Month: November 2009

‘DISAGREEMENTS OUTWEIGH AGREEMENTS IN US-TURKISH TIES,’ SAYS DIPLOMAT

Hurriyet Daily News
Nov 15 2009

Philip Gordon, assistant secretary for the U.S. State Department’s
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

The growing number of disagreements over global and regional
affairs between Turkey and the United States signals a "bumpy road"
to Washington, D.C., for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
in early December.

The deterioration in ties between the two allies was obvious during
Philip Gordon’s trip to Ankara last week. At a press conference held
here, the assistant secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian
Affairs hinted that "there were more points of disagreement than of
agreement with Turkey."

As Gordon put it, the diplomatic agenda shared by the two NATO allies
is "vast," ranging from Iran’s nuclear program to the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement and from Sudan to energy-security projects. Erdogan and
U.S. President Barack Obama will review all of these issues during
their December meeting, Gordon said. The positions of the two countries
on some important international issues can be summarized as follows:

Iran

Iran is the issue on which the two countries’ views differ most.

Underestimating the concerns of the West over Iran’s controversial
nuclear program, Erdogan has argued that these concerns were just
"gossip." He also declared that as a non-permanent member of the U.N.

Security Council, Turkey would not endorse potential sanctions
against Iran.

In his very diplomatic answer on this topic, Gordon tried to emphasize
that the two countries were still working on the issue and seeking
ways to move forward. But, he said, in an indirect message to the
Turkish leadership: "It’s not a good thing to make business at the
moment with Iran. Iran needs to be assured that it has to cooperate
with the international community; otherwise it will face consequences."

Turkey and Iran signed multibillion-dollar energy agreements last week
despite strong opposition from Washington. Gordon said Thursday that
"Turkey’s engagement with its neighbors was neither surprising nor
concerning," but also noted Washington’s expectation that Turkey
would share U.S. concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.

On the very recent idea of storing Iran’s enriched uranium in Turkey,
Gordon said "it was a good one to explore," adding that Turkey would
be a safe and secure location for such a purpose.

Sudan

Although Turkey avoided a visit to Istanbul from indicted Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir through a last-minute interruption, Erdogan’s
denial of Darfur atrocities by saying "a Muslim can never commit
genocide" caused international reaction. When asked his thoughts
on Erdogan’s statement, Gordon, in another diplomatic twist, said,
"We have been clear with what’s going on out there" and called on
the international community to act together.

Karabakh pre-conditionality

It was the United States that most supported the reconciliation process
between Turkey and Armenia. Reiterating Washington’s backing of the
process, Gordon said: "We’d like to see the move forward for the
ratification of the protocols and implementation… and the opening
of the border."

But for Gordon, Turkey’s move to put the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict before the ratification of the protocols
is not correct. "We do not link the two issues," he said. "Turkey and
Armenia moving forward is a very positive development and should not
be linked with anything else."

Turkey-Israel

The cooling in ties between Turkey and Israel is another concern for
the United States. "Americans watch closely Turkey’s relations with
its neighbors," Gordon said, adding that the U.S. believes that the
Turkish government’s zero-problems-with-neighbors policy should also
include Israel.

Energy security

Turkey’s recent deals with Russia, facilitating Moscow’s target of
realizing the South Stream project to block the U.S.-backed Nabucco
natural-gas pipeline, are seen with concern in the West.

Afghanistan

According to Gordon, the ideal example of Turkey-U.S. cooperation is
seen in Afghanistan. "We value Turkey’s very positive contributions,"
he said. "There are some issues [on which] we have disagreements, but
in Afghanistan we have similar points. It is a global area [where]
we are working very closely." When asked about troop contributions
from Turkey, however, Gordon said, "All countries should do more with
regard to Afghanistan."

Changing axis

Gordon said the current debate about whether or not Turkey’s axis
has been changing from West to East is an "exaggeration." Adding
that Turkey still has significant relations with the West, he said,
"We’re not always saying same things, but that’s why we have an open
dialogue with our Turkish friends."

USA READY TO HELP ON KARABAKH

news.az
Nov 16 2009
Azerbaijan

Ross Wilson The USA is hoping for rapid progress in the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the former US ambassador to Azerbaijan
and Turkey, Ross Wilson, told APA news agency’s correspondent in
Washington.

Wilson said the United States stands ready to help in any way that it
can. Washington is certainly very much focused on it and engaged in it.

"There are some basic understandings of the basic principles that would
be necessary to resolve this conflict, and I believe all of the parties
would benefit if there were a resolution of the conflict," he said.

The former ambassador believes any contact and dialogue among the
parties is a good thing, so "the more of that the better".

Wilson said that while Azerbaijan has made critical contributions to
international security efforts, the country has security concerns
closer to home: "The key to long-term stability in the region is
achieving a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We
want to see Azerbaijan and Armenia living side-by-side in a peace
that fosters mutual prosperity."

Speaking about the accords to normalize Turkish-Armenian relations,
Wilson said that this was not an initiative by the United States and
was initiated just by Turkey and Armenia.

"We saw during the war in Georgia in August 2008 that negative things
happen in the region. And a normal relationship with Turkey would
really be a historic development that would benefit not only the people
of both countries today, but the whole region. And so we actually do
think that there is a historic opportunity in the region," Wilson said.

STATUS-QUO IN KARABAKH CONFLICT IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR AZERBAIJAN: FM

Trend
Nov 16 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received the EU Special
Representative for South Caucasus Peter Semneby, the Foreign Ministry
press service told Trend News.

The meeting focused on the Azerbaijan-EU relations and prospects for
their development. Semneby expressed EU’s interest in establishing
close relations with Azerbaijan, the prompt solution of conflicts
and establishing peace in the region.

Elmar Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to
cooperation with the EU, especially under the Eastern Partnership.

FM rated the status-quo in the Karabakh conflict unacceptable to
Azerbaijan and emphasized the possibility of resolving the conflict
only within the international law and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

Later, several issues of mutual interest were discussed.
From: Baghdasarian

KOCHARIAN AGAIN RESPONDS TO PREDECESSOR’S ATTACKS

t/856-kocharian-again-responds-to-predecessors-att acks.html
Tuesday, 17 November 2009 00:37

In a speech last Wednesday, Ter-Petrosian said that Kocharian’s
decade-long policies on Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
proved disastrous and that President Serzh Sarkisian should not be
held primarily responsible for them. The opposition leader claimed in
particular that it was Kocharian who renounced Armenian territorial
claims to Turkey and paved the way for the establishment of a
Turkish-Armenian commission of historians.

"The accusations addressed to me are so absurd that there is no point
in dwelling on their content because of the complete absence thereof,"
Kocharian said in a rare statement sent to the Mediamax news agency.

"Apparently I somehow inspire Ter-Petrosian seeing as he remembers
me frequently," sneered Armenia’s second president. He compared
Ter-Petrosian to a scared man whom he said he encountered during a
recent, hitherto unpublicized, safari to Africa. He said the "European"
hunter had been "quite smashed" by a bear several years ago and now
flinches at every mention of the animal.

It was not clear if Kocharian alluded to the bloody suppression of
Ter-Petrosian’s massive anti-government demonstrations held in the
final weeks of his decade-long presidency early last year. Nor did
he specify his attitude towards the recently signed Turkish-Armenian
agreements, the main theme of Ter-Petrosian’s speech.

TURKISH JOURNALIST REPORTEDLY SAYS KARABAKH IS ARMENIAN LAND

news.az
Nov 16 2009
Azerbaijan

Nagehan Alci A Turkish journalist visiting the unrecognized
Nagorno-Karabakh republic is reported to have said that Karabakh is
purely Armenian land.

Nagehan Alci, a journalist for Turkish newspaper Axsam, was speaking
during an interview with with Nagorno-Karabakh Public Television.

She said, "We in Turkey were mistaken. Karabakh is fully Armenian
land and we understand that you are too determined not to give your
land up."

The journalist said she wanted to see Nagorno-Karabakh with her own
eyes and find out the opinions and expectations of Karabakhis. "I
suggested to my chief editor that I visit Karabakh and got a positive
response", Alci said.

"Everything that I’ve seen here dispelled all my doubts about the past
and future of Karabakh. This mostly came after my conversations with
officials and ordinary citizens. We are impressed with Stepanakert
(Khankendi) and intend to come here again," Alci said.

At the same time, she said that Armenians living in Istanbul "play
a special role in the public and cultural life of the megalopolis".

Alci said that since she is not a historian, she cannot say whether
the events of 1915-16 were genocide or a tragedy, but she said "sad
events occurred in 1915".

"I regret these events. We should be friends as we were friends in the
past and made history together. It is necessary to bring friendship
not sorrow to the future", Alci said.

Commenting on the attempt of the authorities of both countries to
improve Armenian-Turkish relations, the journalist said, "We want the
borders to open, but the Karabakh problem is among the main obstacles
in this process. Our government says it will not open borders unless
the Karabakh conflict is settled. We will see."

Asked whether she was concerned about the response of the Azerbaijani
authorities, Alci said, "Azerbaijan will most likely be discontented
with our visit to Karabakh and we know this."

"We will try to be objective when featuring the region and write
true stories. Perhaps, we will be declared personae non gratae in
Azerbaijan, but I do not want to offend anyone in Azerbaijan and
Armenia. This is just my work, I am a journalist and journalists must
be everywhere," Alci said.

Representatives of Turkish newspaper Axsam said today that the
statement by Nagehan Alci may be provocation. If it turns out to be
true, the reporter will be severely punished.

GOALBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TO GET UNDERWAY IN YEREVAN

Aysor
Nov 16 2009
Armenia

The First Goalball Championship will be launched in Yerevan on November
17 initiated by Armenia’s Sport Federation for disabled people. Six
teams from Yerevan, Gyumri, Stepanakert, Echmiadzin and Abovyan will
participate in Championship.

The opening ceremony will be attended by Deputy Minister of Sports
and Youth Affairs, Khachik Asryan, First Secretary of the European
Commission in Armenia Uffe Holst Jensen, Chairman of the Armenia’s
Sport Federation for disabled people, Samvel Rostomyan, and other
officials.

The Championship is sponsored by the European Union, Armenia’s Ministry
for Sports and Youth Affairs, Armenia’s State University of Physical
Culture, Union Company, Promo Lend Company.

ARMENIA-TURKEY RAPPROCHEMENT CRUCIAL FOR OBAMA: ZAMAN

news.am
Nov 16 2009
Armenia

"How can a country that is supposedly turning authoritarian at home
and Islamist in its foreign policy be pursuing a democratization
package for Kurds and an engagement policy with Armenia?", Turkish
Zaman daily quotes Turkish analyst Omer Taspinar.

"The Kurdish reform initiative, which will expand cultural rights for
Kurds, is applauded by both the EU and Washington. Such democratic
steps aimed at a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem are likely
to bolster Ankara’s stalled accession process with the EU. One
can thus argue that by tackling the Kurdish issue, the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) is also trying to improve Turkey’s chances
of EU membership. The same goes for the opening with Armenia.

Rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia is a crucial priority for the
Obama administration. The US president needs a face-saving excuse in
order to convince the Armenian lobby and the US Congress that genocide
recognition is not the way to go with Turkey. He can only to do so
by pointing at the progress on the ground. Therefore, by improving
its relations with Yerevan, Ankara is in fact also improving its
relations with Washington," the daily reads.

"So where is the Islamic agenda in all these policies? Skeptics will
argue that Ankara’s close relations with Iran and recent problems
with Israel illustrate the Islamist tilt in its foreign policy. But is
Turkey’s Iran policy based on a sense of Islamic solidarity? Would a
more secular government in Turkey follow a very different Iran policy?

There are major trade and energy contracts, amounting to $10 billion,
between the two countries. In my opinion Turkey’s Iran policy is
more about economic interests and "realpolitik. As far as Israel is
concerned, the policies of the AKP government reflect the feelings
of the Turkish street. In other words, Turkey’s anger with Israel
is not an Islamic expression. It is rather a populist expression,"
the daily says.

"Do you have to be an Islamist to feel such anger? This is why it
doesn’t make much sense to talk about an Islamist turn in Turkish
foreign policy. Turkey is becoming a country where public opinion
matters much more than before. Populism and democracy often go
hand-in-hand. After all, politicians who run democratic countries
need to always think about elections and the ballot box. This is
why they develop a chronic habit of looking at opinion polls. They
do their best to follow the wishes of their constituency. In that
sense, the AKP is not any different. It is a populist party rather
than an Islamist one. If the EU is popular with the Turkish street,
the AKP will push for more EU reform," Omer Taspinar outlines.

"Are there, then, no dangers in populism? The answer depends on the
social and economic context. The street can sometimes turn to extreme
ideologies and elect extremist politicians. After all, Hitler was an
elected politician, and he was popular with the German street. But
any objective observer of Turkey would agree that the Turkish street
is pragmatic. Turkish voters, like voters in Western democracies,
look at the economic situation first. Bread and butter issues are
much more important than ideology for them.

Therefore, if the AKP is unable to run the economy properly, it
will most probably lose the elections. This is why job creation, the
economic growth rate, the trade balance and volume with neighbors are
such critical factors for Turkey’s democratically elected politicians.

No democratically elected government can ignore such issues. For all
these reasons, democracies tend to be pragmatic systems. The need to
get re-elected has a moderating impact on politicians. There are no
reasons to doubt that the same dynamics are at play in Turkey’s own
political evolution," the daily concludes.

EU HOPES FOR CONTINUING PROGRESS ON KARABAKH

news.am
Nov 16 2009
Armenia

Peter Semneby The European Union’s special representative for the South
Caucasus, Peter Semneby, held meetings in Baku on Monday following
his visit to Azerbaijan’s second city, Ganja.

"I hope the improvements observed in the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will continue. Much has been achieved up
to now. The sides are close to each other and this cannot be lost,"
Semneby told journalists.

Peter Semneby said he does not want to comment on the substance of the
Karabakh negotiations process at a sensitive time when the presidents
are expected to hold the next meeting.

"The fact that the presidents and foreign ministers continue meeting
is in itself a positive sign," he said.

Semneby said the EU is positive about the normalization of
Armenia-Turkey relations.

"We want to see this region as one with open borders, where people can
travel easily. Commercial relations will bring the countries of the
region closer. The present situation in the Caucasus is not normal at
all – the Armenia-Turkey, Armenia-Azerbaijan and Georgia-Russia borders
are closed. A start should be made. Enough has been achieved in this
complex process of negotiations. We hope that serious improvements
will be made in the other open issues, including the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Semneby and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov discussed relations between Azerbaijan and the EU.

The EU is interested in establishing close ties with Azerbaijan
and the restoration of peace in the region as soon as possible,
the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry news service said.

Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan is ready to expand cooperation
with the EU and mentioned the importance of the Eastern Partnership
programme in this regard.

Touching upon security in the South Caucasus and the Karabakh problem,
Mammadyarov said that continuation of the status quo of the Armenian
occupation of Azerbaijani land is inadmissible. He said that the
conflict can be settled only within the framework of the norms and
principles of international law and the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan.

ARMENIA WILL BE PRESSURED TO RETURN LAND AROUND KARABAKH – GERMAN EXPERT

news.az
Nov 16 2009
azerbaijan

Alexander Rahr Alexander Rahr, programme director for Russia-Eurasia
at the German Council on Foreign Relations, expects the European
Union to become more active in the South Caucasus.

Over the next six months the European Union will be preoccupied with
its own internal affairs, Rahr said in an interview with Armenian news
agency Arminfo. It will introduce the post of EU foreign minister,
which will have huge powers, particularly in resolving territorial
conflicts like the one in Nagorno-Karabakh, he said.

Rahr said that the EU foreign minister will have staff and an office
and some special representatives will probably be changed. "I do not
expect any rapid or drastic changes, but European foreign policy will
target the South Caucasus because the EU understands that a result
of the Russian-Georgian conflict is it was able as an institution to
enter the Caucasus and gain a firm foothold in Georgia. Now the EU
will try to do the same in Armenia and Azerbaijan."

It seems that the EU is not sure what to do with the upper hand it
has gained in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, Rahr said. "Maybe,
and this is just my own speculation, Armenia will come under pressure
to return to Azerbaijan the territories around Nagorno-Karabakh and at
the same time a clearer status will be given to the Nagorno-Karabakh
republic itself, and opportunities will be found to resolve
peacekeeping issues, maybe through some European troops."

ELMAR MAMMADYAROV: THE CONTINUATION OF THE STATUS QUO AS A RESULT OF THE OCCUPATION OF AZERBAIJANI TERRITORIES BY ARMENIA IS INADMISSIBLE

APA
Nov 16 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov received special representative of the European Union
for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby, the ministry’s press service
told APA.

The sides exchanged views on the current state and prospects of
Azerbaijan-European Union relations. Peter Semneby noted that the
European Union is interested in establishment of close relations with
Azerbaijan and peace in the region.

Elmar Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan is interested in the expansion
of the cooperation with the European Union and underlined the
importance of the Eastern Partnership program. Touching on the
security in the South Caucasus, especially Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
Elmar Mammadyarov regarded the continuation of the status quo as a
result of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia as
inadmissible situation. He underlined that the conflict can be solved
only basing on the norms and principles of the international law,
within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. They
exchanged views on various issues of mutual interest.