Month: December 2023

"You can’t invade Armenia’s territory". Response of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia to Aliyev

Toneyan Mark
Dec 7 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenia’s response to Aliyev’s statement

“You cannot kill an Armenian soldier, invade Armenian territory and then say you are afraid of revanchism,” Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan said.

A day ago Ilham Aliyev said, “Azerbaijan needs guarantees that there will be no attempts of revanchism in Armenia.” Responding to the Azerbaijani President’s statement, Simonyan said that Aliyev “should look for these guarantees in himself and his policy, a lot depends on the Azerbaijani side”.

The Speaker of the National Assembly believes that it is also impossible to refuse meetings, discussions on the peace agreement and at the same time worry “about revanchism”. And if there are such fears, Simonyan suggests Azerbaijan “establish normal relations with its immediate neighbors, which it cannot change”.

  • Armenian Parliament rejects criminalization of recognition of NK as part of another country
  • “Armenia does not yet have the resources to challenge Russia.” Opinion
  • “Change strategy and fight” – political scientist’s proposal to Armenian authorities

According to the Speaker, the peace agreement can be signed as soon as possible if Azerbaijan does not delay the process.

“If the Azerbaijani side does not change anything, does not present a new proposal, then of course the agreement can be concluded within a few days.”

He believes that peace can be achieved if the Azerbaijani president starts taking “positive steps, changes his rhetoric and participates in the meetings that are organized on various platforms.”

He says that what matters for Armenia is not what negotiating platform the agreement will be signed on, but that this platform be effective.

Regarding Azerbaijan’s refusal to participate in negotiations on Western platforms, he expressed the following opinion:

“The matter is the consequences of the ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. The approaches and methods that international partners saw put Azerbaijan in a rather difficult situation. This is a fact.”

According to political scientist Gurgen Simonyan, Armenia should insist that Azerbaijan “appear at the negotiations on impartial platforms of Europe and the United States”

Simonyan also touched upon Aliyev’s statement that if Armenia wants to include the issues of the rights of Karabakh Armenians in the draft peace agreement, it should also include the issue of the return of Azerbaijanis who left Armenia:

“Azerbaijan is trying to put on the agenda issues that artificially, perhaps, will make it difficult to conclude a peace agreement. This is a negative trend. The parties know very well what they are negotiating about.”

The Speaker assures that the Armenian side truly seeks peace, not just to sign a paper, and it is not a pretense.

The head of the parliament says that manifestation of hatred towards Armenians has become a “brand” in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, he does not notice such attitude towards Azerbaijanis in Armenia.

“Moreover, oppositionists and journalists accuse Armenian officials of being too loyal to Azerbaijan. Time will pass, and I do not rule out that Armenians will go to live in Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijanis will come to live in Armenia and trade with each other. We are going toward peace, there is no other way,” he said.

For Simonyan, the statements “that this is an unsolvable problem because we had conflicts” are unacceptable. He cites the example of France and England, which “waged war for 116 years” but managed to overcome the conflict.

As an example, the Speaker recalled the sending of humanitarian aid from Armenia to Ukraine, due to which “there was a lot of noise” in Russia. Although Azerbaijan sent aid to Kiev more than once, “we did not hear a single word from the ‘fair’ Russian Foreign Ministry,” Simonyan said.

He went on to list violations by the Azerbaijani side of points of the November 2020 statement, including the return of prisoners. He also recalled that the Azerbaijani military killed Russian peacekeepers:

“Unfortunately, Russia reacts very sharply in the case of Armenia, while in the case of Azerbaijan it either cannot or pretends not to have noticed in order to save face, the good face in a bad game.”

In Simonyan’s opinion, Moscow is trying to keep control of the situation in the region for itself, not realizing that it lost it long ago. He considers the military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 the most vivid example of this. He says that the Azerbaijani side itself launched the operation, but Moscow’s appeals were addressed to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Russia as a partner and guarantor of the November 9, 2020 document did not fulfill its functions. What were the peacekeepers doing, escorting Armenians leaving Artsakh? Was that their function? The peacekeepers did nothing in Nagorno-Karabakh. And there were casualties among them 2-3 hours after the end of hostilities.”

Armenia still has not received weapons worth hundreds of millions of dollars paid to Russia. According to the parliament speaker, there is a chance to solve the problem of undelivered weapons in the atmosphere of partnership:

“And the Russian side has a chance to show that it remains faithful to its proclaimed principles and signed documents. If the commitments are not fulfilled, which is a fact, Armenia should unequivocally defend its interests”.

https://jam-news.net/armenias-response-to-aliyevs-statement/

For the first time: a joint statement by Armenia and Azerbaijan "to achieve long-awaited peace in the region"

Ani Tigranian
Dec 7 2023

Armenia-Azerbaijan joint statement

In a historic first, a joint statement from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan declares:

“Baku and Yerevan share the view that this is a historic opportunity to achieve long-awaited peace in the region.”

Both countries affirm their commitment to normalize relations and establish a peace treaty based on respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The agreement includes tangible steps to strengthen trust between the two nations.

Specifically, the document outlines that Azerbaijan releases 32 Armenian servicemen, and Armenia reciprocates by releasing 2 Azerbaijani servicemen.

Official records indicate that Azerbaijan currently detains 55 Armenian prisoners. Armenian human rights activists assert that Baku may be holding an additional 80 Armenians.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan share the view that there is a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region. Two countries reconfirm their intention to normalize relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Following the talks between the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, an agreement has been reached on taking tangible steps towards building confidence between two countries.

Driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill, the Republic of Azerbaijan releases 32 Armenian military servicemen.

In its turn, driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill, the Republic of Armenia releases 2 Azerbaijani military servicemen.

As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Armenia supports the bid of the Republic of Azerbaijan to host the 29th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, by withdrawing its own candidacy.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan do hope that the other countries within the Eastern European Group will also support Azerbaijan’s bid to host.

As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Azerbaijan supports the Armenian candidature for Eastern European Group COP Bureau membership.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence building measures, effective in the near future and call on the international community to support their efforts that will contribute to building mutual trust between two countries and will positively impact the entire South Caucasus region.

https://jam-news.net/armenia-azerbaijan-joint-statement/

Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement: Opinion from Yerevan

Meline Chalian
Dec 7 2023
  • Armine Martirosyan
  • Yerevan

Signing of the peace treaty

The Armenian Foreign Ministry accuses Azerbaijan of trying to “delay the peace process and drive it to a deadlock” by staging provocations on the border and rejecting Western mediators’ proposals to continue negotiations. Yerevan has handed Baku its sixth peace treaty proposal. Azerbaijan has yet to respond. Instead, it has offered to hold bilateral talks — without the participation of mediators. Both sides declare their readiness to sign a peace treaty, but the process is not moving forward.

Armenia’s expert community believes that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is indeed ready to sign a peace agreement, but the process is being delayed by Azerbaijan because of its agreements with Russia.

  • “Armenia does not yet have the resources to challenge Russia.” Opinion
  • “Change strategy and fight” – political scientist’s proposal to Armenian authorities
  • “Old or new agenda?” What the EU delegation in Yerevan is discussing

“Azerbaijan fulfills its obligations to Russia. Signing a peace treaty not on Russian platforms contradicts the commitments Aliyev made after the Karabakh war in 2020. Turkey then helped Azerbaijan successfully wage war, while Russia did everything to prevent Armenia from resisting effectively, sabotaging many processes in the army through its agency and through its influence.

At the same time, Moscow and Baku agreed that Azerbaijan gets Artsakh and Russia gets Azerbaijan as a member of the CSTO military bloc and the EAEU economic union.

In parallel, Moscow planned to change the power in Armenia following its defeat in the 2020 war, appoint its protégé, and annex Armenia to Russia as a province or absolute vassal.

But this project failed. Alexander Dugin and Vladimir Zhirinovsky repeatedly reminded Ilham Aliyev of his duty to Moscow. That they had done their job – betrayed their ally and sold it to Azerbaijan, now it is Baku’s turn, and Baku must pay.

Alexander Dugin – Russian public figure who promotes the idea of creating a Eurasian superpower by integrating the Russian Federation with former Soviet republics into a new union.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky – Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia until his death in 2022.

But Aliyev refused, saying that he had not yet received everything promised, referring to the so-called ‘Zangezur corridor’ [a road through southern Armenia to Nakhichevan not controlled by the Armenian side].”

“Because of this, Russia started to pressure Armenia to get this corridor. Since it failed to get what it wanted, it no longer hopes that Azerbaijan will join the CSTO or the EAEU. Now Moscow is demanding that it stay in Nagorno-Karabakh, where the mandate of the peacekeeping force expires in a year.

A peace treaty signed on Western platforms under Western guarantees and mediation means a solution to Armenian-Azerbaijani, as well as Armenian-Turkish contradictions. Then no one, including Armenia, will need Russia in this region.

I am convinced that Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan during their meeting on September 4 in Sochi, along with the aggression against Artsakh and ethnic cleansing of Armenians, reached additional agreements to ensure that the peace treaty is at least not concluded on Western platforms.”

“Look at the discussions that were organized in September in the U.S. Senate, look at what James O’Brien, Assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the U.S. State Department, said on the Artsakh issue.

James O’Brien talked about replacing Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh: “There are currently Russian troops there, this is their first term, according to the 2020 ceasefire statement. If there is an alternative for these countries [Armenia and Azerbaijan], the presence of Russian peacekeepers will no longer be needed. They have failed their task as peacekeepers. We need the Russian peacekeepers to leave after their five-year term expires [in 2025]. The United States is ready to offer an alternative to Russian peacekeepers. The United States and the European Union want Armenia’s rapprochement with its transatlantic allies and are working out a strategy to ensure it.

In addition, Azerbaijan was clearly told at the Senate hearings that there are still a few weeks left to sign the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty. On the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, it was said that the US is investigating the latest aggression against Armenians to understand what happened there, whether it was ethnic cleansing or not. They are cooperating with Human Rights Watch as part of that investigation. This is necessary so that their statements do not appear unsubstantiated.

The rights and security of the NK Armenians are part of the peace treaty itself, and this was made clear by the statement of the leaders of Armenia, France, Germany and the EU President at the end of the quadrilateral meeting in Granada.

The statement clearly spoke of the safe return of Karabakh Armenians to their homeland, ensuring their rights and security, something Azerbaijan wants to avoid.

But if Baku continues its unconstructive policy, I am sure that the Kosovization of Artsakh will be inevitable.”

“To advance these goals, actors have different roles. Armenia has its own role. It does not raise the issue of Artsakh. Mediators have their own. And that is why we need Western mediators, while Azerbaijan does not. Baku prefers to solve issues on the Russian platform, where the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not mentioned, or prefers a bilateral format without mediators.

But I exclude the possibility of signing a peace treaty on the Russian platform.

Armenia has a consistent policy on the issue of the Russian military bloc of the CSTO, refusing to participate in the activities of the organization. It should pursue the same policy in other formats.

It would be a mistake on the part of Nikol Pashinyan to go to any event and meet with Ilham Aliyev in the Russian backyard. This will be a very bad message to the West.“

https://jam-news.net/signing-of-the-armenia-azerbaijan-peace-treaty/








Armenian Wine, Dinner, and a Movie in Damariscotta Dec. 21

Jack Hunanian
Dec 7 2023

December 7, 2023 at 1:16 pm

On Thursday, Dec. 21, Damariscotta’s historic Lincoln Theater is pleased to be part of a very special event – a celebration of Armenian wines with a very local connection.

Through special, one-night-only dinner services and wine pairings at two local restaurants and a special event film screening at the Lincoln Theater, community members have the opportunity to taste the wine and learn the story of the people behind it – a father and daughter, at the crossroads of Armenia and Iran, who must overcome war, religion, and geopolitics to establish their wines on the global stage and reclaim a 6,000 year old tradition of winemaking.

From the team that made the Somm documentaries, “Cup of Salvation” is a sweeping film that follows a father and daughter as they set out to revive the ancient grapes of their homeland in Armenia and the forbidden vineyards of Iran.

Aimee Keushguerian, Damariscotta native and daughter of local resident and Damariscotta Select Board member Andrea Keushguerian, works alongside her father Vahe, breathing life into the post-Soviet infrastructure of their country, harvesting grapes during war and marketing their wine globally, from the battle-scarred Caucus Mountains to the deeply hidden clandestine vineyards of the Iranian countryside.

In partnership with SoPo Wine Co., the wines will be available for purchase at the theater prior to the film. Immediately following the screening, Aimee Keushguerian will take the stage as a special guest for a talkback and Q&A session with the audience.

Rounding out this special event into the perfect night out are two local restaurants, each offering special dinner services in partnership with the film screening. Experience the wines before learning the story.

The Damariscotta River Grill and Bred in the Bone, both located on Main Street directly across from Lincoln Theater, will each serve a unique fourcourse meal, beginning at both locations at 5 p.m. Each course will be paired with featured wines from the Armenian winery. Dinner reservations are required.

Tickets for the “Cup of Salvation” film screening are available online through the Lincoln Theater’s website at lincolntheater.net. Tickets are $12 for adults and $9 for Lincoln Theater members.

Reservations and more information on each dinner service are available by contacting each restaurant directly. Inquiries to the Damariscotta River Grill can be made through damariscottarivergrill.com or by calling 563-2992. Inquiries to Bred and the Bone can be made through bitbmaine.com or by calling 563-6124.

This special event is made possible with the support of SoPo Wine Co., Salt Bay Trading Co., and gifts from generous community members.

https://lcnme.com/arts/armenian-wine-dinner-and-a-movie-in-damariscotta-dec-21/

Armenia backs Azerbaijan to host COP29 climate conference

Suren Karakhanian
Reuters
Dec 7 2023
By Nailia Bagirova

December 7, 20238:39 PM GMT+2Updated 2 hours ago

BAKU, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Armenia agreed on Thursday not to block Azerbaijan's candidacy to host next year's COP29 U.N. climate conference as part of a series of mutual goodwill gestures intended to promote reconciliation between the estranged South Caucasus neighbours.

The move could not only resolve a problem hanging over the COP28 forum under way in Dubai but also point to greater trust between Yerevan and Baku after Azerbaijan in September seized the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from the ethnic Armenians who had controlled it.

A joint statement from both administrations said Azerbaijan would release 32 captured Armenian service members and Armenia would free two Azerbaijani soldiers.

“The two countries reconfirm their intention to normalise relations and to reach a peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds for more than three decades over Nagorno-Karabakh, which had freed itself from Baku's control in a bloody ethnic conflict that accompanied the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, surviving with financial, military and diplomatic support from Yerevan.

When Azerbaijani forces mounted their lightning offensive, which prompted almost all Karabakh's population of around 120,000 to flee to Armenia, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resisted domestic pressure to intervene.

He had already verbally recognised the territory as part of Azerbaijan, in line with international practice, even as repeated attempts at peace talks, often with international support, led nowhere and border skirmishes erupted regularly.

Faced in September with a militarily stronger opponent and with a seemingly indifferent ally in Russia, he said his country needed peace more than anything to secure its sovereignty and prosperity.

"The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan share the view that there is a historic chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region," the joint statement said. "An agreement has been reached on taking tangible steps towards building confidence between two countries."

The neighbours said discussions would continue on implementing more confidence-building measures.

Azerbaijan, which had on Wednesday received U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien, said it was prepared to accept an offer by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to host talks between the countries' foreign ministers in Washington.

Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Lisa Shumaker

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/armenia-backs-azerbaijan-host-cop29-climate-conference-2023-12-07/

Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree To Take Steps Towards Normalisation

Vardan Badalian
BARRON'S
Dec 7 2023
  • FROM AFP NEWS
By Mariam HARUTYUNYAN

Arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan said Thursday they would exchange prisoners of war and work towards normalising their relations, in a joint statement hailed by the EU as a "breakthrough".

The Caucasus neighbours have been locked in a decades-long conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan reclaimed after a lightning offensive against Armenian separatists in September.

Both countries have said a peace agreement could be signed by the end of the year, but peace talks — mediated separately by the European Union, the United States and Russia — have seen little progress.

On Thursday, the two sides agreed in a joint statement to seize "a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region".

"The two countries reconfirm their intention to normalize relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said.

Baku will free 32 Armenian prisoners of war, while Yerevan will release two Azerbaijani servicemen, according to the statement.

The two countries also said they "will continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence building measures, effective in the near future and call on the international community to support their efforts".

The agreements were reached during talks between the office of Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the administration of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Armenia's foreign ministry said Yerevan had "responded positively to the offer of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to organise the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington".

EU Council President Charles Michel praised the statement Thursday in a post on social media, calling it a "key step".

"Delighted to welcome a major breakthrough in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations as they issue a joint statement," he said.

Aliyev and Pashinyan have met on several occasions for normalisation talks mediated by the European Union.

But the process has stalled over the last two months as two rounds of negotiations failed to take place.

Azerbaijan refused to participate in talks with Armenia that were planned in the United States on November 20, over what it said was Washington's "biased" position.

In October, Aliyev declined to attend a round of negotiations with Pashinyan in Spain, that time accusing France of bias.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been scheduled to join Michel as mediators at those talks.

So far, there has been no visible progress in EU efforts to organise a fresh round of negotiations.

The traditional regional power broker Russia — bogged down in its Ukraine war — has seen its influence wane in the Caucasus.

Aliyev sent troops to Karabakh on September 19, and after just one day of fighting, Armenian separatist forces that had controlled the disputed region for three decades laid down arms and agreed to reintegrate with Baku.

Over the following days, almost the entire Armenian population of the mountainous enclave — more than 100,000 people — fled Karabakh for Armenia, sparking a refugee crisis.

Azerbaijan's victory marked the end of the territorial dispute, which saw Azerbaijan and Armenia fight two wars — in 2020 and the 1990s — that have claimed tens of thousands of lives from both sides.

Russian MFA questions deal between France, Armenia on Bastion armored vehicles

Anna Tamamian
TASS – Russia
Dec 6 2023
It was reported that France will supply Armenia with a total of 50 Bastion armored vehicles manufactured by the Arquus company, while keeping the door open for a deal to supply Caesar artillery systems

MOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/. The Bastion armored vehicles that France will supply to Armenia will not help Yerevan, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

"As for France and these Bastion armored vehicles – they are illiquid. This is obvious even from the situation unfolding in the context of the special military operation, I commented on this in detail at the briefing on November 22," she said.

"By the way, if a lot of mass communication and information media, close to the current authorities in Armenia, would not twist this information and would not engage in anti-journalistic activities, but would give an opportunity to the people of their country to see the quotes and the direct speech, it would be clearer that, unfortunately, the people of Armenia are being misinformed by the West. Why misinformed? Because this hodgepodge of military equipment produced by different countries has never contributed to improving defense capabilities. This is clear," Zakharova added.

The diplomat also commented on the statement of the republic's Deputy Defense Minister Hrachya Sargsyan that Armenia is not going to sue Russia for not receiving purchased weapons, as the two countries should work the problem out together. "Now regarding that statement of the Armenian Defense Ministry that you quoted about the need to solve problems in concert, we can only welcome this. As [we] understand, the Russian Defense Ministry has a similar mindset," she said.

France will supply Armenia with a total of 50 Bastion armored vehicles manufactured by the Arquus company, while keeping the door open for a deal to supply Caesar artillery systems, the Armenian state news agency Armenpress reported earlier, citing an internal document from the French Senate. According to the agency, 24 armored vehicles have already been delivered to Armenia, 26 more are being produced and will be delivered later.

Baku, Yerevan agree to swap captured servicemen

Bedik Zaminian
TASS – Russia
Dec 6 2023
According to the report, there are no leaders of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh "and other war criminals" among the 32 military personnel that Baku will hand over to Yerevan

BAKU, December 7. /TASS/. Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to exchange servicemen that were ever detained in the past by both sides.

"As a result of talks between the administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, an agreement was reached to take tangible steps to build confidence between the two countries. Guided by the principles of humanism and as a goodwill gesture, the Republic of Azerbaijan releases 32 Armenian servicemen. In turn, the Republic of Armenia, guided by the principles of humanism and as a goodwill gesture, releases 2 Azerbaijani servicemen," said a joint statement of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration and the Armenian Prime Minister's Office, according to the Azertag news agency.

According to the report, there are no leaders of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh "and other war criminals" among the 32 military personnel that Baku will hand over to Yerevan.

"Of the persons handed over to the Armenian side, 26 are persons detained in the Hadrut Region in December 2020, and the other 6 were detained at the border at different times," the news agency said.

Some ideological aspects of Organization of Turkic States: instrumentalization of Turkish Eurasianism

Nyrie Kalashian

 14:57, 7 December 2023

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Turkey activated its policy toward the Central Asian Turkic states after the 44-day Nagorno-Karabakh War. The outcomes of the war gave official Ankara a new impetus and confidence to re-engage actively in the Turkic world. The Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) declared 2023 the “Year of the Rise of Turkic Civilization” to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. Similarly, another development reflecting the solidarity culture was the awarding of the “Supreme Order of the Turkic World” by the OTS to Erdogan for his constructive contributions to the integration processes of the Turkic World [1]. It is hard to argue the fact that OTS is gaining more momentum year by year and is gaining significant influence in the region. Despite being founded barely a decade ago in 2009 (with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan as members), this organization has grown into a new regional instrument for advancing international cooperation in the Eurasian continent. OTS's success can be attributed, in part, to its solid ideological basis that unites the peoples of member countries. As the organization develops the bottom-up integration strategy for its development, it relies on some ideas of Eurasianism that will be analysed below.

The role of common culture in unity

After the Cold War, Eurasianism (Avrasyacılık) became increasingly popular in the Turkish political discourse. Nevertheless, scholars and politicians in Turkey have been interpreting different types of Eurasianism. For instance, during the 1990s, Turkey aimed to become a member of the European Union. Thus, western-oriented Eurasianism in Turkey appeared. Multiculturalism became an important part of Turkish Eurasianism at that time. However, this approach changed very soon when Turkey decided not to try to enter the European Union and concentrated on the East. Thus, the multicultural content of Eurasianism changed into a Turkic culture-based approach. Pan-Turkist Eurasians in Turkey, for example, argue that Turkic peoples might implement their geopolitical ambitions in Eurasia by utilizing the potential for unification of Turkish ethnicity and culture. Another discourse, Neo-Ottomanist Eurasianism, emphasizes racial-cultural identities as a basis for Eurasian solidarity. Turkey pays a lot of attention to its cultural ties to other regional countries. Having a common cultural identity is a good basis for creating and developing tight relations with Turkic states. That is why OTS has such organizational bodies as the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, TURKSOY, and Turkic Academy.

The objectives of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation are to protect, study, and promote the Turkic culture and heritage through support and funding of activities, projects and programs. The Foundation assists in organizing seminars, workshops, conferences, congresses, and field studies, as well as exhibitions and sponsoring contests, festivals, tournaments, etc. TURKSOY (the International Organization of Turkic Culture) has been carrying out activities to strengthen the ties of brotherhood and solidarity among Turkic peoples, transmit the common Turkic culture to future generations and introduce it to the world. The Turkic Academy was founded to coordinate scientific research on the language, literature, culture, history of Turkic people and to evaluate the contribution of the Turkic civilization to the human civilization based on indigenous sources. It leads scientific studies on Turkic history, ethnography, languages, etc., as well as prepares common textbooks/teaching materials across the Turkic world for the use of educational establishments in the Member States.

The common culture, language, and history of the Turkic states are the main pillars that underpin the cooperation under the OTS, making this regional cooperation unique in comparison to others. According to OTS’s perspectives, Turkic states should be united by common cultural richness, values, principles, and interests, learn and grow on their commonalities [2]. It was therefore symbolic that the Second Summit of the Turkic Speaking States was held under the theme of “Educational, Scientific and Cultural Cooperation” and within the Second Summit of the Turkic Council was organized the first meeting of the Ministries of Culture. Cultural cooperation was introduced in the “Action Plan of the Turkic Cooperation Organizations for 2023” and “Turkic World Vision – 2040” which include significant directions in the field of culture. The Secretary General of OTS, Kubanychbek Omuraliev, wrote in his congratulatory message that “Rising on the basis of common language, common history, and a common cultural heritage, the centuries-old fraternal bonds among the Turkic States have been solemnly institutionalized within the framework of our Organization” [3].

It becomes clear that OTS is not just the economic unity. Turkey does its best to not only cooperate with states’ leaders in the region but also to connect the Turkic peoples of Eurasia via their cultural commonalities for having a successful integration organization.

Common civilization and the Turkic world

Turkish Eurasianism and the concept of the "Turkic world" can be combined into a single ideology. Turkish governments overlooked the Caucasus and Central Asia for a long time so as not to provoke the Soviet Union. Yet, Ankara saw a good chance to establish a "Turkic world" in Eurasia immediately following the fall of the USSR. Turkey sought to forge close political, economic, and cultural ties with the Turkic countries in the region and OTS developed as a perfect platform for creating that Turkic world. The basis for this ambition is the fact that some Eurasian nations in the post-Soviet or post-Ottoman space are willing to accept Russia or Turkey as the "original Eurasian elder brother" in order to unite and solve their regional problems. So, Turkey, by presenting the commonalities of these nations as symbols of common Turkic/Eurasian civilization, proposes itself for the role of such an elder brother. Speaking about common civilization, it should be noted that back in 2015, the Foreign Ministers of the Member States agreed on the establishment of the Center of Nomadic Civilization and took an important step for the institutionalization of this organization. 

The idea of common civilization and its very important role in relations between Turkic states has remained a key point up until now. Speaking at the OTS Summit in 2022, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted: “It is well known that the ancient Turkic land has been connecting the East and the West for thousands of years, bringing the world civilizations closer to each other and enriching various cultures. […] in our multi-thousand-year history our Turkic family is gathering in such a full format, as a part of our renewed organization. Undoubtedly, under the motto “A new era of Turkic civilization: towards common progress and prosperity” we are entering a completely new stage of joint growth” [4].

Thus, Turkey uses the idea of a common civilization within Eurasia to create the “Turkic world,” which can connect the Turkic people of Eurasia in a solemn unity and chooses the OTS for the role of that unity.

Turkey’s special geographical position and role in Eurasia

In the pan-Turkic discourse on Eurasianism, Eurasia is viewed as a region primarily inhabited by Turkic peoples (i.e., Turkey, the North and South Caucasus, Central Asia, the Turkic regions of the Russian Federation, and northern Afghanistan). According to this discourse, Eurasia is destined to be under the rule of the Turks, as their control over the central parts of Eurasia could only lead to their dominance over Eurasia.

The most remarkable and complete geopolitical concept underlying the Pan-Turkic version of Eurasianism was developed by Ramazan Özey (a professor at Marmara University). The main elements of Özey's concept can be summarized as follows: Anatolia is the "World Fortress" (Dunya kalesi in Turkish, or Heartland in the classical sense), and the ruler-country in Anatolia, Turkey, possessing this acropolis has the ability to take control of the regions of the "Inner Circle." According to the Turkish scholar, these are the Balkans and Eurasia. Thus, Özey legitimizes Turkey's rule over the Balkans and Eurasia, considering it a natural result of the geography of the country. Then he sees Turkey's rule in Eurasia not as an end in itself but as a means to achieve a greater result—world dominance [5]. Pan-Turkist Eurasians therefore argue that Turkic peoples might implement their geopolitical ambitions in Eurasia by utilizing the potential for unification of Turkish ethnicity and culture.  

Former Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem viewed Turkey as a strategic center of Eurasia because it has shared history, a common state, and a common fate over the centuries with neighbouring countries. In relation to Eurasia, Cem noted that “by virtue of its historical and cultural attributes and its privileged European as well as Asian identity, Turkey is firmly positioned to become the strategic center of Eurasia” [6]. The continuation of this idea can be seen in the statements of former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who believes that Turkey is a link that connects Europe and Asia. "…The Western and Eastern ends of Eurasia must be reconnected" [7]. Therefore, Turkey is destined to play a significant role in this region and not follow a passive foreign policy.

This perspective of the organization has been highlighted in several summits and meetings of the OTS. It was even established the Geographical Council of Turkic States within OTS to foster people-to-people cooperation. The first meeting of this council was held in 2023. It is also worth mentioning that OTS attaches great importance to the preparation of the textbooks “Common Turkic History”, “Geography of the Turkic World” and “Common Turkic Literature”, and the inclusion of the mentioned books at the national curricula of the Member States. Of course, it must be noted, that the OTS is placed at the crossroads of important strategic lines between the eastern and western shores of the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and Mediterranean basins. It is the descendant of the historic Silk Road and reaches into three major regions. So, the OTS is intended to serve as the ‘inner circle’ that unites Turkic republics.

Hence, Turkey draws its ‘inner Eurasia’ on the map and attempts to broaden its political and economic influence there through the OTS, despite the fact that it is hard to define Eurasia both geographically and geopolitically and that all definitions are vague.

The role of religion and language

In the beginning of the 2000s, Neo-Ottomanist Eurasianists stated that Turkey does not require the West or Russia, pointing instead to its Ottoman and Islamic past as an acceptable choice. According to it, Turkey has a global ummah role as it is the only state capable of establishing a new justice system in the Sunni world. Only in that case, the Sunni world can counterbalance China and Russia as well as the West.

One of the strategies proposed to strengthen the relationship among OTS’s member states is the prioritization of religious issues. All these states are part of the Muslim world, so they share the belief. The organization brings heads of religious institutions in member states together four times a year to discuss issues affecting Islam in Turkic nations. On October 20, 2022, religious leaders from the Turkic states convened a meeting in Baku and established the Council of Religious Leaders of the Turkic World. The goal of the council is to take a common stance in the fight against Islamophobia and any form of extremism in Turkic nations. In his opening address, Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev emphasized that the Islamic tradition of the Turks has brought up many prominent figures that have rendered great services to Islam, such as Imam Maturidi, Ebu Hanife, Imam Bukhari, etc [8].

Visits and meetings among religious leaders and OTS’s high representatives are part of the accepted norm. Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims' Board (CMB) Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade, for instance, during his meeting with OTS Secretary General talked about the religious and spiritual relations that are developing and deepening on the basis of historical friendship and fraternal relations between the member states of the OTS. It was stated that within this framework, new steps should be taken at the organizational level in order to further improve the existing relations between the Muslim religious leaders of the Turkic states.

OTS representatives have also participated in various summits and conferences organized by Islamic religious unities. For example, in 2019, Baghdad Amreyev participated in the International Seminar on "Islamic Rapprochement Initiative" organized by the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Kazakstan. In 2022, during the second meeting of the heads of institutions in charge of Religious Affairs of the Organization of Turkic States, Bagdat Amreyev stated that the “Turkic World” has been playing a significant role in the Islamic world throughout history. The Turkic people contributed greatly to the development of the Islamic civilization. He emphasized that Islam is represented in the Eurasian area mainly by the Turkic States, namely, in the Central Asia, Caucasus and Europe [9].

Another key instrument of integration in OTS is the language.

After the collapse of the USSR, Turkey was offered as an example for other Turcophone nations. Akkan Süver, president of the Marmara Group Strategic and Social Research Foundation, pointed out that Turkey can use Eurasianism to combine Europe and Asia in three stages. According to one of the stages, spoken Turkish ought to be unified. Future generations can so benefit from shared culture and ideas [10].

Such logic is seen in the formation of the OTS. According to the document on cooperation between Turkic-speaking nations on October 3, 2009, a nation's official language must be one or more Turkic languages in order to join the organization. Professor Cengiz Tomar noted that the change of the name of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking Countries into the Organization of Turkic States marks a historical and fundamental transformation. The phrases "the Turkic-speaking countries," "Peoples with Turkic language," and "Turkic-speaking peoples" were produced by Nikolay Ivanovich Ilminski, the famous Turkologist of Russia in the 19th century, occupied the great geography of Turkestan. These terms were based on the educational method to accelerate Russification activities by dividing the Turkic peoples by making Turkic dialects into different languages. With this name change, the terms "Turkic-Speaking Peoples and Countries," which are widely used in the geography of Turkestan, have been replaced by "Turkic Peoples or States." This change can be considered as a radical transformation of mentality rather than a symbolic name change [11].

The OTS supports or organizes conferences, forums, and meetings for the Ministers of Education that are dedicated to linguistic topics. In 2013, during the second meeting of the Ministers, the issues of teaching languages of member states as elective courses, starting short-term student exchange programs among secondary/high schools of member states, and making available various means, including special scholarships to encourage Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D. students of Turkic Speaking States to focus their academic studies on general Turkic studies have been deliberated. The meeting decided on adopting a common alphabet to be used for scientific purposes. Also, the Turkic Council took a concrete step in the direction of establishing the Joint Educational TV Channel. In the framework of popularising common Turkic history by means of TV, preparing animated films introducing Turkic heroes and broadcasting them on national channels of Member States were among the decisions taken at the meeting.

Undoubtedly, a common language can have a vital role in regional integration that is focused on uniting the societies of member countries. Thus, the idea of saving and spreading the Turkic language is instrumentalized and used in the OTS.

Conclusion

The reason for enthusiasm for using the ideological base in integration projects might be related to the concept that the unifying purpose includes the need for a shared notion within the union. The instrumentalized idea is a tool used by the political elite to win people's approval and justify their actions. In this way it is possible to achieve integration from below. Such version of integration was motivated by market logic, which includes the importance of common knowledge of the language, similarity of laws and culture, as well as the existence of informal people-to-people ties, so post-Soviet Eurasia can become a natural space for common organizations and unities. Nonetheless, it should be underlined that Turkey has a post-imperialist approach to regional integration and seeks to sustain and expand its political influence throughout Eurasia.

The example of the OTS demonstrates how Turkey frequently relies on the ideas of Eurasianism in its regional integration projects. However, in Turkey, there are different conceptions of Eurasianism and those concepts are at different stages of development. So, different ideas from those concepts are instrumentalized and applied in various ways depending on the context. Probably this is the reason that, despite the increasing popularity of various Eurasianist discourses in Turkey, Turkish Eurasianism has not yet reached the point of a distinct school of thought. Arousing great interest in Turkey in the 1990s and immediately seen as a possible new ideological basis for Turkey to establish and strengthen cooperative ties with the West and the East, this new ideology simply dissolved into other ideologies that were long-established and widespread in Turkey․ That's how such varieties of Eurasianism formed in Turkey as Pan-Turkist Eurasianism, Neo-Ottomanist Eurasianism, Western-oriented Eurasianism, Kemalist Eurasianism, etc.

Veronika Torosyan

Junior research fellow, Institute of Oriental Studies, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia

 

References

[1] Ankasam, “The Organization of Turkic States Samarkand Summit: Towards A Strong and United Turkish World”, last modified November 30, 2023

[2] Amreyev Baghdad, “Towards a Stronger, Integrated and United Turkic World” last modified November 30, 2023

[3] OTS, “Congratulatory message of the Secretary General on the occasion of the October 3rd – Turkic States Cooperation Day”, last modified November 30, 2023

[4] Jakartaglobe.id, “Full Speech: Uzbek President at Organization of Turkic States Summit”, last modified November 30, 2023

[5] Safrastyan Ruben, “The Concept of Eurasia and Turkey's Regional Strategies”, World Security Network, last modified November 30, 2023

[6] Cem Ismail, Turkey in the New Century, (Mersin: 2001), 8.

[7] Daily Today’s Zaman, “Davutoğlu Calls for Eurasian Union”, last modified November 30, 2023 http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-200653-102-davutoglu-calls-for-eurasian-union.html

[8] OTS, “The Meeting of Religious Leaders of Turkic States convened in Baku”, last modified November 30, 2023

[9] OTS, “Religious leaders of the Turkic States held their second meeting in Turkistan”, last modified November 30, 2023

[10] Süver Akkan, The Future is Eurasia, (İstanbul: 2008), 7. (in Turkish)

[11] Cengiz Tomar, “From Turkic-speaking countries to Turkish states”, last modified November 30, 2023 https://www.aa.com.tr/en/analysis/analysis-from-turkic-speaking-countries-to-turkish-states/2422657