Erdogan: We Have Been Maintaining Our Preparatory Efforts For Our E.U. Membership Process

1/29/2005
Turkish Press
Anadolu Agency

DAVOS (AA) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, ''we have been maintaining our preparatory efforts for our EU membership process. Also, efforts have been under way to form the legal infrastructure for the Ankara Agreement. We are in favor of solution.''

Prime Minister Erdogan, who is currently in Davos town of Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum, held a news conference.

Upon a question about so-called Armenian genocide, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''our official position is clear. According to our point of view, not politicians but historians should deal with such issues. As the Republic of Turkey, we have opened air corridor with Armenia, and also initiated trade. There are 30 thousand citizens of Armenian origin in Turkey. They do not have such problems.''

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BREAKING INTO A MAN'S WORLD

Jan 27th 2005
The Economist

TURKISH industry is dominated by two vast family businesses, both of which have recently handed over their top jobs to a new generation of 40-somethings. The Europeanised Koc group passed the reins to Mustafa Koc, the eldest of the chairman's three sons, in 2003. But before Sakip Sabanci died last year, he let it be known that he wanted neither of his two brothers nor any of their numerous male offspring to succeed him as head of the far more traditional Sabanci family business. Rather, he chose his niece, Guler. It was a choice that he had been hinting at for at least a decade.

Running a sprawling conglomerate with annual sales of $12 billion and interests ranging from banking to cars, and from energy to food, is a challenging task that comes at a particularly challenging time. In December, EU leaders finally agreed to begin accession talks with Turkey on October 3rd this year.

Behind her unconventional lifestyle--she lives alone and mixes with painters and popstars--lies a tough, conservative businesswoman who takes only carefully calculated risks; one reason, say her business associates, why her uncle anointed her as his successor. Some of her male cousins were so offended that one of them, Demir Sabanci, is rumoured to have sold all his shares in the company last month, because he could not stomach being bossed by a woman.

Her toughness came to the fore recently when she withstood pressure from the state to fire Halil Berktay, an eminent Ottoman historian at the university. He had dared to suggest that Turkey's Armenian minority may have been slaughtered in large numbers by Ottoman forces during the first world war.

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Turkey begins self reflection over Armenia

Jan 21, 2005
Yahoo News

ISTANBUL (AFP) - While an exhibition in Istanbul devoted to the daily life of the Armenians in Anatolia at the start of the 20th century is breaking attendance records, Turkish society is beginning to reflect on the Armenian question, erased from official history for the past 90 years.

"In Turkey, history has always been taught about one people -- the Turks, as if there had never been any other people on the territory. When we speak of Armenians, they are not described as an integral group of society but as a source of problems," explained Osman Koker, exhibition director.

"It's to fill this void, because I have an 11-year-old daughter who is getting this kind of education at school, that I have decided to publish a book and put on this exhibition," said Koker, an historian turned editor.

"Without this realisation, it will remain impossible to discuss the events of 1915," he said, referring to the Armenian massacres committed between 1915 and 1917 by the Ottoman armies.

Several state-subsidised organisations continue to conduct research aimed at showing that if there was a genocide, it was more likely committed by Armenians against the Turks.

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Master of Kurdish dengbêjs Karapetê Xaço passes away

17/01/2005
KurdishMedia.com
By Brusk Chiwir Reshvan

Ottawa - Canada (KurdishMedia.com) 17 January 2004: Kurdish people lost their influential living Dengbêj Karapetê Xaço on January 15, 2005 in his village Yerevan, Armenia.

Karapetê Xaço was born in Bileyder (Beshiri) in the city of Batman in northern Kurdistan [now part of Turkey], in 1902. He lost his entire family in the Armenian Genocide in 1915 but was luckily rescued and raised by a Kurdish family.

In his funeral, his son Seyrosh Karapet said “although my father was of Armenian origin, he felt closer to the Kurds, and for this reason he served Kurdish music as a dengbêj. He always felt deeply the grief and sorrow of the Kurdish people who have long suffered at least as much as the Armenian people and wanted to express this pain with Kurdish kilams”.

Karapetê Xaço worked for Yerevan radio for many years. During these years his voice reached the hearts of each and every Kurd all over Kurdistan. It is hard to imagine a single Kurd who hasn’t been captivated by his “kilams”.

Karapetê Xaço was not only a great dengbêj but also a bridge of brotherhood between the Kurdish and Armenia peoples.

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Cooperation With Russia

1/13/2005
Turkish Press
BY SAMI KOHEN

MILLIYET- Leaders’ official visits to other countries rarely yield concrete, immediate results. Taking certain decisions to strengthen economic ties and opening a Turkish Trade Center in the middle of Moscow are among the positive results of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit this week to Russia. The actual successes of the visit are the steps taken towards strategic partnership.

Putin’s statements on Armenia signal possible strategic cooperation between Ankara and Moscow on regional problems. Concerning the Upper Karabagh issue, Putin said that Russia might serve as a mediator and even a guarantor and that he would help Turkey to forge friendly relations with Armenia. Ankara has stipulated up to now that firstly Yerevan should withdraw from the Azerbaijani territory it’s occupying and solve its disputes with Baku in order for Turkey to normalize its relations with Armenia. The reasons for this stance can be understood easily. However, Turkey was unable to play a mediator role because of this. Now Russia seems ready to step in. However, if Turkey can establish a good dialogue with Yerevan, it can help create a consensus between the parties and push claims of a so-called Armenian genocide from the agenda. Now the Armenian diaspora is about to try to take the initiative over the 90th anniversary of the ‘genocide.’ It’s time for Ankara to step forward now with a bold stance. This can be done in cooperation with Russia, in light of Putin’s statements.


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Armenian 'genocide': Probe sought

Wednesday 12 January 2005
Aljazeera

"I think we historians, Turkish, American, French, British and Armenian, must come together and form a commission to investigate this issue objectively," Yusuf Halacoglu, head of the Turkish Historical Society, said on Wednesday.

Halacoglu said the commission would ideally work under the auspices of the United Nations or another international body to help ensure impartiality and to encourage all states concerned to open up their archives to the panel.

He was due to discuss his research on the period on Wednesday with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and said he hoped for official Turkish backing for a commission.

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Erdogan And Putin Get Together With Turkish Businessmen

1/12/2005
Anadolu Agency

MOSCOW (AA) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that a political will exists in Turkey and Russia to make mutual investments. ''Such investments could not have been imagined 10-15 years ago,'' said Erdogan.

Asked about what he thinks on the Karabagh issue, Putin said that neighborly relations between Russia-Armenia, Turkey-Armenia and Azerbaijan-Armenia should be developed. ''We are all aware about the historical problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Russia will contribute to the peace process,'' he indicated.

Erdogan also expressed that Armenia must be positive in its approach to find a solution. ''Turkey's policy is based to find a lasting solution. If Armenia claims that it does not recognize the Kars Agreement, this would be a negative approach. The Ataturk Airport in Istanbul has been made available for Armenian passenger flights. We do not want negative relations with any of our neighbors, including Armenia. We will open our border with Armenia for trade once we witness a positive approach from Armenia,'' stressed Erdogan.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.