’t see the building.’

Dr Tan suggests trimming or transplanting the trees.

‘We don’t even need to chop them down. Buildings are our heritage.

They are part of people’s memories,’ he said.

‘But trees are, too.’

,4 136,124730,00.html

‘2009 TURKISH YEAR’ ACHE FOR FRENCH BUSINESSMEN

Sabah, Turkey
March 13 2007

France, where the Armenian year continues, is getting ready for the
2009 Turkish year. The chairman of the French Chamber of Industry and
Commerce Assembly Bernardin said: "let’s make joint economic programs
for 2009. Let us bring presidents and prime ministers together."

After the visit of the chairman of MEDEF, Laurence Parisot, when
he gave a supportive message for the Genocide Bill, the chairman of
the French Chamber of Industry and Commerce Assembly Jean-Francois
Bernardin also came to Turkey. Bernardin, representing 2 million French
enterprises, stated his wish about bringing together the leaders of
two countries and carring out joint economic activities.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FRENCH BUSINESSMEN WANT MEDITERRANEAN UNION

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 13 2007

During a visit to Turkey, Assembly of French Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (ACFCI) President Jean Francois Bernardin said Turkey
and France should make initiatives to establish a Mediterranean
Union, saying that cultivating a stronger Mediterranean identity,
in coordination with the EU would expand the region economically
and culturally.

ACFCI members and a press delegation attended workshops with the
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges’ (TOBB) Foreign
Economic Affairs Council (DEÝK) and press members in Ýstanbul. TOBB
President Rifat Hisarcýklýoðlu said during the meeting’s dinner
that their concerns are not only domestic problems but also the
developments in World Chambers Federation, Union of Islamic Country
Chambers and the relations with neighbor countries. He said they signed
a forum with Israel and Palestine that would provide jobs for 10,000
Palestinians. Hisarcýklýoðlu emphasized that Turkey has an orderly
market economy and expects support from the ACFCI to familiarize
Turkey in France. He also said they were ready to cooperate in
training projects.

DEÝK President Rona Yýrcalý said France was Turkey’s fifth-biggest
trading partner. He added that relations would develop by private
sector investments and underlined the 75 percent decrease in French
foreign direct investments to Turkey. He also invited the French
businesmen to the Istanbul summit of the World Chambers Federation,
which will be held July 2 to 6.

Bernardin said during his address to the gathering that the Marseilles
Chamber of Commerce had been established in order to learn about the
eastern Mediterranean and Ottomans in history, pointing out that the
region had still kept its importance. Bernardin said that problems
stemmed from mutual misunderstanding.

He said Turkey was improving very rapidly and that trade made nations
come together because commercial firms always act more quickly
than official bodies. Bernardin reiterated that 2009 was declared
France’s Year of Turkey and that special projects should be prepared
for the event.

He said in response to a question about his recent book "J’aime
la France… mais je suis en colère" (I love you France but I am
offended), which was published last week and suggested that France
had been deteriorating for the last 30 years, that politician had
made incorrect decisions.

He pointed out in his book that the 1973 oil crisis was a breaking
point for France and it could not adapt to the change, which caused
unemployment. He pointed out that a parliament can not write history
— in reference to France’s lower house passing a bill that would
criminalzie denial of an Armenian genocide — and they should look
to the future, not the past. "If those in power judge history, it
might turn out as rigid as this," he said.

–Boundary_(ID_pydPGat4N7NEHf/1dJ8ufw)–

POLL SAYS TURKISH NATIONALISM RISING, EU PARTLY BLAMED

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 13 2007

A majority of Turks believes nationalism is on the rise in Turkey
and that the EU’s treatment of their country is the main reason,
according to a poll published in Milliyet newspaper on Monday.

The poll, conducted last month by the A&G market research company,
found just over 50 percent of those canvassed felt nationalism was
rising against 30 percent who disagreed. About one fifth of those
polled said they personally felt more nationalistic.

The survey coincides with soul-searching in Turkey over the recent
murder of a prominent Turkish Armenian editor in Istanbul by an
ultra-nationalist teenager. Turkey is also preparing for presidential
and parliamentary elections.

One third of the poll’s respondents blamed the increase in nationalism
on the EU, which Turkey hopes to join. In December, Brussels froze
entry talks with Turkey in eight of 35 policy areas because of Ankara’s
refusal to open its ports to EU member state Cyprus. Ankara has no
diplomatic ties with the Greek Cypriot government.

Many Turks feel the EU puts unfair pressure on their country over a
wide range of issues and that the wealthy bloc does not really want
Turkey, a large, relatively poor, Muslim country, as a member.

The second reason given for the upsurge in Turkish nationalism was
the inadequacy of Turkish foreign policy on issues such as Iraq and
Cyprus. Ankara is very worried about the possible disintegration of
neighboring Iraq and the emergence of an independent Kurdish state in
northern Iraq, which could fan separatism among the Kurdish population
of southeast Turkey. Turkish politicians and army generals sometimes
threaten to take military action against Kurdish terrorists hiding
in northern Iraq but have not followed up on these threats.

In Cyprus, Turkish Cypriots remain subject to international trade
sanctions despite their support for a UN-backed reunification plan in
2004, which was rejected by the Greek Cyprus. The A&G survey canvassed
the views of 2,396 people across the country February 17 to 18.