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RESOLUTIONS HIGHLIGHTS FADING TURKISH INFLUENCE IN WASHINGTON
Today's Zaman (Turkey)
April 27, 2014 Sunday
There are currently nine resolutions pending in the us Congress on
issues concerning Turkey. Three urge Turkey to recognize the "Armenian
genocide," one calls on the country to lift its restrictions on social
media, and another seeks the return of "stolen" Christian property
in Anatolia.
"There has never been such a time in Turkish-American relations," an
expert on the subject who asked not to be named told sunday's Zaman,
referring to the unusually high number of Turkey-related resolutions
in the us Congress.
The expert said the resolutions are another sign of Turkey's diminished
influence in the us capital, the result of Turkey's recent policies.
The expert said that the us thinks of its current relations with
Turkey as "transactional," characterizing that approach as follows:
"We will talk about our needs, [but] when something that is not in
line with universal values happens in Turkey, we will express our
opinions about it."
Washington has been particularly critical of Turkey tightening its
grip on the country's judiciary and its restrictions on social media.
The us senate Foreign Relations Committee recently passed a resolution
commemorating the "Armenian genocide," clearing the way for the
resolution to be voted on in the senate.
A senior diplomat told sunday's Zaman that if the Armenian resolution
comes to the senate floor, it will be adopted, "without a doubt."
"Turkey has no weight in Washington. Not anymore," said the diplomat,
who asked not to be named. It will be the decision of senate majority
leader Harry Reid whether to put the resolution onto the senate
calendar. Reid is one of the co-sponsors of the resolution, and he
seems inclined to bring it to the floor, according to the expert.
"It is about where the country (Turkey) goes," a staffer working for
an influential congressman told sunday's Zaman. The staffer, who asked
also asked to remain anonymous, said even with the existence of a
strong Turkey caucus working hard to protect the country's interests,
Turkey's limits on freedom of expression and freedom of the press
seem unjustifiable.
Another congressional staffer told sunday's Zaman that she doesn't
expect any of the resolutions to come up for debate soon, adding that
lawmakers have other priorities and nothing is moving at the moment
in Congress, as the focus is on the National Defense Authorization
Act to be discussed next month.
The expert on Turkish-American relations told sunday's Zaman that he
found Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoGan's statement on the
events of 1915 "cynical," adding that had the statement come three
months ago, it would have had a more positive effect. Now it seems
like an attempt to stop the genocide resolutions from being adopted
in the us Congress.
"It seems that you [Turkey] want to get along with the us, signaling
normalizing relations with Israel, convincing the West about
your sincerity to push the Cyprus issue forward and moving toward
normalizing relations with Armenia with ErdoGan's recent statement
on the 1915 events. You can't say you don't care what the outside
world thinks. But, in domestic politics, the rhetoric that the us
and Israel are enemies plotting against Turkey seems to work."
ErdoGan issued a statement on the events of 1915 on the eve of their
99th anniversary, extending Turkey's condolences to the Armenian
community. He said the events of the World War I era are "our shared"
pain and noted that the deportation of the Armenians had "inhumane
consequences."
The resolutions
House Resolution 187 expresses "the us' commitment to the reunification
of the Republic of Cyprus and the establishment of a unified government
on Cyprus that guarantees the human rights of all Cypriots and condemns
any attempt to use the current economic crisis as a means of imposing
a settlement on the people of Cyprus, and for other purposes." It
has 17 co-sponsors.
House Resolution 188 calls on "the Government of Turkey to facilitate
the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological school of
Halki without condition or further delay." Established in 1844 on the
island of Heybeliada off Istanbul, Halki seminary was closed in 1971
under a law that placed religious and military training under state
control. The Eu and us frequently criticize Turkey for not reopening
the Halki seminary. The resolution has 37 co-sponsors.
House Resolution 136 "calls on Turkey to eliminate all forms of
discrimination, particularly those based on race or religion,
and immediately ... grant the Ecumenical Patriarch appropriate
international recognition and ecclesiastic succession." Ankara does
not recognize the ecumenical status of the patriarch of the Greek
Orthodox Church in Turkey. The resolution has 18 co-sponsors.
House Resolution 227 calls on "the us President to work toward
equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations
based upon the Republic of Turkey's full acknowledgment of the facts
and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just,
and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against
humanity."
House Resolution 308 "supports the resumption of discussions to find a
just and viable settlement [to the Cyprus issue] based on a bi-zonal,
bi-communal federation ... and supports the important partnership
between the Republic of Cyprus and Israel." Peace talks on the island
resumed in February, with intense efforts by Turkey and the us.
House Resolution 4347 would require the us secretary of state
"to provide an annual report to Congress regarding us government
efforts to survey and secure the return, protection, and restoration
of stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian properties
in the Republic of Turkey and ... Northern Cyprus."
House Resolution 532 "calls on Government of Turkey to allow free
expression and Internet freedom. senate Resolution 403 condemns the
actions of Turkey in restricting free expression and Internet freedom
on social media.
senate Resolution 410 says "... the President should ensure that u.s.
foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, crimes against humanity,
ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the u.s. record relating
to the Armenian Genocide."
From: Baghdasarian
Today's Zaman (Turkey)
April 27, 2014 Sunday
There are currently nine resolutions pending in the us Congress on
issues concerning Turkey. Three urge Turkey to recognize the "Armenian
genocide," one calls on the country to lift its restrictions on social
media, and another seeks the return of "stolen" Christian property
in Anatolia.
"There has never been such a time in Turkish-American relations," an
expert on the subject who asked not to be named told sunday's Zaman,
referring to the unusually high number of Turkey-related resolutions
in the us Congress.
The expert said the resolutions are another sign of Turkey's diminished
influence in the us capital, the result of Turkey's recent policies.
The expert said that the us thinks of its current relations with
Turkey as "transactional," characterizing that approach as follows:
"We will talk about our needs, [but] when something that is not in
line with universal values happens in Turkey, we will express our
opinions about it."
Washington has been particularly critical of Turkey tightening its
grip on the country's judiciary and its restrictions on social media.
The us senate Foreign Relations Committee recently passed a resolution
commemorating the "Armenian genocide," clearing the way for the
resolution to be voted on in the senate.
A senior diplomat told sunday's Zaman that if the Armenian resolution
comes to the senate floor, it will be adopted, "without a doubt."
"Turkey has no weight in Washington. Not anymore," said the diplomat,
who asked not to be named. It will be the decision of senate majority
leader Harry Reid whether to put the resolution onto the senate
calendar. Reid is one of the co-sponsors of the resolution, and he
seems inclined to bring it to the floor, according to the expert.
"It is about where the country (Turkey) goes," a staffer working for
an influential congressman told sunday's Zaman. The staffer, who asked
also asked to remain anonymous, said even with the existence of a
strong Turkey caucus working hard to protect the country's interests,
Turkey's limits on freedom of expression and freedom of the press
seem unjustifiable.
Another congressional staffer told sunday's Zaman that she doesn't
expect any of the resolutions to come up for debate soon, adding that
lawmakers have other priorities and nothing is moving at the moment
in Congress, as the focus is on the National Defense Authorization
Act to be discussed next month.
The expert on Turkish-American relations told sunday's Zaman that he
found Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoGan's statement on the
events of 1915 "cynical," adding that had the statement come three
months ago, it would have had a more positive effect. Now it seems
like an attempt to stop the genocide resolutions from being adopted
in the us Congress.
"It seems that you [Turkey] want to get along with the us, signaling
normalizing relations with Israel, convincing the West about
your sincerity to push the Cyprus issue forward and moving toward
normalizing relations with Armenia with ErdoGan's recent statement
on the 1915 events. You can't say you don't care what the outside
world thinks. But, in domestic politics, the rhetoric that the us
and Israel are enemies plotting against Turkey seems to work."
ErdoGan issued a statement on the events of 1915 on the eve of their
99th anniversary, extending Turkey's condolences to the Armenian
community. He said the events of the World War I era are "our shared"
pain and noted that the deportation of the Armenians had "inhumane
consequences."
The resolutions
House Resolution 187 expresses "the us' commitment to the reunification
of the Republic of Cyprus and the establishment of a unified government
on Cyprus that guarantees the human rights of all Cypriots and condemns
any attempt to use the current economic crisis as a means of imposing
a settlement on the people of Cyprus, and for other purposes." It
has 17 co-sponsors.
House Resolution 188 calls on "the Government of Turkey to facilitate
the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological school of
Halki without condition or further delay." Established in 1844 on the
island of Heybeliada off Istanbul, Halki seminary was closed in 1971
under a law that placed religious and military training under state
control. The Eu and us frequently criticize Turkey for not reopening
the Halki seminary. The resolution has 37 co-sponsors.
House Resolution 136 "calls on Turkey to eliminate all forms of
discrimination, particularly those based on race or religion,
and immediately ... grant the Ecumenical Patriarch appropriate
international recognition and ecclesiastic succession." Ankara does
not recognize the ecumenical status of the patriarch of the Greek
Orthodox Church in Turkey. The resolution has 18 co-sponsors.
House Resolution 227 calls on "the us President to work toward
equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations
based upon the Republic of Turkey's full acknowledgment of the facts
and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just,
and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against
humanity."
House Resolution 308 "supports the resumption of discussions to find a
just and viable settlement [to the Cyprus issue] based on a bi-zonal,
bi-communal federation ... and supports the important partnership
between the Republic of Cyprus and Israel." Peace talks on the island
resumed in February, with intense efforts by Turkey and the us.
House Resolution 4347 would require the us secretary of state
"to provide an annual report to Congress regarding us government
efforts to survey and secure the return, protection, and restoration
of stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian properties
in the Republic of Turkey and ... Northern Cyprus."
House Resolution 532 "calls on Government of Turkey to allow free
expression and Internet freedom. senate Resolution 403 condemns the
actions of Turkey in restricting free expression and Internet freedom
on social media.
senate Resolution 410 says "... the President should ensure that u.s.
foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, crimes against humanity,
ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the u.s. record relating
to the Armenian Genocide."
From: Baghdasarian