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TURKEY'S TRANSFORMATION INEVITABLE, BUT ANTI-CHRISTIAN AND ULTRANATIONALIST MOOD GAIN FORCE.
Prof.Dr. Ruben Safrastyan
International Analyst Network, NY
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id =1391
Dec 13 2007
Turkey's transformation inevitable, but Anti-Christian and
ultranationalist mood gain force.
"As result of European integration process, Kemalism stopped being
perceived as the official ideology of the Turkish state," Director
of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA Academy of Sciences,
Professor Ruben Safrastyan said during round-table discussions titled
"Turkey after presidential elections: constitutional changes and
internal transformations." He reminded that Kemalism used to base
on solidity of the Turkish state. But recently, according to him,
a European survey showed that 37-38% of Turkish population believes
not to be Turks. "Presently, old and new elites (Kemalists and AKP)
put up struggle. The main factor of this opposition is the revised
Constitution that will be for the first time publicly discussed after
official promulgation December 15," prof. Safrastyan said.
Since 1999, Turkey has been experiencing transformation of public,
political and social life of the population, Professor Ruben Safrastyan
said. These changes are inevitable, according to him.
"Civil society is being formed in Turkey. Independent NGOs
are established as result of close cooperation with European
organizations. A non-governmental organization is an absolutely
new phenomenon for Turkey. Private capital finds place in science
and education. Women's movement, which unites dozens of thousand of
women who suffered from Islamic family laws, is gaining force. And the
most important factor is the restriction of the military power. The
national security council had to restrain activities and this is an
advance for Turkey. Ranking the 17th with the GDP index, the state
becomes more economically open," he said.
Prof. Safrastyan noted that all this became possible due to activities
of the new middle class, which formed the Justice and Development
Party (AKP). "Appearance of AKP is a natural phenomenon of political
history of Turkey, which combines the concept of 'mild' Islam and
market economy. Certainly, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is
the symbol of this transformation," he stressed.
In the same time, Anti-Christian and ultranationalist mood gain force
in Turkey. This showed up in the killing of Hrant Dink and Catholic
priests. It's not accidental that nationalist NMP came third at the
2007 parliamentary elections," prof. Ruben Safrastyan said.
"The Armenian issue has again caused Turkey's headache, for the
Armenian Genocide recognition affects the core of Turkish identity.
Turkey eyes Armenia's renunciation of the Genocide recognition
as the only way to normalize relations. The rest is a political
game. If Armenia makes concessions on the issue, Turkey can even
arrive at a favorable decision on the Karabakh conflict," Professor
Ruben Safrastyan said during discussions, touching the problem of
Turkish-Armenian relations.
Prof.Dr. Ruben Safrastyan
International Analyst Network, NY
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id =1391
Dec 13 2007
Turkey's transformation inevitable, but Anti-Christian and
ultranationalist mood gain force.
"As result of European integration process, Kemalism stopped being
perceived as the official ideology of the Turkish state," Director
of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA Academy of Sciences,
Professor Ruben Safrastyan said during round-table discussions titled
"Turkey after presidential elections: constitutional changes and
internal transformations." He reminded that Kemalism used to base
on solidity of the Turkish state. But recently, according to him,
a European survey showed that 37-38% of Turkish population believes
not to be Turks. "Presently, old and new elites (Kemalists and AKP)
put up struggle. The main factor of this opposition is the revised
Constitution that will be for the first time publicly discussed after
official promulgation December 15," prof. Safrastyan said.
Since 1999, Turkey has been experiencing transformation of public,
political and social life of the population, Professor Ruben Safrastyan
said. These changes are inevitable, according to him.
"Civil society is being formed in Turkey. Independent NGOs
are established as result of close cooperation with European
organizations. A non-governmental organization is an absolutely
new phenomenon for Turkey. Private capital finds place in science
and education. Women's movement, which unites dozens of thousand of
women who suffered from Islamic family laws, is gaining force. And the
most important factor is the restriction of the military power. The
national security council had to restrain activities and this is an
advance for Turkey. Ranking the 17th with the GDP index, the state
becomes more economically open," he said.
Prof. Safrastyan noted that all this became possible due to activities
of the new middle class, which formed the Justice and Development
Party (AKP). "Appearance of AKP is a natural phenomenon of political
history of Turkey, which combines the concept of 'mild' Islam and
market economy. Certainly, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is
the symbol of this transformation," he stressed.
In the same time, Anti-Christian and ultranationalist mood gain force
in Turkey. This showed up in the killing of Hrant Dink and Catholic
priests. It's not accidental that nationalist NMP came third at the
2007 parliamentary elections," prof. Ruben Safrastyan said.
"The Armenian issue has again caused Turkey's headache, for the
Armenian Genocide recognition affects the core of Turkish identity.
Turkey eyes Armenia's renunciation of the Genocide recognition
as the only way to normalize relations. The rest is a political
game. If Armenia makes concessions on the issue, Turkey can even
arrive at a favorable decision on the Karabakh conflict," Professor
Ruben Safrastyan said during discussions, touching the problem of
Turkish-Armenian relations.