✓Armenia displays Turkish drones shot down in Karabakh.
✓The Armenian PM says that at the moment, no diplomatic solution is possible.
✓All the former presidents of Armenia and Artsakh have met to discuss the situation.
✓Armenia’s FM holds talks with the Russian Foreign Minister in Moscow.
By Lika Zakaryan, from Stepanakert
For 25 days now we have yearned for peace. For 25 whole days we do not sleep in pajamas, we do not go to school or to the university, we fall asleep with Telegram channels and wake up with them. We do not take a shower (we wash as much as possible), we do not go to the store for bread and we do not complain about our salaries. If 24 hours are multiplied by 25 days, we get 600. 600 hours we live in hell. Some of us lost our homes, some of us were forced to leave our homeland. Some have turned into refugees for the second time in their lives (once after Baku and Sumgait). And some have lost their only loved ones. 600 Hours!
I haven’t seen my brother for 600 hours. From day one, he joined groups to help out on the front lines. His name is Albert, he is two years younger than me. We have been very close since childhood. After the first war, as you might expect, life was a little difficult. While jobs were being created, shops were opening, life was getting better – a certain time passed. My parents, like many others, left for Russia for a while to work. I was already in the first grade, and my brother was younger, so they took him, they didn’t take me, because I had to study. So we parted for a while. When he left, I began to miss him wildly. Missing this very whiny boy, who always took everything from me, who did not give me rest.
We had neighbors, their child had a toy limousine. So beautiful, big, black, and most importantly – new! During the 1999s beautiful toys were rare. So my little brother used to visit him all the time to play with this limousine. And this boy was not very nice to my brother. It hurt me inexplicably to see that. I was not an adult either, 5-6 years old. I promised myself that when I have my own money, I will buy him a limousine car.
I lived with my grandparents while my mom, dad, brother worked in Russia. Granny was such a strict, correct woman. She put me on the piano. Every day she gave me money for school lunch and for the bus to the music school and back (not even 50 cents all together).
A few years later, my grandmother came and said: “We are going to Russia for a month, we will see relatives and parents.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I ran into the room, took my money can and went up to my grandmother: “Grandma! Grandmother! Can we buy a limousine car for Albert and take him with us as a gift? Please!” And she said, “Darling, I don’t know, it’s so expensive.” “No, no, grandma! I have the money, you just let me buy it, he will be so happy…”
With these words I opened the can, and there were all these pennies (well, almost all) that my grandmother gave me for bus rides and lunches. “How?… Where from?… ” “Grandma, it doesn’t matter. Don’t worry, this isn’t someone else’s money, don’t think about it. These are all yours that you gave me.” Tears rolled down my grandmother’s cheeks…
There was a toy store not far from the music school. After almost every piano lesson, I went there, looked at the toys, and chose a limousine. Every time I looked and imagined that my brother would play with him. Oh! How happy he will be! The shop assistant and I even became friends. And so, I took my grandmother by the hand and went there with her, so pleased. I was about 9-10 years old. The limousine cost about $10 (the average salary back then was $40. I had almost $9. Grandma wanted to add the rest, but the seller did not allow: “If I had an option, I would give it to her for free. Please let this be my contribution.” I walked out of the store with a limousine in my hands, proud.
Arrived in Russia. First, to the city where some distant relatives lived. I went out with my grandmother and when I returned, my heart broke… One girl in this house took the limousine and sat right on it! Can you imagine? It broke down a bit… I won’t even tell you the level of resentment that I experienced… And here life hit me in the head, also for the first time.
Then we arrived. I met my brother. He was so happy. “Brother, I have a present for you. Forgive me, it broke on the way, but it was from the bottom of my heart … ” To be honest, he did not care at all. He was mad with happiness! And my mission was accomplished…
My mother says that when I returned back to Stepanakert, my brother would fall asleep hugging this limousine, missing me. This broken limousine became our little symbol, we still remember and laugh…
This story is not about me and Albert specifically, but about love for my brother. It is a special bond that is invisible and strong, occupying such a huge space in our hearts. Now I miss him as I did when I was a child. And he probably misses me. If he was reading this now, I would like to tell him one thing, “If the war made you sad, come back soon, I will give you a million limousines, I will heal all the wounds in your soul. You just come back as soon as possible…”
By Gevorg Tosunyan
A proposal was submitted to Armenia’s National Assembly to provide an opportunity for debt relief for those killed or disabled as a result of the war in Karabakh that began on September 27. The issue was discussed during a special meeting of the assembly on October 21.
“The government will bear part of the financial burden of unearned income as a result of the debt forgiveness proposal,” said Deputy Minister of Finance Arman Poghosyan, who presented the bill. Although this is an encouragement for banks to move forward with debt forgiveness, the final decision to do so remains under the bank’s discretion.
“We want this to be perceived as a real opportunity, and a willingness. Firstly, I am convinced that this is a special situation, and secondly, it does not make sense to keep these supposed assets in the banks’ balance sheets because the banks realize that it is not possible to get those loans back. The most rational decision should be to write them off and release those people from their credit obligations,” said Poghosyan.
According to the deputy minister, the discussion of the program illustrated that banks and credit organizations are willing to offer loan forgiveness.
“There are banks that did not even wait for the adoption of this law. I believe we will have a law that will benefit and provide abundant opportunity for debt relief,” the deputy minister of finance noted.
The parliament also discussed a separate tax relief bill. It is proposed that there should not be taxes levied on goods imported by organizations and individuals into Armenia for humanitarian, health, and military purposes. Additionally, the process should be more effective and functional.
The parliament unanimously adopted these proposals in their second session.
Wednesday,
U.S. Insists On ‘De-Escalation’ In Karabakh
U.S. - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at
the State Department, in Washington, October 14, 2020.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that he will reiterate U.S.
calls for a ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone when he separately
meets with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington on
Friday.
“Our view remains -- as does the view of nearly every European country -- that
the right path forward is to cease the conflict, tell them to de-escalate, that
every country should stay out, provide no fuel for this conflict, no weapon
systems, no support,” Pompeo told reporters.
“And it is at that point that a diplomatic solution that would be acceptable to
all can potentially be achieved,” he said. “That’s what I will talk to them
about on Friday. And I’m anxious to hear from them what they are seeing on the
ground and how we might get closer to what it is that we think is not only in
the U.S. best interests but in each of their countries’ interests as well.”
Pompeo would not say whether he will try to broker a ceasefire agreement during
his talks with Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian of Armenia and Jeyhun
Bayramov of Azerbaijan. He noted only that such agreements brokered by Russia
and France earlier this month did not stop the hostilities in and around
Karabakh.
It also remained unclear whether Mnatsakanian and Bayramov could also with each
other or hold a trilateral meeting with Pompeo in Washington.
The United States, Russia and France have long been leading international
efforts to end the Karabakh conflict in their capacity as co-chairs of the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. They have
repeatedly issued joint statements calling for an immediate halt to the war that
broke out on September 27.
Former Armenian Presidents Meet On Karabakh
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia -- Former Presidents Levon Ter-Petrosian (L) and Robert Kocharian.
Armenia’s former Presidents Levon Ter-Petrosian, Serzh Sarkisian and Robert
Kocharian have met for the first time in many years to discuss the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it was announced on Wednesday.
Ter-Petrosian’s spokesman, Arman Musinian, said the meeting was necessitated by
the “current worrying situation” in the conflict zone.
Musinian said Ter-Petrosian, Sarkisian and Kocharian were joined by two former
Karabakh presidents, Arkady Ghukasian and Bako Sahakian. He gave no other
details of the meeting. Kocharian’s and Sarkisian’s offices released no
statements on it.
Ghukasian and Sahakian held on Tuesday separate meetings with Ter-Petrosian and
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
On Monday Pashinian discussed the hostilities in and around Karabakh with
leaders of Armenia’s main opposition parties. Newspaper reports said that they
talked about not only the situation on the ground but also possible solutions to
the Karabakh conflict that could be proposed by international mediators and
Russia in particular.
Edmon Marukian, the leader of the opposition Bright Armenia Party, claimed on
Wednesday that Pashinian has also held a meeting with at least some of the
former Armenian presidents.
Pashinian’s press secretary, Mane Gevorgian, did not confirm the claim. “If such
a meeting takes place there will definitely be an official statement on it,” she
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
The ex-presidents’ trilateral meeting is noteworthy given the long history of
mutual antagonism between Ter-Petrosian on one side and Kocharian and Sarkisian
on the other.
Ter-Petrosian, who ruled Armenia from 1991-1998, ran in a disputed 2008
presidential election in an unsuccessful bid to prevent the handover of power
from Kocharian to Sarkisian. His Armenian National Congress party harshly
criticized and challenged Sarkisian during the latter’s decade-long rule.
Armenian Leader Sees No ‘Diplomatic Solution’ To Karabakh War
ARMENIA -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian gives an interview to TASS
Russian news agency, in Yerevan, October 19, 2020
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian urged more Armenians to join their armed forces
on Wednesday, saying that Azerbaijan is rejecting any compromise solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and continuing the war in the conflict zone.
“We have repeatedly stated that we are ready to resolve the issue through mutual
concessions,” Pashinian said in a live address to the nation aired on Facebook.
“But what we agree to or would agree to is now not acceptable to Azerbaijan, and
this shows that it is meaningless to speak of any diplomatic solution at least
at this stage.”
He said that Azerbaijan is continuing offensive military operations in and
around Karabakh and “throwing its last reserves into the battle” in a bid to
defeat the Armenian side. In these circumstances, he said, Armenians have no
choice but to keep fighting “until it will be possible to diplomatically achieve
some acceptable variant.”
Pashinian went on to urge the heads of Armenian local government bodies,
political parties and other groups to form volunteer units that will join troops
fighting against the Azerbaijani army on the Karabakh frontlines.
“If this process is organized effectively, we will eventually manage to achieve
a diplomatic solution acceptable to us because in essence Azerbaijan is saying
today that it will not agree to anything but Karabakh’s capitulation,” added
Pashinian.
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- An Ethnic Armenian soldier is seen at fighting positions on
the front line in Nagorno-Karabakh,
A senior aide to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev denounced Pashinian’s
remarks, saying they show that Yerevan is not committed to a peaceful resolution
of the Karabakh conflict.
“With this statement the leadership of Armenia admits that Armenia’s aim is to
maintain the occupation of Azerbaijani territory,” Hikmet Hajiyev told the RIA
Novosti news agency.
Hajiyev insisted that Azerbaijan's position on a Karabakh settlement is
“constructive.” But he did not clarify whether Baku supports an unconditional
halt to the fighting sought by the Russian, U.S., and French mediators.
Pashinian’s appeal came hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held
separate talks with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the talks focused on the implementation of
Armenian-Azerbaijani ceasefire agreements that were reached earlier this month.
A ministry statement described the talks as a follow-up to Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s “telephone contacts” with Pashinian and Aliyev. It reported no
concrete understandings reached by the ministers.
Hostilities along the Karabakh “line of contact” have continued despite the
truce agreements brokered by Russia and France. The conflicting parties accuse
each other of violating them.
In his remarks, Pashinian praised Russia for “doing its best” to halt the
hostilities and revive the Karabakh peace process. Moscow is also fulfilling its
role as a “strategic ally of Armenia and the Armenian people,” he stressed.
Iran Starts Air Defense Drills As Karabakh Fighting Goes On
IRAN -- A Sayyad 2 missile is fired by the Talash air defense system during
drills in an undisclosed location in Iran, November 5, 2018
The Iranian military began on Wednesday large-scale air defense exercises amid
continuing heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces along Iran’s
northwestern border.
Iranian media reported that the exercises will cover half of the country and
take place as if it is a “real battle.”
The Mehr news agency quoted General Abbas Farajpour as saying that Iranian air
defense units will practice “protecting the country's strategic sites with the
help of homegrown missile, radar and reconnaissance systems as well as
electronic warfare, communication and monitoring equipment.”
"The first stage of the drill involves the expansion and deployment of defense
systems, including missile and radar systems, with a focus on the mobility and
rapid response of operational forces,” said Farajpour.
An area south of Nagorno-Karabakh and north of Iran is currently the epicenter
of the continuing hostilities in the Karabakh conflict zone. The warring sides
are using large numbers of soldiers, tanks, artillery and other military
hardware there.
Missiles fired by opposing sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh war hit a district in
Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
Tehran says that dozens of rockets and other projected have mistakenly landed
near Iranian border villages since the start of the war on September 27. It has
threatened to take “tough measures” if Armenian or Azerbaijani forces continue
to accidentally shell Iranian territory.
Iranian news agencies reported that a “foreign drone” crashed on Tuesday in
Iran’s Khoda Afarin district adjacent to the southern sections of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani “line of contact.” The district governor said that Iranian
military experts are examining its wreckage.
Another unmanned aerial vehicle was reportedly shot down or crashed last week in
Iran’s Ardabil province east of Khoda Afarin.
Like other foreign powers, Iran has repeatedly called for an immediate end to
the war. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has spoken by phone with the leaders
of Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a deep-rooted crisis in the South Caucasus following the collapse of the Soviet Union, continues to be a threat to international security. Although every international organization recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan and every major power in the region respects the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the conflict has remained unresolved.
The formal peace talks under the mediation of the Minsk Group – which was set up in 1992 by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) – have been continuing for about 27 years without any tangible results. Recently, the clashes between the parties have entered an active phase.
Yerevan’s aggressive rhetoric and policies in the occupied lands such as illegal settlements and its aim to change the capital of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to Shusha deepened Baku’s disappointment about the solution to the conflict. The frustration about a peaceful solution has changed the perception both for Azerbaijani policymakers and society, and the Armenian aggression has been responded to adequately and resulted in harsh clashes on the front line.
Undoubtedly, one of the most powerful actors in the region is Russia, and its stance is intriguing. Looking at the statements by Russian officials and their moves, it is clear that Moscow tries to preserve its neutrality on the recent clashes. There are various reasons for it.
On the one hand, Russia has always tried to keep the status quo in the region in line with its national interests. The status quo favors neither a permanent peace nor a large-scale war. By doing so, Russia continues to be an influential actor not only in Armenia, but it also has control mechanisms in Azerbaijan.
However, it is apparent that Russia chooses not to explicitly interfere in the recent clashes and does not make any effort to cease the ongoing clashes between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijani Armed Forces. However, Russia’s motivation for maintaining a neutral stance is not limited to one factor; there are a number of reasons behind it.
Yerevan’s populism
Firstly, the new anti-Russian government that has come to power in Armenia after the revolution is perceived as a threat to Russian national interests in the country. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s populist stance and his statements in the occupied regions irritated not only Azerbaijani people and government but the Kremlin as well. Pashinian’s steps to violate the status quo, challenging Azerbaijan and denouncing Russians and Russian-backed former officials, are being observed with concern in Moscow.
Additionally, the Pashinian government pursued a policy to fire pro-Russian bureaucrats from the state bodies and replace them with Western-educated ones. The new circumstances in Armenia reduced the Russian role in the decision-making process and in society. Thus, the first reason behind Russia’s desire to refrain from direct involvement in the clashes is to teach the Armenian government a lesson.
The recent statements by Kremlin officials, especially by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, aimed to build closer ties to Azerbaijan, as it is obvious that Russia’s stance toward the 1990s war caused Azerbaijani society to choose a completely different path.
Russia intends to maintain neutral rhetoric in order to remain on good terms with the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia and to ensure a positive image of the country in Baku.
Furthermore, Ankara’s direct support to Baku is also another reason behind Russia’s careful stance, as it does not want to harm the highly strategic Turkey-Russia economic bilateral relations. In addition to this, as it is understood from Lavrov’s statements, Kremlin does not have any objection to the liberation of Azerbaijani five regions under the Armenian occupation.
However, they are eager to place Russian peacemakers around the Nagorno-Karabakh region which would enable them to have direct control on both sides, but this idea has been rejected by Baku.
As Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev repeatedly stated, Baku wants Turkey to be at the negotiation table as a balancing power. It is totally relevant, considering Turkey’s geopolitical position as it has borders with the South Caucasus and conflicting sides. It seems that Turkey’s presence on the field played a significant role in Moscow’s neutral stance.
The Kremlin has long been seeking multilateral world order by promoting regional powers and creating barriers to entry for powers outside of the region. In this context, the Moscow-Ankara-Tehran presence is preferred by the Kremlin, instead of Western powers. The Eurasian worldview and escape from trans-Atlantic powers are reflected in the Russian strategic documents and forms the basis of Russia’s strategic thinking.
Negotiation process
Although Russia, as a co-chairman of Minsk Group responsible for mediating a solution to the conflict, called the sides to implement a cease-fire and invited them to formally return to the negotiation table, the move has not been powerful enough to prompt the sides to engage in further talks. Even some provocative claims by Armenian sources about Syrian fighters against Armenians do not cause Russians to become more involved in the conflict.
It seems that the Kremlin is reluctant to take part in the recent clashes, at least for now. As the clashes are in internationally recognized Azerbaijani lands, and Baku has the right to liberate its lands by any means within the legal framework, Russia does not have a responsibility to protect the separatist forces as a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member and an ally of Armenia. This position has been expressed by Russian officials, clearly.
In conclusion, being one of the most influential actors in the South Caucasus region and a historical ally of Armenia, Russia is not willing to be perceived as a part of the conflict. The Kremlin might get involved in the conflict if there is a serious threat to the security of the Armenian Republic but not when it comes to Karabakh.
*Faculty member at International Relations Department of Nakhchivan State University
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s foreign policy adviser, Hikmat Hajiyev slammed Wednesday Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s call to arms and dismissal of diplomatic solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Earlier in the day, Pashinian urged citizens to sign up as military volunteers to protect their country and claimed “Azerbaijan’s aggressive stance” in the 25-day clash over Nagorno-Karabakh leaves no room for diplomacy.
Hajiyev said the statement reflects Armenia’s lack of interest in a diplomatic solution and disrespect the efforts of international mediators.
The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory. The Azerbaijani military has been fighting to end the illegal occupation by Armenian separatists, while Armenian forces continue indiscriminate attacks on Azeri civilians.
In a live video address on Facebook, Pashinyan said all Armenians must “take up arms and defend the Motherland” and urged local mayors to organize volunteer units.
He charged that Azerbaijan’s “uncompromising posture” has shattered hopes for a political settlement. “There is no way now to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh issue through diplomacy,” Pashinian said.
“In this situation, we may consider all hopes, proposals and ideas about the need to find a diplomatic settlement effectively terminated.”
Pashinian said Azerbaijan’s stance on Nagorno-Karabakh effectively means the region surrenders.
“There is no Armenia without Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinian said. “Defending Nagorno-Karabakh means defending the Armenian people’s rights,” he added, despite the fact Armenian occupation of the region is illegal.
On Friday, Armenia and Azerbaijan’s foreign ministers are due to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington. On Wednesday they held separate talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of Armenian separatists, backed by Armenia, since a war there ended in 1994. The current fighting that started on Sept. 27 marks the biggest escalation in the conflict since.
Two Russia-brokered cease-fires frayed immediately after entering force, and the warring parties have continued to trade blows with heavy artillery, rockets and drones.
According to Armenian separatists, 834 of their troops have been killed, while Azerbaijan has said 63 civilians were killed and 292 wounded.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said that to end hostilities, Armenian forces must withdraw from the illegally occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinian’s statements came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held two separate meetings with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Moscow to discuss the implementation of a cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
“During the talks, urgent issues related to the implementation of previously reached agreements on a cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and the creation of conditions for its sustainable settlement were discussed,” the ministry said in a statement, following Lavrov’s meeting with Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Jeyhun Bayramov.
Azerbaijani authorities said at least 60 civilians have been killed and 270 wounded since Sept. 27, but they haven’t revealed military losses.
The number of houses damaged in Armenian attacks has reached over 1,700, along with 90 residential buildings and 327 civil facilities, according to Azerbaijani officials.
Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.
Turkey has supported Baku’s right to self-defense and demanded a withdrawal of the occupying forces.
Turkey will not hesitate to send troops and provide military support for Azerbaijan if such requests were made by Baku, Vice President Fuat Oktay said Wednesday, adding that there were no such requests at the moment.
Earlier in the day, Armenia’s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said he saw “no possibility of a diplomatic solution at this stage” in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.
Turkey has vowed full solidarity with Azerbaijan as Yerevan continues its illegal occupation of Azerbaijani lands.
During an interview with the private broadcaster, CNN Türk, Oktay also criticized the OSCE Minsk Group, consisting of France, Russia and the United States, formed to mediate the conflict. He said the group was trying to keep the issue unresolved and supporting Armenia, both politically and militarily.
The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of Armenian separatists, backed by Armenia, since a war there ended in 1994. The current fighting that started on Sept. 27 marks the biggest escalation in the conflict since.
Two Russia-brokered cease-fires frayed immediately after entering force and the warring parties have continued to trade blows with heavy artillery, rockets and drones.
According to Armenian separatists, 834 of their troops have been killed, while Azerbaijan has reported 63 civilian deaths and 292 injuries.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has said to end hostilities, Armenian forces must withdraw from the illegally occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) marks each legislative year with an inaugural speech by the president. The president outlines the nation’s legislative agenda and addresses major developments in domestic and international politics. This year President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered his speech under the gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to strict social distancing measures, ambassadors stationed in Turkey were missing from the aisles of the plenary session, along with many of the usual attendees. Though foreign dignitaries could not attend, Erdoğan devoted a large part of his speech to foreign policy. From the plenary hall Erdoğan reached out to foreign spectators and as the Turkish saying goes “inspired confidence in friends and fear in foes.”
Erdoğan’s emphasis on foreign policy comes as no surprise. While Turkey is never short of a lively domestic agenda, international and regional conflicts have increasingly been making headlines, with many of them happening in Turkey’s immediate vicinity. Most recently, Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and Baku’s heroic efforts at reclaiming rightful territory has hit close to home. The Turkish nation feels strongly about Azerbaijan, and this sentiment was echoed in the president’s speech.
Erdoğan’s focus on international affairs also exemplifies how far Turkey’s foreign policy has come under his tenure as prime minister and now as president. Turkey boasts 235 diplomatic missions across the globe, ranking sixth globally in the number of representations. Turkey’s aid and educational agencies, the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), are a testament to Turkey’s ever-expanding soft power reach.
Turkey has come a long way from towing the Western line in foreign affairs to establishing a truly independent and sovereign foreign policy approach. In all major regional conflicts, Turkey maintains an independent position justified by political necessity and moral adherence to fairness in the international system.
Failure of global system
On several occasions, Erdoğan remarked on how the international system built in the aftermath of World War II has become unsustainable. The U.N. system’s redundancy in the wake of major regional conflicts is a testament to this argument, exemplified in the president’s popular argument “the world is bigger than five” in reference to the makeup of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The international system has failed to deliver in Libya, Yemen, Syria and most recently in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the lack of genuine multilateralism, competent actors that are party to such conflicts have sought solutions instead. Erdoğan recognized this failure in his speech in reference to the ineptitude of the Minsk Group set up by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) – comprising of France, Russia and the United States – in achieving a just solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Erdoğan criticized the Minsk Group’s call for an immediate cease-fire between Azerbaijan and Armenia, stating that the illegal Armenian annexation of the area has to end before such talks can proceed. The president’s speech seemed to echo Turkey’s own course of action in major regional conflicts – such as Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean – where Turkey has been the subject to calls by defunct international actors. Instead of appeasement, Turkey has rearranged the facts on the ground in a more just manner, and Azerbaijan is now attempting the same.
Regional issues
Four key regional topics dominated the president’s speech: the fight against terrorism in Syria and Iraq, the Eastern Mediterranean, the status of Jerusalem and the politics of the Gulf. The first two issues have dominated public discussion in Turkey for several months now, and it is unsurprising that the president took time to consider Turkey’s achievements in eliminating the threat of PKK terrorism in Syria and Iraq and success in retaining sovereign rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. More strikingly on Jerusalem and the Gulf, the president’s comments point to areas of interest for Turkey and possible new venues for the projection of Turkish foreign policy.
Regarding Jerusalem the president remarked on the Ottoman past of the city, citing how much of the city’s current architectural landscape is the product of the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. And thus, the president called Jerusalem “our city,” emphasizing its significance for Turkey from a point legitimized by history. Right-wing Zionist commentators in Israel and the United States were quick to criticize these comments as expansionist or hostile. Such analyses are void of history and are steeped in arrogance which sees only an Israeli reality for the city.
Erdoğan, in his championing of the Palestinian cause, expressed the need to continue upholding a plan for a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, with Jerusalem as the rightful capital of the Palestinians. Calling Jerusalem “our city” is not some neo-Ottoman attempt at conquest as some spectators have suggested. Erdoğan greatly identifies with the plight of the Palestinian people, and as he has expressed on numerous platforms, Turkey will continue to voice the Palestinian position in the international arena.
With respect to the Gulf, the president’s speech touched on the passing of Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti Emir and an experienced statesman in the region. While reminiscing on the role the late emir had played in resolving regional disputes and remaining neutral in the rift in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Erdoğan took aim at countries in the Gulf that have been in open hostility against Turkey. Though the president did not name any countries, he was referring to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to a lesser extent to Saudi Arabia, both of which have emerged as Turkey’s regional adversaries.
Abu Dhabi and Riyadh openly voice opposition to Turkey’s footprint in the region, and their rhetoric has become far more acute in recent months. Despite Saudi and Emirati opposition, the Gulf continues to dominate Turkey’s strategic thinking. Ankara’s relationship with Doha is being maintained at the highest echelons of the military, with joint Turkish-Qatari endeavors steering the conflict in Libya. Indeed, Turkey also boasts strong ties with Kuwait and Oman, two nations that have refused to join the Saudi lead embargo on Qatar. Turkey’s relationship with friendly countries in the Gulf, as well as attempts to balance UAE and Saudi Arabia, have become part of Ankara’s regional strategy.
One sure conclusion that can be made from Erdoğan’s address to the Parliament is that Turkey has a strong interest in the conflicts in its immediate vicinity. A testament to Turkey’s emerging role as a regional leader, Erdoğan remained steadfast in delivering Turkey’s foreign policy rationale for the future. Turkey’s proactive role in the region will undoubtedly continue to grow.
*Candidate for a masters of science in comparative politics at the London School of Economics
October 21, 2020
The Library of Congress corrected its “Armenian Massacres subject heading to “Armenian Genocide”
Success of ANCA Campaign Will Cascade through Thousands of Libraries across America and around the World
WASHINGTON—A campaign, launched by the Armenian National Committee of America and strongly backed by key Congressional allies, resulted, this week, in a determination by the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, that books and other resources currently cataloged under the subject heading “Armenian Massacres” will be referenced as the “Armenian Genocide.”
“This long-overdue correction by the Library of Congress – a principled, fact-based stand for the integrity of American institutions against malign foreign influence – comes at a particularly meaningful moment for Americans of Armenian heritage,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “We see today the painful, real-world results of American leaders having allowed Turkey to bully our country into a century of silence on the Armenian Genocide. Even today – as Ankara and Baku openly seek to complete the destruction of the Armenian homeland – our government remains all too fearful of truth-telling to Erdogan and Aliyev. That has to end.”
Bipartisan letters to the Library of Congress calling for this change were spearheaded in the U.S. House by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Dina Titus (D-NV), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Jackie Speier (C-CA) and in the Senate by Bob Menendez (D-NJ).
In a December 4, 2019 letter to Dr. Hayden, the ANCA recommended changing the terminology for the Library of Congress Subject Heading from “Armenian Massacres, 1915-1923″ to: “Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923,” in the wake of the near-unanimous passage of H.Res.296 (405-11) by the U.S. House of Representatives on October 29th of last year (the Senate passed an identical resolution, S.Res.150 (100-0) on December 12th.
The University of California – Los Angeles, one of America’s leading research libraries – played a vital role in this change, by submitting a formal request to the Library of Congress last month. The UCLA request was echoed by the ANCA in its own submission.
Over the past several months, thousands of community advocates weighed in directly with the Library of Congress and their Members of Congress via a dedicated portal on the ANCA website.
Congressional leaders welcomed the Library of Congress decision to change the Armenian massacres subject heading and properly characterize the Armenian Genocide.
“It is welcome news that the Library Congress, at our urging, will now use the historically accurate term ‘Armenian Genocide.’ This is one further step in overcoming the decades-long campaign of denial that has silenced too many about the murder of 1.5 million Armenians,” said Rep. Schiff. “This recognition is particularly meaningful at a time when the genocide of a century ago seems all too immediate, as Azerbaijan and Turkey are committing atrocities right now in Artsakh.”
“I am glad that the Library of Congress has chosen to honor the Armenian Caucus’s request to change the subject heading to match the historical fact that the Ottoman Turks perpetrated a genocidal campaign in the early 20th century that systemically and ruthlessly targeted Armenians,” said Rep. Pallone. “This change establishes the categorization that the Armenian Genocide deserves to match the historical record and helps set an example for scholars worldwide. The Library’s change follows the important precedent set by Congress last year when both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed resolutions commemorating the Armenian Genocide.”
“I am glad to see the Library of Congress will finally recognize the Armenian Genocide for what it was; a genocide,” said Rep. Bilirakis. “For decades there has been a campaign of denial that silenced any attempt at recognizing the 1.5 million Armenian lives that were lost. While our work is not done, this is an incredible step as we work towards international recognition of the atrocities that were committed by Turkey only a century ago.”
“Last year I was proud to co-lead the historic House resolution to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide, along with the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Armenian Caucus,” Rep. Speier said. “As an institution founded on the principles of scholarship and learning, it is imperative that the Library not shy away from the truth. I am encouraged to see the Library correct its research headings to adhere to historical accuracy – and to properly acknowledge the murder of 1.5 million Armenians at the hand of the Ottoman Empire.”
“The use of the term ‘Armenian Genocide’ is necessary to paint an accurate picture of history and rightly honor the victims of this atrocity,” said Rep. Titus. “I am grateful that the Library of Congress will no longer conceal the truth about these horrific crimes. The Trump Administration should do the same.”