An Armenian-Turkish-American friend
Sunday, October 9, 2005
Turkish Daily News
Editorial by Yusuf KANLI
[...] days after we went through the Armenian conference excitement last month, I received a call from Kaan Soyak, chairman of the Turkish-Armenian Business Council. Kaan {is} an Armenian Turk [...]. Over the past decade I have at times helped him in his efforts, but mostly he helped me in my drive to forge some communication between Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists as well as other professional groups.
[...] . I have a very important guest from the United States: A Turkish-Armenian-American man of religion. I will be accompanying him for some talks with some prominent people down there {Ankara}. Politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen… you know.” Kaan said.[...] .
[...]
It was great getting to know the Reverend Father Papken Anoushian from St. Thomas Church in New Jersey and listen to his views about the importance of social contact in promoting relations between the Turkish and Armenian peoples and trying to seek a common future together rather than letting what has happened or has not happened at a certain point in the common history of the two peoples bury us in a futile dead end.
[...]
He listened silently to my explanations of how we came to the brink of opening the border and establishing a land and rail link between Turkey and Central Asia through Armenia but every time -- either because of unfortunate Armenian resolutions in the French parliament and the European Parliament and elsewhere -- all such efforts were dashed by Armenian extremists. [...].
We underlined as well the need for some openings from Yerevan that would enable the government in Ankara to take some courageous steps towards Armenia. [...].
Father Anoushian will be back in Turkey next year as well. Next time, he said, he hoped he would be accompanied by some 50 or more people from his community in New Jersey.
Dink sentencing:
[...]
He was convicted of urging diaspora Armenians in a series of 2004 articles to get rid of the "poisoning effect" of their history in Turkey and focus on the welfare of Armenia, said Karin Karakasli, an editor at the newspaper. She said the court took the article out of context, saying it meant that Turkish blood is poison.
[...] isn't it awkward to “misinterpret” and sentence a journalist under a law that is irrelevant, anyhow, to the road we have undertaken towards EU membership?
The sentencing of Dink [...] underlines the pressing need to continue with democratization in this country. We have to change not only these laws, but the mindset as well.
We want a self-confident Turkey at peace with itself, at peace with its neighbors and which is democratic and secular and has supremacy of law, freedom of expression and freedom of belief.
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.
Turkish Daily News
Editorial by Yusuf KANLI
[...] days after we went through the Armenian conference excitement last month, I received a call from Kaan Soyak, chairman of the Turkish-Armenian Business Council. Kaan {is} an Armenian Turk [...]. Over the past decade I have at times helped him in his efforts, but mostly he helped me in my drive to forge some communication between Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists as well as other professional groups.
[...] . I have a very important guest from the United States: A Turkish-Armenian-American man of religion. I will be accompanying him for some talks with some prominent people down there {Ankara}. Politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen… you know.” Kaan said.[...] .
[...]
It was great getting to know the Reverend Father Papken Anoushian from St. Thomas Church in New Jersey and listen to his views about the importance of social contact in promoting relations between the Turkish and Armenian peoples and trying to seek a common future together rather than letting what has happened or has not happened at a certain point in the common history of the two peoples bury us in a futile dead end.
[...]
He listened silently to my explanations of how we came to the brink of opening the border and establishing a land and rail link between Turkey and Central Asia through Armenia but every time -- either because of unfortunate Armenian resolutions in the French parliament and the European Parliament and elsewhere -- all such efforts were dashed by Armenian extremists. [...].
We underlined as well the need for some openings from Yerevan that would enable the government in Ankara to take some courageous steps towards Armenia. [...].
Father Anoushian will be back in Turkey next year as well. Next time, he said, he hoped he would be accompanied by some 50 or more people from his community in New Jersey.
Dink sentencing:
[...]
He was convicted of urging diaspora Armenians in a series of 2004 articles to get rid of the "poisoning effect" of their history in Turkey and focus on the welfare of Armenia, said Karin Karakasli, an editor at the newspaper. She said the court took the article out of context, saying it meant that Turkish blood is poison.
[...] isn't it awkward to “misinterpret” and sentence a journalist under a law that is irrelevant, anyhow, to the road we have undertaken towards EU membership?
The sentencing of Dink [...] underlines the pressing need to continue with democratization in this country. We have to change not only these laws, but the mindset as well.
We want a self-confident Turkey at peace with itself, at peace with its neighbors and which is democratic and secular and has supremacy of law, freedom of expression and freedom of belief.
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.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 8:48 AM
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