Month: November 2009

TURKEY FM DAVUTOGLU: ‘ZERO PROBLEMS WITH NEIGHBORS’

Novinite.com
Nov 24 2009
Bulgaria

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu describes his country’s
foreign policy as "zero problems with neighbors"; critics call it
"neo-Ottoman" expansionism. Photo by BGNES Turkey is exercising
a delicately-balanced foreign policy, looking on the one hand for
European Union recognition, while re-exerting its influence on old
neighbors.

The Turkish ruling Justice & Development (AK) party is re-engaging with
territories once ruled by the sultans, from the Balkans to Baghdad,
in a drive to return Turkey to a place among the leadership of the
Muslim world and the top ranks of international diplomacy.

Ahmet Davutoglu, foreign minister and architect of the policy, rejects
the expansionist tag of "neo-Ottoman" bandied about by AK critics,
preferring his well-used slogan, "zero problems with neighbors". The
US and the European Union praise this unobjectionable aim: to act as
a force for stability in an unstable region.

Turkey has long mattered – as NATO ally, friend of Israel, EU applicant
and energy route to the west. But its growing economic strength and
diplomatic reach give it influence over some of the toughest issues
facing Washington and other capitals – from frozen conflicts in the
Caucasus to Iran’s nuclear ambitions to the threat of disintegration
in Iraq.

"We are neither surprised by nor disturbed by an activist Turkish
agenda in the Middle East," Philip Gordon, assistant secretary at
the US State Department, said recently in Ankara.

Yet the speed and scope of Turkey’s diplomatic endeavors have left
both Turkish and western observers wondering whether it can juggle
all its new interests.

In a month of frenetic activity, Mr Davutoglu has staged a show of
friendship with Syria, ending visa restrictions on a border once
patrolled by Turkish tanks; paid a high-profile visit to Iraq’s
Kurdistan region, long shunned as a threat to Turkish unity; and
signed a landmark deal to mend relations with Armenia.

"Today we, children of the Ottomans, are here to show interest in
the development of Mosul just as our ancestors showed centuries ago,"
Zafer Caglayan, trade minister, said as he opened a consulate in the
northern Iraqi city last month.

Turkish diplomats claim credit, in the last year alone, for mediating
between Israel and Syria, hosting talks between Afghanistan and
Pakistan, and liaising with Sunni militants in Iraq.

But Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a prime minister who scorns diplomatic
niceties, and his senior ministers, have shown the potential for new
friendships to damage old ones.

Mr Davutoglu is touring European capitals this month, employing
Ottoman-tinged rhetoric to persuade people that Turkey’s European
vocation is unchanged.

"You cannot understand the history of at least 15 European capitals
without exploring the Ottoman archives," he told an audience in Spain
this week.

A lack of enthusiasm for Herman van Rompuy’s appointment last week
as president of the European Council reflects not just worries over
his past opposition to Turkey’s candidacy but a preference for a
heavyweight leader who would want Europe to play a bigger part on
the world stage.

Ibrahim Kalin, Mr Erdogan’s chief foreign policy adviser, argues that
Turkish activism is not a reaction to disappointments in the EU but
simply "a fully rational attempt to seize new spaces of opportunity"
– including the EU’s virtual absence from geopolitics.

Katinka Barysch of the Centre for European Reform, a London think-tank,
says: "As a long-standing Nato member and a country negotiating for EU
membership, Turkey is expected to align itself with the US and Europe."

"As a regional power, Turkey will want to act independently and avoid
antagonizing its neighbors. It is not clear how long Ankara will be
able to avoid tough choices."

ARMENIA MAY RECOGNIZE INDEPENDENT KARABAKH IF TENSIONS GROW (PART 2)

Interfax
Nov 23 2009
Russia

Armenia may recognize independent Karabakh or sign an agreement on
mutual assistance if tensions around the unrecognized republic grow,
Armenian presidential press secretary Samvel Farmanian said.

"There are universal methods. If such developments occur, Armenia may
recognize independent Karabakh with all the consequences. Besides,
it is possible to sign an agreement on mutual assistance," he said.

"There are some options, and I am sure that Armenia will use some of
them or all. The sole reason why Armenia has not recognized independent
Karabakh is that it does not want to hamper the peace process. Once
the peace process stops and military actions begin, nothing will
prevent Armenia from recognizing independent Karabakh," he said.

"Escalation of tensions around the Karabakh conflict would be the most
undesirable outcome. That would be the most undesirable for Karabakh,
Armenia and the whole region. Yet Armenia cannot be indifferent to the
future of the Karabakh people. That is why, the Armenian president
and other officials said many times they were responsible for the
security of Karabakh," he said.

"The present-day reality is such that negotiations continue.

Armenia has always said it sees no alternative to a peaceful settlement
to the conflict. Armenia thinks it is possible to achieve a peaceful
and comprehensive solution through negotiations," he added

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said two days before his Munich meeting
with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan that a war might resume in
the region if the meeting failed to bring results.

"If the meeting fails, the hopes we pin on negotiations will be
crushed, and we will have no other way out. We must be prepared [to
free the occupied Azerbaijani lands with military force]," Aliyev
said while visiting the Goranboy district of Azerbaijan.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN RECEIVES SECRETARY GENERAL OF CSTO NIKOLAY BORDYUZHA

ARMENPRESS
Nov 24, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
received today Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that greeting the guest
the president said that this is the first meeting after passing the
chairmanship of the organization and re-appointment of Bordyuzha in
the office.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude for joint effective work and
expressed his satisfaction toward the tempo of cooperation within
the framework of the CSTO and pointed out that serious work has been
carried out during the recent times. "It is very possible that this
is the first very good precedent when the so to say orally adopted
decision in short period of time became a document, and not only CSTO
operative reaction joint forces have been established but military
exercises have already been conducted. I am sure that in near future
we will develop a package of normative acts and our Organization will
become the establishment ensuring the security of its member states,"
the president said.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude to Nikolay Bordyuzha for operative
and effective work, noting that in that connection he signed a decree
on awarding him Armenia’s highest state order – Order of Honor.

Accepting Armenia’s state order with gratitude, the CSTO secretary
general said that he views it as an advance and will do everything
for the active work of the establishment.

STEPANAKERT MUST DERAIL MADRID PRINCIPLES, SAYS ARF- KARABAKH

Asbarez
Nov 24th, 2009

STEPANAKERT (Hetq)-The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic must work to
derail the current Madrid Principles guiding the Karabakh peace
process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the leader of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation in Artsakh said Saturday.

The remarks by ARF Artsakh Central Committee Representative Davit
Ishkhanian were delivered during the ARF Artsakh Organization’s 16th
regional convention in Stepanakert.

The Madrid Principles, forwarded by the OSCE Minsk Group to the
negotiating parties in 2007, call for a withdrawal of the liberated
territories of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Azeri population
transfers to Karabakh proper and a future referendum on the status
of Karabakh. The document, which has never been made public, was
recently updated by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

No version of the Principles has ever been officially given to
Stepanakert. Although Karabakh is the primary party to the conflict,
the Minsk Group does not give it a seat at the negotiating table.

"Artsakh must undertake a campaign directed against the Madrid
Principles and all aligned forces of Armenia and the Diaspora must
be incorporated into such a strategy given that the issue at hand is
a pan-national matter," Ishkhanian stressed, noting the dangers to
Armenia’s and Karabakh’s national security posed by the document.

The documents and the current direction of the negotiations, he added,
allow for a direct linkage of the Karabakh conflict with Armenia’s
rapprochement with Turkey.

"It is therefore incumbent for Artsakh to directly tear down the Madrid
Principles and, by doing so, indirectly hinder the current direction
of Armenian-Turkish negotiations," Ishkhanian said, concerned over
the Sarkisian regime’s negligence toward the "right of the people of
Artsakh to express their free will on the issue."

Speaking to delegates from ARF chapters throughout Nagorno-Karabakh,
Ishkhanian also discussed the party’s efforts in developing a more
defined set of principles for Karabakh to submit to the Minsk Group
mediated negotiations.

He said that the party in Karabakh had, through its work, "severely
weakened the position of those who called for a pragmatic approach
to a settlement that would include territorial concessions."

"The territorial integrity of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is firmly
entrenched in our society, despite attempts by those who believe
otherwise," Ishkhanian said. "We are certain that all political
forces in the country are in accord with the view that Karabakh must
be a full party to the talks, that the territorial integrity of the
country is a given and that the Madrid Principles must be replaced."

The convention’s opening ceremony where Ishkhanian spoke was open
to the public and attended by members of Karabakh’s parliament,
representatives from non-governmental organizations and political
parties, as well as a member of the ARF’s Bureau and faction in the
Armenian Parliament, Vahan Hovannesian.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BAKU NOTES PROGRESS IN KARABAKH TALKS

Interfax
Nov 23 2009
Russia

Baku has confirmed the statement by the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group about progress made at a regular
round of talks between Azeri and Armenian presidents Ilham Aliyev
and Serzh Sargsyan in Munich on Sunday.

"Progress was made on some tracks," Azeri Foreign Ministry spokesman
Elhan Polukhov told Interfax on Monday.

The meeting gave start to a more detailed and more profound discussion
on all unsettled issues and disputes, he also said.

"The level and seriousness of the meeting can be judged by the fact
that the talks lasted for more than four hours," Polukhov said.

The foreign ministers were instructed to continue the work in this
direction, he said, noting that the next meeting between the Azeri
and Armenian foreign ministers would take place in Athens.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES TO RESTORE ST. GEVORG CHURCH

news.am
Nov 24 2009
Armenia

The restoration works of Armenian St. Gevorg of Mughni church in
Tbilisi launched. According to Georgian National Agency for Cultural
Heritage Preservation, the board of experts already examined the
church’s dome state. It was decided to start restoration works
immediately.

The domed St. Gevorg of Mughni Church in Tbilisi (built 1356) collapsed
Nov. 19 in the Old Tbilisi part of the city. Armenian side accused
Georgian authorities and Orthodox Church of neglect of historical
monuments. However, these accusations were not unsubstantiated taking
into account Georgia’s repeated scornful attitude towards Armenian
monuments and cultural heritage.

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY ADDRESSES AGBU MANOOGIAN-DEMIRDJIAN

AZG DAILY
25-11-2009

Armenia-Turkey Protocols

Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Western Region Director Yeghig
Keshishian addressed the 11th and 12th grade classes at the Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Manoogian-Demirdjian High School
in Canoga Park on the Assembly’s advocacy efforts nationwide. The
45-minute presentation to the respective classes included an
interactive discussion of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols. Students asked
a number of questions on the Protocols – including, the Assembly’s
support of normalization of relations between the Republics of Turkey
and Armenia without preconditions.

A week prior to Keshishian’s visit, students participated in a panel
discussion of the Protocols spearheaded by Mrs. Roxanne Bedrossian,
Teacher and Social Studies Department Chairperson, in conjunction with
the Armenian Department Chair Hratch Sepetjian, to provide students
a firsthand opportunity to delve into the actual text of the Protocols.

Keshishian’s presentation included a discussion of the larger
geopolitical considerations in the South Caucasus and how the Protocols
may present Armenia with potential newfound opportunities.

"This is a very complex and historical event that is taking place
among Armenians of the world community. The kinds of conversations
and debates that have been taking place among our younger community
is vital and relevant, as they are the future leaders of Armenia and
its diaspora," stated Bedrossian. "Mr. Keshishian introduced to us
another perspective quite different from publicized opinions. This
allowed us to come to our own conclusions about this sensitive issue,"
said 12th grader Nairi Khachatoorian.

"The Assembly values the important role teachers play on a daily basis,
in raising questions intended to give students a firsthand opportunity
to form their own opinions – in this case, to become better-versed
on a subject matter of direct importance to U.S.-Armenia relations,"
stated Keshishian.

The Assembly, in conjunction with the AGBU, including the Western and
Eastern Dioceses of the Armenian Church and the Knights of Vartan,
issued a joint statement in support of the rapprochment process,
and made it clear that they would continue their ongoing efforts to
secure universal affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

4-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE REGISTERED IN ARMENIA NOV. 24

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 15:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 2.8-magnitude earthquake shook Armenia on November
24 at 1:17p.m. Yerevan time, National Survey for of Seismic Protection
reported.

The earthquake occurred 3 kilometers north-east of Ashotsk village of
the Shirak region. Tremors in the epicenter reached 4 on the Richter
scale. Aftershock at 2.6 magnitude was recorded. The tremors measuring
3 on the Richter scale were felt in Ashotsk and Zuygaghbyur villages .

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MEDVEDEV, ALIYEV TO DISCUSS KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IN ULYANOVSK ON TUESDAY

Interfax
Nov 23 2009
Russia

Russian and Azeri presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev will
discuss problems surrounding the Karabakh settlement in Ulyanovsk on
Tuesday, a Kremlin source told Interfax.

They will also attend a ceremony at a square in Ulyanovsk named after
Heydar Aliyev, the source added.

The Azeri and Russian presidents are expected to continue to exchange
views on the most pressing issues on the international regional agenda.

"Among them is the Nagorno Karabakh settlement, in which Russia is a
mediator as a co-chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe’s Minsk Group," the source said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TEARING DOWN THE ANKARA WALL (IN SLOW-MOTION)
Mustafa Akyol

Hurriyet Daily News
Nov 24 2009
Turkey

Twenty years ago, in November 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. It
took just a few weeks to tear it into pieces. It took only a little
more than that to disestablish the East German state apparatus. In
January 1990, the infamous Stasi, "The Ministry for State Security,"
was stormed by people who demanded the destruction of their "personal
files," and, ultimately, the end of communism.

Now, to get what is happening in Turkey these days, you need to
realize that there is an "Ankara Wall" as well, but a less visible
one. A revolution is taking place to tear this wall down, too, but
it is a much slower and erratic one. Moreover, the main actors in
this slow-motion revolution are Turkey’s religious conservatives,
who, with their moustaches and headscarves, don’t look to Western
eyes as familiar as the beer-toasting Germans of 1989.

The birth of the hybrid system

To get the story correctly, one needs to understand the beginnings
correctly. In the late 1920s and 30s, Turkey was constructed as
a "republic," but not as a democracy. The leader, Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk, was a passionate Westernizer, but the West was not an
entirely pretty place at the time. Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany,
along with the Soviet Union, were seen as successful models, and the
Kemalist regime did not hesitate to incorporate some of the elements
of these totalitarian regimes.

Recep Peker, the powerful secretary-general of the Republican People’s
Party, or CHP – Mustafa Kemal’s party – traveled to Nazi Germany in
1935 and came back with not just a deep sense of admiration, but also
a program to implement. A year later, Turkey was officially declared
a one-party state. Peker also formulated the famous "Six Arrows"
of the Kemalist ideology, which conspicuously excluded democracy,
liberty or liberalism. In fact, Peker publicly denounced liberalism
as "high treason." Besides the liberals, the two main enemies of
the regime were the religious conservatives who refused to evolve
into the ultra-secular "Homo Kemalicus," and the Kurds, who resisted
acknowledging that they were, according to Kemalism, "mountain Turks."

So, at the end of the 1930s, Turkey was just one of the several
totalitarian states in Eurasia. What would turn the country into a
unique case was World War II.

The war ended fascism, at least in Europe, and countries became either
Western-style liberal democracies, or Soviet-satellite tyrannies.

Turkey, which skipped the war by remaining neutral, became none. It
luckily joined the Western alliance, but it neither questioned its
inter-war totalitarianism, nor disestablished its infrastructure.

What emerged from this was a hybrid system: A quasi-democracy
existing side-by-side with a still-totalitarian state ideology
and establishment. Moreover, this establishment was supported by a
certain segment of society, mainly the urban upper class, who had
benefited from the era of High Kemalism, and identified itself with
the its ideals.

That’s why when military coups took place in Turkey against
democratically elected governments, especially in 1960 and 1997, the
culprit was not just the Kemalist military, but also its civilian
allies. Before the 1960 coup, some university professors and some
journalists openly called the Army "to duty," and cheered for the
junta when it imprisoned, abused and finally killed the elected the
prime minister. (This is something you should keep in mind when trying
to understand the current Ergenekon case.)

The AKP in perspective

What has been happening since 2002, when the Justice and Development
Party, or AKP, came to power, is that the hybrid system is slowly
falling down. For the first time, a democratically elected government
is assuming full power, and daring to change the Kemalist positions
on many critical issues – from Kurdish rights to the definition of
secularism, from a solution in Cyprus to the attitude toward Armenia.

It is not an accident that the AKP is widely supported by the three
main victims of the Kemalist era: the Kurds, the liberals and, of
course, religious conservatives. The latter’s leading role is also
not an accident.

As evidenced by the role of Catholicism in the fall of communism
in Poland, religions tend to provide the most durable resistance
to modern totalitarian ideologies. It is lucky for Turkey that this
religiously inspired resistance almost never turned violent, and, to
the surprise of most, it even has turned pro-Europe in the last decade.

But all this does not mean that the AKP is all wonderful. It is,
after all, a Turkish political party that grew within the country’s
decades-old patrimonial and nepotistic political culture. It abandoned
its old Islamist ideology, but the traces of the past sometimes still
surface. Its leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is brave and reformist,
but also growingly intolerant towards criticism. (The recently levied
astronomic tax fine on the Dogan Media Group seems not unrelated to
that.) The AKP’s members have evolved a lot throughout the years,
but most are still far from being principled democrats.

So, foreigners would be not only right, but also helpful in criticizing
all these problems in the AKP. But they should be careful not to
support those who want to re-enact the Ankara Wall, and restore
something even worse than the old hybrid regime.

That’s a danger that is still clear and present.