Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ANKARA: Foreign Policy Architect Warns US On Armenia Move

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ANKARA: Foreign Policy Architect Warns US On Armenia Move

    FOREIGN POLICY ARCHITECT WARNS US ON ARMENIA MOVE

    Today's Zaman
    Oct 30 2008
    Turkey

    The chief foreign policy advisor of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
    has warned the future US administration against endorsing Armenian
    claims of genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, saying this
    could hurt a recent thawing of Turkish-Armenian relations and torpedo
    relations with the United States.

    Ahmet Davutoglu, seen as the major architect of the foreign policies
    of Erdogan's government, said in Washington that the US should avoid
    "offending" Turkey to ensure that the reconciliation process with
    Armenia will continue. "A step in the wrong direction will pose a risk
    not only to the Turkish-American strategic cooperation but also to
    Turkey's efforts to reach out to Armenia," Davutoglu told reporters
    late on Tuesday after a series of talks with US officials.

    The Democratic candidate for US president, Senator Barack Obama,
    has made firm pledges to the Armenian-American voters that he will
    recognize the allegations of genocide and support a congressional
    resolution endorsing the claims. One of the biggest Armenian groups in
    the United States, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA),
    announced last week that it formally endorsed Obama for US president
    because of his commitment to Armenians.

    Turkey has repeatedly warned in the past that US recognition of the
    genocide claims could have an irreversible impact on Turkish-US ties,
    newly recovering from a crisis over Iraq. Most Turks favor Obama
    over his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, who has been far
    less receptive to Armenian demands during his election campaign so
    far, but there are concerns over the prospects that the Democratic
    candidate might keep his promise to the Armenian voters if elected.

    Davutoglu said the issue has the potential to generate a crisis in
    US ties no matter who turns out to be the winner of US elections on
    Nov. 4. "If the goal is improvement in Turkish-Armenian relations,
    everyone should avoid steps that would offend Turkey," said Davutoglu
    in response to a question on concerns over Obama's pledges to
    Armenians. "We have been sharing these thoughts with officials in
    the United States. I am not saying, 'We said this to Obama.' It is
    important that the new administration know about this."

    President Abdullah Gul broke a taboo when he visited Armenia in
    September to watch a soccer game between national teams of the
    two countries. Talks between officials of the two countries, which
    have no formal ties since 1993, are under way on normalization of
    relations. Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said this
    week that the two countries could announce "extraordinary decisions"
    at any time, emphasizing that there was no real barrier to efforts
    to normalize ties.

    Davutoglu echoed Nalbandian's remarks in a speech at a conference
    earlier that day. "We want to have the best relations with
    Armenia. ... We don't see Armenia as a threat or enemy," said
    Davutoglu. Davutoglu, praised at the conference by former US Ambassador
    to Turkey Mark Parris as "Turkey's Henry Kissinger," has advocated
    active and self-confident diplomacy to boost Turkey's influence in the
    Middle East, the Caucasus and the Balkans since the ruling Justice and
    Development Party (AK Party) first came to power in 2002. He is behind
    widely acknowledged steps such as the Turkish-mediated talks between
    Syria and Israel as well as a controversial invitation extended to
    a Hamas leader in exile to visit Turkey, a move bitterly criticized
    by the United States and Israel.

    Despite concerns over the Armenian issue and challenges stemming from
    an international row over Iran's nuclear program, Davutoglu predicted a
    "success story" in Turkish-US ties in the coming term no matter who
    is elected to the White House. "The new president will be the best
    friend of Turkey. The accomplishments Turkey has achieved in foreign
    policy will be an asset for the United States too," he added.

    In Washington Davutoglu had talks with aides of both Obama and
    McCain. He also met President George W. Bush's National Security
    Advisor Stephen Hadley, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near
    Eastern Affairs David Welch, Assistant Secretary of State for European
    Affairs Daniel Fried, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European
    and Eurasian Affairs Matthew J. Bryza, Undersecretary of Defense for
    Policy Eric Edelman and Jim Jeffrey, who has been recently appointed
    the new US ambassador to Turkey.
Working...
X