RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: ‘THE ARMENIAN NATION DOES NOT WANT TO COME UNDER THE OTTOMAN INFLUENCE’
ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 18, 2011
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS: Turkey tends to strengthen its
position in the region by using the neo-Ottoman ideology, according
to Ruben Safrastyan, Turkologist, director of the RA NAS institute of
Oriental studies. He added that the expansion of the influence on Near
East is based on Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoghlu’s thesis of
‘strategic depth’.
According to Ruben Safrastyan, ‘0 problem with neighbors’ policy,
according to which Turkey will tend to lead a hegemonic policy towards
its neighbors – mainly the countries, which were occupied by the
Ottoman Turkey in the past – reflects this policy. ‘These ideas come
from the neo-Ottomanism and they were to ensure the strategic depth
for Turkey,’ he said.
The Turkologist says in his speech in Cyprus the RA President gave
quite serious and fundamental assessments to the neo-Ottoman ideology.
The RA President described the Ottoman Empire as a country, which
brought no any good to its subjects, that is why this concept does
not have any prospect,’ Ruben Safrastyan mentioned. He added that
the Armenian nation does not want to come under the Ottoman influence.
Speaking on the attitude of the superpowers towards Ottomanism, the
Turkologist mentioned that the attitude of US and EU is negative. He
added that Russia and Turkey have ‘a geopolitical ceasefire’. ‘However
this does not mean that the traditional geopolitical competition
between Turkey and Russia is over,’ he said.
From: A. Papazian