RUSSIA SHARES TURKEY’S CONCERNS ON KURDISH ISSUE
Ayhan Simsek
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Nov 27 2006
Russia is deeply concerned about the looming threat of Iraq’s
disintegration and shares the concerns of Turkey on the Kurdish issue,
said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko in an interview
with a group of Turkish journalists in Moscow over the weekend.
Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko underlined that on a growing range
of international issues, including Iraq, Iran and the Arab-Israeli
conflict; positions of Russia and Turkey have become very close,
sometimes even identical. "Our relations are rising to a level of a
multifaceted partnership, a goal stipulated by our heads of states
in Dec 2004," Grushko stressed.
On Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister underlined that this process should promote greater stability
and mutually beneficial international cooperation in the region,
and also raised Moscow’s expectation that Turkey’s commitments to
the EU during the accession process will not hinder development of
the multifaceted Russian-Turkish partnership.
Stressing that Russia has always advocated a comprehensive, fair and
viable solution to Cyprus problem in line with the UN resolutions,
Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko said Turkish and Greek Cypriots should
be encouraged for resumption of full-scale negotiations with the
goal of reaching a comprehensive settlement. He also said Russia is
prepared to carry on a policy of developing economic relations with
the Turkish Cypriots on condition of compliance with the principles
of international law and UN resolutions.
On the claims of the Armenian genocide and problems between Turkey
and Armenia, Alexander Grushko expressed hope that improvement of
Turkish-Armenian relations will contribute to a greater stability
in the region. "In our opinion, the parties should agree to jointly
address issues related to the genocide. Russia’s position on the issue
is well known: relations today must not be made hostage to history,"
he said. Grushko also expressed support for Turkish proposal for
establishing an international commission of historians.
"We think that implementation of the initiative on setting up an
international commission of historians, in one form or another,
could be beneficial," he said.
Here is what Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko had to tell us:
-Russia and Turkey have stepped up political cooperation in recent
years. What is Moscow’s view of the quality of bilateral relations
and their future, in particular over the next decade?
-GRUSHKO: Russian-Turkish relations have been progressing dynamically,
and political dialogue has become more active at the top level. The
leaders of the two countries have met six times since December 2004,
when the Russian head of state made an official visit to Turkey for
the first time in the history of bilateral relations.
They regularly talk on the telephone and exchange messages.
Our foreign policy departments are interacting very intensively and
effectively, as proved by a packed schedule of their consultations.
This month, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Turkish
counterpart Abdullah Gul in Moscow, First Deputy Foreign Minister
Andrei Denisov held talks with the leaders of the Turkish foreign
ministry, and two rounds of ministerial consultations were staged
in Ankara.
Our relations show that the positions of our countries coincide or
are similar on a growing range of international issues. In fact,
they are rising to a level of a multifaceted partnership. This goal
was stipulated by the heads of the two states in the Joint Political
Declaration they signed in December 2004.
Out trade and economic cooperation has given a powerful impulse to
bilateral relations. Bilateral trade amounted to $12.6 billion in
2005 and is growing at a fast rate. We expect to raise it to $25
billion by 2008.
Relations in the fuel and energy sector play a crucial part in our
cooperation. Russian companies are prepared to contribute to the
construction of underground storage facilities and other elements of
the gas infrastructure in Turkey, as well as in projects stipulating
the delivery of Russian gas to global markets via Turkey.
There are good cooperation opportunities in the generation of
electricity, including at nuclear power plants. We also regard
military-technical cooperation as a promising element of bilateral
relations.
Tourism promotes contacts on a personal level; about 2 million
Russian tourists visit Turkey every year. We have agreed to hold
events dedicated to Russian and Turkish culture in 2007 and 2008 to
encourage state cultural exchanges.
Taking into account the level of cooperation we have reached and
future possibilities, we think that Russian-Turkish relations have a
fair chance of progressing to the benefit of our nations and in the
interests of stronger regional security and development.
-How do you view Turkish foreign policy on the issues such as the
Iranian nuclear program, Iraq, and the Arab-Israeli conflict?
-GRUSHKO: On the whole Ankara’s official position on these problems
is seen as realistic and aimed at their speediest political settlement
in the interests of peace and stability in that region.
Our approaches to the solution of these problems are very close
and sometimes identical, which is a good foundation for an active
Russian-Turkish exchange of views. We value confidential communication
established between us in the recent period on the issues indicated,
and are ready to pursue it further.
-Rising sectarian violence and future of Iraq –
-What does Russia think about Iraq and its future? Does Moscow share
Ankara’s concerns about the possible disintegration of Iraq?
-GRUSHKO: We are deeply concerned about the situation in Iraq, where
a large-scale civil conflict is brewing and has already spread to the
relatively tranquil Shiite southern provinces. There is a looming
threat of Iraq’s disintegration. We stand fully for preserving its
territorial integrity, and share the concern of our Turkish partners,
including on the Kurdish issue.
We believe that the process of national reconciliation can start on
the basis of agreements reached at the meeting on Iraq held in Cairo
in November 2005 under the banner of the Arab League and attended by
the leaders of the major political forces and ethnic and religious
groups of Iraq.
Outlining a timetable for the presence of multinational forces in
Iraq may considerably ease tensions there.
We are convinced that the international community must not stop
its efforts to harmonize the warring sides’ positions. Neighboring
countries have not yet exhausted their possibilities either. Turkey
regularly attends the conferences of foreign and interior ministries
of Iraq’s neighbor countries.
Russia is prepared to contribute to drafting and implementing
any initiative that can facilitate an early stabilization of the
situation. In our opinion, a political settlement in Iraq based on
a broad consensus between Kurds and Shiite and Sunnite Arabs would
contribute to the development of a civilized model of a federative
state with a balance of interests of the regions and the federal
center.
-Turkey’s EU perspective, Cyprus question-
-Accession to the European Union is a major priority of Turkey’s
foreign policy. What do you think are the possible reflections of
Turkey’s EU process to the Turkish-Russian relations?
-GRUSHKO: We are closely monitoring Ankara’s intention to become
a full member of the EU. In our opinion, this process, which will
depend on the sovereign decisions of Turkey and the EU countries,
should promote greater security and stability, and mutually beneficial
international cooperation in the region, and should prevent tensions
and the appearance of division lines.
We believe that issues directly bearing on Russian-Turkish
relations can appear on the agenda at the early stages of EU-Turkish
negotiations. One of them can concern compatibility between bilateral
contracts and agreements and EU norms regulating foreign trade,
energy relations, transport, visa regimes, and so on.
Russia does not want Turkey’s commitments to the EU to hinder the
development of multifaceted Russian-Turkish partnership, trade and
economic cooperation, or complicate the entry of Russian visitors
to Turkey. In bilateral relations with Turkey, we stress our desire
to hold prompt consultations aimed at minimizing possible negative
effects of the EU accession on Russian-Turkish relations.
-Ankara expects Russia to support it on the issue of ending the
international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. What is Russia’s
stand on the issue of the Cyprus settlement? Will Moscow advance
relevant initiatives?
-GRUSHKO: Russia has always advocated a comprehensive, fair and
viable solution to the Cyprus problem in keeping with relevant UN
resolutions. We have worked consistently to ensure the legitimate
interests of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and will continue to act in
this vein. We think UN Security Council resolutions and the assistance
of the UN Secretary General should be used to encourage the parties
involved in the conflict to resume full-scale negotiations.
Definite results have been attained in the past year. Dr. Ibrahim
Gambari, the UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, who
visited Cyprus last July, coordinated a mechanism for starting an
inter-ethnic dialogue on the everyday life of the two communities and
on substantive issues. Both can facilitate the solution of fundamental
problems hindering a comprehensive settlement. In our opinion, the
international community and all countries working for a settlement
of the Cyprus problem should help Cypriots advance towards these goals.
We believe that steps should be taken to strengthen the leading role
of the UN in resolving the Cyprus problem and the role of the five
permanent member states as the main body of international political
monitoring. We are prepared to contribute to the resumption of the
Good Offices Mission of the UN Secretary General.
We think that the two parties’ striving for settlement should be
encouraged, and we are prepared to carry on a policy of developing
economic relations with the Turkish Cypriot community on condition of
compliance with the principles of international law and UN resolutions.
-Armenian genocide claims, international commission-
-Can Russia propose ways to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia?
-GRUSHKO:We think direct Armenian-Azerbaijani contacts must be resumed
to bring about a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.
In our opinion, the recent meetings between foreign ministers were both
productive and instructive, and paved the way to solving outstanding
problems.
Russia and its partners from the OSCE Minsk Group think it crucial to
continue to discuss the positive achievements made in the Karabakh
settlement since mid-2005. We support the initiative of formalizing
the coordinated settlement principles by signing a relevant document.
As for Turkish-Armenian relations, we are confident that their
improvement could contribute to greater stability in the region. We
know that Armenian and Turkish leaders have been communicating, and
think that bilateral consultations at different levels, including a
top one, will facilitate the search for reasonable compromises.
In our opinion, the parties should agree to jointly address issues
related to the genocide. Russia’s position on the issue is well known:
relations today must not be made hostage to history. The adoption
of a relevant law in the French parliament has provoked a wave of
indignation in the Turkish community. A reply wave of anti-Armenian
sentiments would hinder the normalization of relations between Turkey
and Armenia. We think that the implementation of the initiative on
setting up an international commission of historians, in one form or
another, could be beneficial.
– The Chechen issue had at one time been a negative impact on
Turkish-Russian relations. Has the situation changed?
-GRUSHKO: We respect the balanced approach of the Turkish officials
to the issue of combating terrorists and separatists in the North
Caucasus, which is particularly painful to us. We welcome measures,
taken in the last years, to stop the operation of self-proclaimed
"representatives of Ichkeria" in Turkey, and hope that Ankara will
respect our antiterrorist concerns. Double standards must not be
allowed in our common fight against international terrorism.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress