Author: Babajanian Karo

IS PUTIN’S EURASIAN VISION LOSING STEAM?

Helsinki Times, Finland
May 22 2014

Details Parent Category: World Category: International news 22 May 2014

VICTORY Day on 9 May was an occasion for Russians to indulge in
patriotic flag waving in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin
used the previous day to muster a show of diplomatic support for his
efforts to bring formerly Soviet states closer together.

On 8 May, Putin met with the presidents of Armenia, Belarus,
Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in the Kremlin. Following the success of the
Euromaidan movement in Kyiv, Putin has made it a priority to shore up
support among other formerly Soviet states for Russia’s geopolitical
agenda, in particular the establishment of a regional economic union
as a precursor to a wider political union of Eurasian states.

A treaty on the formation of a Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is due
to be signed in Astana in late May, paving the way for its launch in
January 2015. The body would be an outgrowth of the existing Customs
Union, a free trade zone comprising Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

Armenia and Kyrgyzstan are slated to join the Customs Union before
the end of the year.

As Putin warmly welcomed existing and potential union members in
Moscow on 8 May, ostensibly for security talks unrelated to the
economic integration project, the question on the lips of Kremlin
watchers was: will they or won’t they put pen to paper on the EEU
founding document in less than three weeks’ time?

The Moscow meeting came on the heels of a disastrous Customs Union
summit in Minsk on 29 April, where expectations of finalising the
treaty fizzled as Putin and his counterparts, Alexander Lukashenko
of Belarus and Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, admitted that,
at this late stage, they have differences over the pact’s wording.

Nazarbayev’s conspicuous absence from the 8 May talks in Moscow,
convened under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation, set tongues wagging about differences of opinion.

Contacted by telephone by EurasiaNet.org, Nazarbayev’s office said
it had no comment — but some observers interpreted his no-show as
a snub to Putin from one of his closest allies.

As other regional leaders were cosying up to the Kremlin, Nazarbayev
was having a tete a tete in Astana with a senior official from the
United States, Moscow’s arch-rival in the geopolitical struggle over
Ukraine. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns used the meeting to
assure Nazarbayev of America’s “enduring” commitment to Kazakhstan and
Central Asia, the State Department said, as the Ukraine crisis helps
“underscore what’s at stake.”

Regional analysts tend to believe that the recent signs are not
indicators of insurmountable problems surrounding the EEU’s formation.

“It’s hard to predict anything these days, but it seems to me that the
treaty will be signed — but in a reduced form, with most difficult
issues to be resolved after signing,” Nargis Kassenova, director
of the Central Asian Studies Center at Almaty’s KIMEP University,
told EurasiaNet.org.

“If it’s not signed it will be a blow to the reputation of Vladimir
Putin, but also to some extent that of Nursultan Nazarbayev,” she
added. “Both invested a lot of personal image capital into it.”

Alex Nice, a regional analyst at the London-based Economist
Intelligence Unit, also feels that integration plans are more or less
on track.

“It’s possible there might be a further delay to the final signing of
the document, but I’m confident that the treaty will come into force
as planned next January,” he told EurasiaNet.org, pointing out that
“negotiations on the EEU treaty are very far advanced.”

The chances of the agreement being signed on time are “quite high,”
concurred regional security expert Aida Abzhaparova of the University
of the West of England. Nazarbayev is a cheerleader for integration,
she pointed out, and signing the treaty in Astana would have huge
“symbolism” for him: Nazarbayev first proposed the notion of a
Eurasian union long before Putin took it up, and sees himself as
“the father of the idea.”

Speculation that the union might be heading off the rails was fueled by
reports on 7 May that Kyrgyzstan’s prime minister, Joomart Otorbayev,
wished to postpone membership for a year — but his spokeswoman
denied the claim. Otorbayev had, on the contrary, said Kyrgyzstan
would complete the legislative groundwork to join by the end of the
year, Gulnura Toraliyeva told EurasiaNet.org by telephone.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the EEU’s success is Russia’s actions
in Ukraine, suggests Kassenova.

“The Ukraine crisis undermined Russian policy in the post-Soviet
space,” Kassenova said. “Now it’s seen as a bully without any respect
for the sovereignty of its neighbours. Plus, the crisis undermined
the economy of Russia and made it less capable of serving as the
locomotive of integration.”

“On the one hand, the crisis should give more bargaining power to
Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan,” she continued. “On the other,
the overall destiny of the project is in doubt: will Russia have the
will and resources to support and sponsor it further?”

INTER PRESS SERVICE JOANNA LILLIS

EXPERT: OPENING OF CARREFOUR HYPERMARKET WILL BOOST COMPETITION

May 22, 2014 | 14:18

YEREVAN. – The Carrefour trade chain has the best modern equipment and
is second in the world in terms of quality and affordability, Armenian
Consumers’ Association Chairman Armen Poghosyan told reporters.

The Armenian consumers will benefit from Carrefour opening, Poghosyan
said, at the same time noting impact on small and medium stores.

“I am inclined to assess Carrefour opening as a positive event, as
France and Armenia are friendly states, and French investments will
lead to positive results,” he assured.

Activities of Carrefour will promote competition, and competition
always leads to cheaper prices, Poghosyan added.

An initial lease agreement between Yerevan Mall and the world-renowned
French Carrefour hypermarket chain was signed during French President’s
visit to Armenia.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

CANADA TO HOST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

May 22, 2014 | 02:04

In connection with the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, an
international conference, titled “Representations of the Armenian
Genocide and Mass Crimes,” will be held from October 1 to 3 at the
University of Moncton, in the Canadian Province of New Brunswick,
the Fabula website reported.

The main objective of the event is to surface the progress in the
knowledge about this genocide and the mass crimes that were committed
in the 19th and the 20th centuries.

Even though the conference will focus on the Armenian Genocide issue,
the discussions may have a comparative aspect, too.

JOURNALIST OF RADIO “LIBERTY” ABOUT SHUSHAN PETROSYAN’S APOLOGY AND ONE ON ONE TALK

May 21 2014

The NA RPA MP Shushan Petrosyan, in addition to public apology
to radio “Liberty” journalist, also apologized during the one on
one talk. As informed by the journalist, Shushan Petrosyan had
assured the journalist at the private conversation that she had no
intention to insult, nor a desire. The radio “Liberty” journalist
refused to introduce the details of the talk, only saying that the
MP again explained that she meant the offensive comments posted
under the interview, and some journalists’ practice of work. “But
the journalists have nothing to do with these comments. I also had
not interviewed her to post comments underneath, in short, there was
no problem with me, and my personality,” said the journalist. To our
question that usually during the incidents with the MPs and in such
behavior, the journalists promptly apply to the NA Ethics Committee,
and why they did not go for it initially, when she had not still
asked for forgiveness, you declared that you would not apply to the
Committee, Ruzanna Stepanyan responded, “I had no desire to do it,
I think that the person must first realize its action, and make
conclusions, if not, I do not see a sense in applying to this or
that instance to impose and persuade. She insulted and apologized,
it’s completely sufficient. What else was she supposed to do?” As
for Shushan Petrosyan’s observation that she had given two or three
interviews to radio “Liberty” in the last two years, I was asked a
question, I am not interested who is standing in front of me, then I
see the cut offs, this is a working mode, they are paid for it, they
are implementing orders and so on, but apart from this, filthy talks
are my freedom and my right…” Ruzanna Stepanyan did not recall an
interview that they had interviewed the singer in the last few years.

“I do not know, what interview she was talking about, I tried to
understand but failed to see which interview she was referring to. I
do not remember an interview that we have had with her in recent
times. This, however, was my first experience of interviewing her.”

Arpine SIMONYAN

Read more at:

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ALIYEV

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
May 21 2014

21 May 2014 – 11:19am

Orkhan Sattarov, the head of the European Bureau of Vestnik Kavkaza.

Especially for Zenith

Azerbaijan’s chairing of the Council of Europe could be a chance for
European society to get closer to the South Caucasus country. However
this is possible only within the framework of equal dialogue with
the government in Baku, according to Orkhan Sattarov, the head of
the European Bureau of Vestnik Kavkaza, PhD student of the Berlin
Free University.

This is a difficult time for Azerbaijan geopolitically. Russia is
strengthening its military and political positions in the north and
Iran is eliminating Western isolation in the south. These are not
very comfortable neighbors for the small state. Both powers consider
the republic with rich energy resources as in the sphere of their
interests. Once Russia and Iran divided the Azerbaijani peoples, after
the end of the Russian-Persian war in 1828. However, Baku managed
to turn the country into a key player in European energy security
without worsening relations with Russia. Azerbaijan cooperates in
economic and military spheres with Israel and maintains constructive
relations with Tehran.

The conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh is one of challenges
which the country has faced. Azerbaijan suffers from the heavy
consequences of the long-lasting conflict with the neighboring
republic. A million refugees is a heavy burden for the country’s
economy, while Armenia occupies Nagorno-Karabakh and seven neighboring
regions. The fragile cease-fire regime which was achieved 20 years
ago due to Russian mediation was not a guarantee for peace. The
Russian-Georgian war of 2008 has shown how dangerous the escalation
of conflicts in the South Caucasus is.

At the same time, the Muslim country with deep secular traditions
is under religious pressure from foreign forces. For example, the
Salafi movement is improving in Azerbaijan due to financial support
from Arab monarchies. The number of Azerbaijani Salafis who fought
against Bashar Assad and were killed in Syria was more than 200.

However, the internal political situation in the country is thought
to be stable. An organized Islamist opposition has not been formed in
Azerbaijan yet, while the previously strong secular opposition began to
lose voters in 2003. It is a surprise that the democratic opposition
is headed by such political figures as Ali Kerimli and Isa Gambara,
who have lost presidential and parliamentary elections twice in the
last 11 years. So there are doubts about the democratic traditions
in these parties.

The political course of President Ilham Aliyev, despite negative
comments by the Westerm media, is supported by the majority of the
population. According to the public opinion poll which was conducted
by the Information Centre of European Policy and initiated by the
European Commission in 2013, 92% of respondents supported the current
president. A few months later Ilham Aliyev won the presidential
elections, getting 84% of the votes.

The government in Baku has serious financial reserves;a part of them
is accumulated in the state oil fund and is invested into social
projects for further improvement of living standards. This positively
influences the rating of the government among the population. It seems
there will be no alternative to Ilham Aliyev’s team in the near future.

Thus, the current government is the only possible side which is able
to provide effective talks on human rights and democratic development.

Theses on the support of civil society are pleasant for Europe, but
they shouldn’t be the only measure in implementation of democratic
values. The Council of Europe couldn’t contribute to further democratic
development of the country if it had no trusting contacts with the
political elite of the country.

The activity and statements by Christoph Strasser, German ombudsman,
are a strong negative example from this point of view. The list of
political prisoners in Azerbaijan, which was written by him, was the
best example of non-professionalism and unserious work with facts.

Some of listed persons were free at the moment of making the list,
some of them died of natural causes, and some names were fake.

Moreover, Strasser included members of the terrorist organization
of Sadval on the list, who were sentenced for a bloody terrorist
attack on the Baku metro in the 1990s. Considering these facts, it
was natural that the Azerbaijani delegation had enough arguments to
prevent the adoption of Strasser’s list in the PACE.

The Azerbaijani political elite was indignant at the unfairness
of Christoph Strasser. Moreover, relations between the Council of
Europe and official Baku worsened. Strasser’s report confirmed that
confrontation with Baku on democratic issues won’t bring any success.

The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mamedyarov, announced in
his speech devoted to Azerbaijan’s chairing of the CE that in the
next 6 months Baku will support the development of three fundamental
directions: human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The fact
that the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan decided to choose the
European path of development wasn’t an obvious step. Issues which
are important both for the political elite of the country and the
ordinary population should be considered by the Europeans in the
sphere of trusting dialogue with Baku on human rights. Unfortunately,
we haven’t seen this yet.

Azerbaijan’s chairing of the Council of Europe should be considered
a chance for a “reset” and reformation of the dialogue on human
rights with Azerbaijan. The statement by Minister Mamedyarov should
be considered an indication of the readiness of Baku to conduct a
dialogue. A favorable political atmosphere is being established for
this at the moment. Azerbaijan is preparing for the first European
Olympic Games in 2015, which will be an outstanding event for the
country and its people. In this situation the political elite is
ready to discuss not only the economic development of the country,
but also its democratic social development.

JAVADYAN RE-ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF ARMENIAN CENTRAL BANK

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
May 20 2014

20 May 2014 – 3:12pm

The parliament of Armenia has given 77 votes for the re-election of
Artur Javadyan as the president of the Central Bank, News Armenia
reports.

Javadyan was promoted by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan as the
only candidate for the post. Only two MPs voted against him.

Javadyan thanked the president for his trust yesterday. Commenting on
his progress as president of the Central Bank since 2008, the official
emphasized that the institution had managed to correlate the goals set
out in the Constitution and law to keep prices stable. Stability is
considered one of the main priorities in going through the financial
and economic crisis.

JORDAN’S CHRISTIANS HOST CARITAS INTERNATIONAL DELEGATION AND SYRIAN REFUGEES

Ammon News, Jordan
May 20 2014

[5/20/2014 1:12:14 PM]

AMMONNEWS – By R.B. Sinclair – The Catholic Center for Studies and
Media and Caritas Jordan organized a day of service and reflections for
forty-one (41) Caritas International presidents and four hundred Syrian
Refugees at Our Lady of Peace Center (OLPC). Caritas International
is a charity confederation of Catholic relief, development and social
service organizations with offices in over 200 countries. The Caritas
International representatives are visiting Jordan on the occasion
of Pope Francis’s upcoming visit to the Holy Land. The delegation is
headed by Cardinal Óscar Andres Rodríguez Maradiaga.

All through the day, the Center offered free medical and dental
services to all refugees who sought help. Five doctors, two dentist,
nurses, a pharmacist and many volunteers who helped direct the sick to
the right examination rooms. Patients’ ages ranged from the newly born
to eighty years old. On regular days, the Center serves individuals
with mild to medium disabilities. “We serve people of all ages
and faiths,” said Father Imad Twal, the director of OLPC. Father
Rifat Bader, head of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media
and Spokesperson of Pope’s visit to Jordan, welcomed the Caritas
Internationalis delegation to Our Lady of Peace Center, and gave a
pointed assessment of issues concerning Syria and the Syrian refugees.

Father Imad Twal talked about the mission of the Center and, later,
conducted the daily six-o’clock Holly Mass.

Cardinal Maradiaga and the delegation met with Syrian families and
listened to their concerns and hopes for a peaceful resolution to
the Syrian crisis. The session was “safe.” and focussed only on
humanitarian issues, “politics” was discouraged.

Attendees described hardships in earning a living to support their
families. They described the difficulties in acquiring visas to
unite with their families living abroad. A widow, with a ten year old
disabled daughter, sought to join her two sons living in Germany. She
said German authorities informed her that one of two was allowed to
travel to Germany. “They are asking me to either send my daughter,
by her self, to Germany or to leave her alone in Jordan. That’s not
a choice.” she added.

Outside the hall, people talked about their hardships. They fled from
towns like Halab, Homs, Hasaka, Daraa , Maloula, Damascus and other
areas. Insaf had to flee her home to escape the brutality of the armed
gangs roaming her neighborhood. Sitting next to Insaf was her young
daughter who did not utter a word. She just gazed into the horizon
with sadness covering her innocent face. Other refugees talked about
deaths and kidnappings of family members. Lawless fighters robbed
and destroyed homes, shops and factories. Churches and mosques were
desecrated. Another wondered : “why would America, Saudi Arabia and
Qatar do this to us.” Before the war, Arabs from Jordan , Saudi
and the Gulf would come to Syria and enjoy our hospitality and
beautiful country, “why did they destroy our country,” he added. A
Syrian Armenian woman interjected: “do not forget the role of the
Turks Wherever we go, they keep on following us with their hate and
persecution.”

In an exclusive interview with Father Rifat Bader emphasized that
the Pope’s visit will strengthen the powers of peace through prayer
and example. His Holiness words and deeds have inspired the world
. His declaration:” a poor church for the poor” is a sort of a
“white revolution” for reform. The Pope’s call for a day of prayer
and fast for Syria dampened the voices calling for war. In Jordan,
The Pope will pray for peace and Justice for all.

In response to a question about the “Arab Spring” and religious
tolerance, Fr. Bader remarked that political instability and wars
remain the main factor banishing Arab Christian away from their
ancestral homeland. A Middle-East without its Christians will not
be the same. As far as tolerance or coexistence, Fr. Bader opined “I
do not like the words. It implies something different that one might
not like or agree with, but can bear or tolerate. On the other hand,
Citizenship means we are all equal under the law. ”

At his office, Fr. Rifat Bader and his staff are busy perfecting the
smallest details connected with Pope’s visit. Jordanians are eager
to welcome His Holiness in the Holy Land in the best way Jordanian
hospitality offers.

Daily Sabah, Turkey
May 17 2014

TURKEY IN NEED OF MORE FRIENDS IN WASHINGTON

Ragıp Soylu

WAHSINGTON, D.C. ‘ During a recent visit by Deputy Prime Minister Ali
Babacan and Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi to Washington, D.C., it
was common to hear experts say that Ankara should pay more attention
to the U.S. congress rather than just focusing on the executive
branch.

In part this sentiment stems from the fact that Turkey has officially
declared it would like to join the Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the EU and U.S., which is still
being negotiated.

On Wednesday, Babacan and Zeybekçi, who is a former businessman
himself, attended the third meeting of the U.S.-Turkey Framework for
Strategic Economic and Commercial Cooperation at the Department of
Commerce, alongside U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

Zeybekçi was very optimistic about the future of TTIP talks and
assured journalists that the U.S., as a partner and ally, would not
allow Turkey to be excluded from the agreement. “We are here to
generate a formula to prevent any such development,” he added during a
joint press conference.

Experts emphasize that even though Turkey will likely be included in
the TTIP, it is the congress, which is at odds with the Turkish
government over a range of issues involving the Cypriot and Armenian
problems, which will make the final decision about Turkey’s
participation. “In order to expand the Turkish-American economic
relationship, Turkey needs more friends in the United States. Although
the Obama administration has supported Turkey and believes deeply in
the model partnership, Turkey needs more friends, not just the
American government. You need to get congressional approval for free
trade agreements. You need friends from businesses and all the other
stakeholders. It is not enough just having these
government-to-government contacts. Turkey should use her business
organizations more to reach congress as well,” said Jose W. Fernandez,
Former U.S.Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and
Business Affairs at a Brookings Institute’s panel on Turkey’s
inclusion to TTIP.

Turkey has taken some steps in some areas to gain the good will and
blessings of the congress. Kemal KiriÅ?çi, Brookings’ director of
Turkey project, stated that the escalation of Cyprus negotiations and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an’s historic condolences to
Armenians regarding the 1915 incidents would have a positive impact on
members of the congress, allowing them to be able to defend Turkey’s
participation in the TTIP, despite lobbying on the part of Armenian
and Greek constituents. He stressed that Turkish businesses were aware
of the fact that the Turkish-American economic relationship has proven
beneficial and suggested that they can bridge the gap between congress
and Turkey.

N-KARABAKH CONFLICT’S SETTLEMENT STILL ONE OF TOP PRIORITIES FOR EU

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
May 16 2014

BRUSSELS – 16.05.2014 11:30:00

Stefan Fule, the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European
Neighbourhood Policy, spoke to the ‘The Business Year – Azerbaijan
2014’ magazine.

In his interview with the magazine, Fule touched upon such
issues as resolving regional conflicts and the settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Speaking to the magazine, Fule said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s
settlement remains one of the top priorities for the foreign policy
of the European Union.

“The EU is fully committed to supporting the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement process,” Fule said. “Only a peaceful, negotiated settlement
can allow the entire region to move toward a secure and prosperous
future and can help unleash the full potential of the South Caucasus
region as a gateway between Europe and Asia.”

He also said the EU is concerned about the lack of tangible progress
on the settlement of the conflict.

“In this context, we welcomed the meeting of the President of
Azerbaijan and President of Armenia in Vienna on November 19, 2013,
and commended the OSCE Minsk Group Co Chairs for their efforts in
facilitating the resumption of top level meetings,” Fule underscored.

He stressed that the EU called upon Azerbaijan and Armenia to step up
their efforts toward agreement on the Madrid Principles as a basis for
peace, in accordance with the commitments undertaken by the presidents
within the OSCE Minsk Group.

“Concerned about the escalation of tension due to confrontational
rhetoric and serious incidents along the line of contact and along the
international border between the two countries, the EU has urged both
sides to respect the ceasefire agreement, fulfil their commitments
made in the framework of the Minsk Group, and refrain from actions
and statements that could heighten tension and undermine the peace
process,” Fule added.

He also said the engagement of Azerbaijan with the EU is based on
the European Neighborhood Policy and on the Eastern Partnership,
adding that the current legal framework for bilateral relations is
the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, signed in 1999.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently
holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions. (Cihan/Trend az)

TURKEY’S SEARCH FOR A NEW PARADIGM FOR THE RESOLUTION PROCESS

Daily Sabah, Turkey
May 16 2014

Markar Esayan

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan once said, “We are looking for
clear water to turn our faces,” a comment which preceded his condolence
message for the 1915 tragedy. This expression seemingly caught the
attention of no one but Etyen Mahcupyan. At least, there weren’t
many people who wrote about this critical and radical sentence. This
radical remark actually has showed the reformist leader and his party’s
need and determination to break all ties from Turkey’s oligarchic
state regime as a paradigm. Even though the reforms might have been
casually made in 2002, when the story of the party’s rule began,
they now demand intellectual depth and ideological background.

In order to complete the “revolution of the people,” and make the
transformation in Turkey permanent, it is necessary to ponder and
deepen the theoretical background of the discussion on oligarchic
alliances in Turkey.

Erdogan expressed this need through the metaphor of “clear water.” So,
which system of values would replace the unhealthy ideas of the
Kemalist mindset while facing the 1915 incident and the resolution
of the Kurdish problem in Turkey? Kemalist oligarchy is built upon
radical positivism and racism, a product of Western corruption. It is
not even an original invention or an anomaly peculiar to this country.

It produced Kurdish, Armenian and Alevi issues and political and
economic exploitation. Each of Turkey’s attempts to stop this system
of exploitation was interrupted by coup d’états supported by the West.

Even influential leaders such as Turgut Ozal, who was willing to
solve the Kurdish and Armenian problems, were hampered by lynchings
carried out by this oligarchy alliance. And the leaders attempting
to solve the Kurdish issue such as Erbakan and Ecevit ended up with
explicit or implicit coups.

So, in the face of these problems, how can one possibly reverse the
social indoctrination (or poisoning) process of state apparatuses? A
radical step such as ending the war with the PKK could not be taken
without persuading the public. How would it be possible to send
condolences for the 1915 incident in a country where the Armenians
were demonized by the secular and elite stratum of society for 100
years? How is it possible while the Republican People’s Party and its
media apparatuses, which regard themselves as “secular, western and
modern,” hate the idea of being equal to others and resist reforms
through their media and bureaucratic power?

The only problem is not the fact that the Kemalist oligarchy is a
racist dictatorship. This paradigm is also completely alien to this
geography. So, while burning all the bridges with this mindset,
it was essential to avoid imposing a project upon the public and
attempting any kind of political engineering, even though they were
performed with goodwill. Do not forget that the Kemalists also took
this road with goodwill.

Both Erdogan and Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the PKK, were aware
of the delicacy of the condition. So, they settled the resolution
process both on the global rules of democracy and the values of
Islam. It was not possible to initiate the process without erasing the
Kemalist nationalism from public awareness. Mutual values of peace
and equality, which have a context in public, replaced the decadent
values. Islam has many considerable references indicating that Turks,
Kurds, Armenians and all the other communities should be equal. On
the occasion of Newroz in 2013, Ocalan said it was essential to shift
to a democratic system instead of imperialist modernity, referring
to Islam to support his ideas. This also means that the PKK, which
has a strong secular tradition, would make peace with religion and
the religious masses. While taking this step, they did not abandon
democracy. They only built a hybrid and authentic model. In this way,
society could create a peaceful atmosphere with its own unique methods
and the real maestro would be the people. From this point of view,
it is evident that Erdogan and Ocalan are the leaders paving the way
for participatory democracy rather than imposing ideas.

On May 11 and 12, 2014, the Democratic Islam Congress was held in
Diyarbakır upon Ocalan’s call. A critical declaration was announced
at the Congress. The declaration suggested that peace would be found
both in light of the universal rules adopted by Turkey’s communities
and the community of equality and negotiation stated in the Medina
Pact according to Islam. So far, this bloody war has claimed the lives
of 40,000 people and broke the two communities apart. To rebuild the
atmosphere of security that fell to pieces due to the war, this hybrid
model was ideal.

The secularists are startled when they hear the word “Islam” as a
result of their arrogance, slyness, but mostly ignorance. For Turkish
and Kurdish communities, there is nothing more normal and healthier
than remembering their common past dating back 1,000 years. And when
this process ends in success, more equal relationships will be possible
not only within Turkey, but also between the West and the East, which
will surely contribute to the peace in the world more than impositions.