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ANKARA: Yerevan visit to boost Turkey's image

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  • ANKARA: Yerevan visit to boost Turkey's image

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    Sept 6 2008


    Yerevan visit to boost Turkey's image


    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an has expressed satisfaction
    over President Abdullah Gül's acceptance of an invitation from
    his Armenian counterpart to watch a World Cup qualifying soccer match
    between the Turkish and Armenian national teams in Yerevan.


    "President Gül's decision to accept or reject an invitation
    from Armenia will have a considerable impact on the improvement or
    deterioration of Turkey's image in the international arena. If he had
    declined to go to Yerevan, everyone would have criticized Turkey for
    refusing to improve ties with Armenia. If Armenia had ulterior motives
    when inviting Gül to the soccer game, then Gül spoiled
    their plan by accepting the invitation," stated ErdoÄ?an, who
    spoke to reporters on a plane en route to Ankara from
    Damascus. ErdoÄ?an was in Syria on Thursday to attend a
    quadripartite summit in Damascus with French, Syrian and Qatari
    leaders, who convened to discuss Lebanon and the situation in the
    Middle East. ErdoÄ?an stressed that Gül's visit to
    Yerevan will be an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen peace plans
    in the Caucasus.

    "If the first dimension of Gül's planned visit to Armenia is to
    improve ties with this country, the second dimension is the Caucasus
    platform [a regional stability and cooperation platform proposed by
    ErdoÄ?an to resolve crises in the Caucasus]," he noted.

    ErdoÄ?an had proposed a regional alliance in the Caucasus in
    which the UN would also be involved soon after an armed conflict
    erupted between Russia and Georgia in early August. The aim of the
    platform is to preserve peace and common security and further
    cooperation in the areas of economy and energy among countries in the
    Caucasus. The platform will also include crisis management mechanisms
    based on principles of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
    in Europe (OSCE) and play a key role in preventing similar clashes in
    the region in the future.

    "I will send the foreign minister [Ali Babacan] to Armenia as well. He
    will discuss the Caucasus platform with his Armenian counterpart after
    the soccer match and see what he thinks about the platform.

    Gül will also discuss it with Armenian President Serzh
    Sarksyan," stated ErdoÄ?an.

    Asked what he thinks about main opposition Republican People's Party
    (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal's tough stance against Gül's visit to
    Yerevan, ErdoÄ?an said Gül will not organize his agenda
    in accordance with Baykal's reactions

    Baykal voiced harsh criticism of the visit on Thursday and proposed
    that Gül lay a wreath at the Armenian genocide memorial.

    ErdoÄ?an also spoke to reporters about his visit to
    Syria. Underlining that Turkey is considered a country of significant
    importance in the Middle East, he noted that Ankara received praise
    for its efforts to broker peace talks between Syria and Israel during
    his visit to Damascus.

    "Countries in the Middle East trust us. We have long been acting as a
    mediator in the region. Many see Turkey as a country with a great role
    in the Middle East," he noted.

    When asked about a visit by a member of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)
    to two suspects in the Ergenekon terrorist organization case,
    ErdoÄ?an replied that though the visit may have positive and
    negative impacts on the military, he considered it a courtesy visit.

    Lt. Gen. Galip Mendi paid a visit on Wednesday to Kandıra
    Prison inmates Å?ener Eruygur and HurÅ?it Tolon, who have
    been under arrest since July for alleged involvement in the Ergenekon
    terrorist organization, which is accused of orchestrating various
    murders and attacks with the intention of creating chaos that would
    trigger a coup. The visit brought up the question of whether the
    military is readying to intervene in the Ergenekon case.

    Another topic ErdoÄ?an focused on was Turkey's fight against
    terrorist organizations and illegal formations.

    "We will have a terrorism summit next week. We will discuss how we may
    improve our fight against terrorist organizations. We will discuss
    measures to prevent our youth from going to the mountains to join the
    outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK]. Our aim is to distance our
    public from terrorist formations. We see that many young people are
    still joining the PKK. We need to prevent this," he said.

    ErdoÄ?an also said the new push in the Southeastern Anatolia
    Project (GAP) project, which includes a pledge to invest $12 billion
    in the region over the next five years, will be a great step in
    weakening terrorism in the region.

    "We have accelerated investments in eastern and southeastern regions
    to create job opportunities for people there. Our objective is to
    ensure reconciliation between people and the state," he stated.

    People don't trust leftist leaders

    Reminded of a recent opinion poll which revealed that people don't
    trust leaders of leftist parties, ErdoÄ?an said people will give
    the best answer at the ballot box.

    A survey conducted by the Ankara-based MetroPOLL Strategic & Social
    Research Center from Aug. 29-31 showed only 4.2 percent of the
    respondents trust CHP leader Baykal and 1.1 trust Democratic Left
    Party (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer. Almost 52 percent of those polled said
    they trusted ErdoÄ?an the most.

    "It is obvious that the Justice and Development Party [AK Party] is
    the strongest party of Turkey. Approaching local elections will be a
    good example to prove this. Our public will give the best answer to
    anti-democratic initiatives [referring to a closure case opened
    against his party] at the ballot box. Legitimacy is based on people in
    democracies. Neither me nor my friends believe our party became the
    focal point of anti-secular activities," he stated.

    ErdoÄ?an also emphasized Ankara's commitment to the proper
    implementation of the 1936 Montreux Convention, which governs passage
    through the Turkish Straits.

    The government became the center of harsh criticism from the
    opposition after Turkey allowed NATO ships headed for routine
    exercises in the Black Sea and US Navy ships carrying humanitarian aid
    to Georgians to pass through the straits. Opposition parties claimed
    the tonnage of the ships was over the limit set by the Montreux
    Convention.

    "Over country implemented the said convention with diligence and
    objectivity. The tonnage of the ships did not exceed limits set by the
    convention. There are suggestions from different countries to amend
    certain provisions of the Montreux Convention, but we find these
    suggestions completely unnecessary," he said.

    He also hailed Turkey's cooperation with Russia in various areas. "We
    purchase nearly two-thirds of our energy needs from Russia. It is our
    number one partner in commercial affairs. It also occupies the first
    rank in Turkish tourism. It is a strategic neighbor of Turkey. Our
    allies should view our close relations with Russia from this
    perspective," he remarked.

    ErdoÄ?an also said Turkish athletes' disappointing performances
    at the Beijing Olympics have impelled the government to take action.

    "We will do whatever is necessary to be successful at the next
    Olympics. We need to have good results in swimming as our country is
    surrounded by three seas. We also need to have higher performance in
    basketball," he added.

    06 September 2008, Saturday
    MUSTAFA Ã`NAL, DAMASCUS, ANKARA

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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