Is the Erdogan Government Making Concessions?
Erhan Basyurt e.basyurt@zaman.com.tr
05.07.2005 Saturday - ISTANBUL 02:24
[...]
Even though the EU reform process did not start with the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the reform performance the party has displayed with its "conservative democrat" identity and shuttle diplomacy, has been effective in bringing good results. But, can we call these reforms "concessions"? Of course, we can't. These reforms should be against Turkey's interests in order for them to be referred to as concessions. The reforms, however, are in the areas of human rights, democratization and expansion of freedom, which are for the betterment of the Turkish society. Besides, these criteria are valid for all EU members.
[...]
The letter Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote to President [Robert] Kocharian of Armenia, that Turkey has no diplomatic relations with, is a product of [...] active foreign policy. Erdogan's letter has given Turkey, which has all along rejected the genocide allegations, but could not implement courageous policies, a chance to take a deep breath. [...]. The AKP government opened a diplomatic maneuver area for itself in a manner that even surprised the other party. The support given by the European Council and US President [George W. Bush] to the idea of bringing historians together and establishing a commission, shows that Erdogan's letter is a success for Turkey.
[...]
As a result, the Erdogan government, on traditional crisis issues, does not prefer a policy of no solution, but rather a reconciliatory or pro-solution policy. For this reason, it is impossible to define these policies as "concessions," and it can also be observed that, compared to the past, these kinds of policies even strengthen Ankara's hand, diplomacy-wise.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears on:http://www.zaman.com/?bl=columnists&alt=&trh=20050507&hn=19237Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...].The bold emphasis is mine.
05.07.2005 Saturday - ISTANBUL 02:24
[...]
Even though the EU reform process did not start with the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the reform performance the party has displayed with its "conservative democrat" identity and shuttle diplomacy, has been effective in bringing good results. But, can we call these reforms "concessions"? Of course, we can't. These reforms should be against Turkey's interests in order for them to be referred to as concessions. The reforms, however, are in the areas of human rights, democratization and expansion of freedom, which are for the betterment of the Turkish society. Besides, these criteria are valid for all EU members.
[...]
The letter Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote to President [Robert] Kocharian of Armenia, that Turkey has no diplomatic relations with, is a product of [...] active foreign policy. Erdogan's letter has given Turkey, which has all along rejected the genocide allegations, but could not implement courageous policies, a chance to take a deep breath. [...]. The AKP government opened a diplomatic maneuver area for itself in a manner that even surprised the other party. The support given by the European Council and US President [George W. Bush] to the idea of bringing historians together and establishing a commission, shows that Erdogan's letter is a success for Turkey.
[...]
As a result, the Erdogan government, on traditional crisis issues, does not prefer a policy of no solution, but rather a reconciliatory or pro-solution policy. For this reason, it is impossible to define these policies as "concessions," and it can also be observed that, compared to the past, these kinds of policies even strengthen Ankara's hand, diplomacy-wise.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears on:http://www.zaman.com/?bl=columnists&alt=&trh=20050507&hn=19237Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...].The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 7:30 PM
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