'Never predict, especially for the future'

January 2, 2006
Turkish Daily News
YÜKSEL SÖYLEMEZ

My predictions for 2006, with an error margin of 50 percent, are as follows:
[...]
-- Turkey's intent on normalizing relations with its neighbor Armenia will continue to be hostage to the Nagorno–Karabakh tragedy and purported claims of “genocide.” The opening of the common border may still be wishful thinking. Popular charter flights from Istanbul to Yerevan will continue.
[...]
-- Turkey-France relations, in spite of Chirac's far-sighted statesmanlike support, were overshadowed by the negative Sarkozy effect and the Armenian diaspora influence in France. There is no new initiative in sight for breaking the ice.

-- Turkey-Russia relations entered a new, positive and historic chapter with bilateral trade reaching $10 billion in 2005, expected to climb to $20 billion with Russian investment in the energy sector and the possible building of a nuclear power plant following President Putin's visits to Prime Minister Erdoğan.
[...]

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.