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HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE EXERCISE WITH ARMENIA
Hurriyet Daily News
July 14 2010
Turkey
Turkey will reportedly join in for the first-ever humanitarian aid
drill to be held by NATO in Armenia. Turkish officials will be in the
region of Lori Mar, Armenia at the headquarters from Sept. 11 to 17.
Besides, if needed and requested, the Turkish border will be opened
to vehicles during the drill. Diplomatic sources said this would not
be an official opening of the border and that permission would be
given for humanitarian reasons only.
The military exercise has been planned by the Euro-Atlantic Disasters
Response Coordination Center, or EADRCC, under the NATO umbrella, where
all decisions are based on the unanimity of votes. EADRCC organizes
humanitarian assistance practices in member countries of the European
Atlantic Partnership Council, or EAPC, aiming at cooperation between
neighboring non-member countries.
The Council has prepared a scenario of a devastating earthquake
in Armenia for the drill, titled "Armenia-2010." According to the
scenario, the infrastructure of the country will have been ruined
completely in the aftermath of a large earthquake, based on the one
that took place on Dec. 7, 1988, and 20,000 people will have died.
Hazardous industrial waste will have spilled, in the scenario. The
drill includes rescue, evacuation and the fight with hazardous waste.
The goal is to see how NATO and council members coordinate with each
other. (The Metsamour nuclear plant is located in a region close to
the Turkey-Armenia border. It is one of a few that come to mind when
one mentions hazardous spills.)
So far, 19 countries, including Turkey, are to participate in the
practice. A three-member diplomatic and disaster response team from
each country will join the drill. Although Azerbaijan is a council
member, like Armenia, they are not participating. Georgia, on the
other hand, is pitching in.
According to the initial scheme, supply and evacuation operation in
the Lori region in the north is envisaged via Georgia.
Preparations easing the atmosphere
However, Georgian ports cannot meet assistance delivery needs from
the sea. So, Turkey comes into the picture, as several parts of the
drill have been suggested to take place in the country. The Turkish
Foreign Ministry, keeping a possibility in mind, continues to work
to maintain conditions of transition points, highways in the region,
in order not cause any unnecessary political flaws.
As part of the efforts, as the Office of the Governor in Kars was
asked about the condition of highways, public excitement was created,
and it was perceived as a "border opening," because U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton was paying a visit to Baku and Yerevan in those
days, too. Although the Turkish-Armenian border is not open yet due
to serious political problems, Turkey will allow preparations for
such a humanitarian assistance drill when requested.
Preparations are considered to mellow political tension, although
normalization of bilateral relations, including a border opening, is
in deadlock because of the Upper Karabakh talks. Diplomatic sources
are of the opinion that NATO's earthquake exercise will not have any
impact on the Karabakh talks. However, diplomats also stress that
participation of Turkey and Armenia in the drill might help ease
relations between the two countries.
Clinton visited the Azeri capital of Baku in early July to meet
President İlham Aliyev and then passed to the Armenian capital of
Yerevan to meet President Serj Sargsian. She especially requested
progress from leaders in the Karabakh talks. The Minsk Group, under the
co-chairmen of the United States, Russia and France, is in charge of
the Karabakh talks. However, communication is in a dead lock over how
to end Armenian occupation in seven Azeri regions and in Karabakh and
how to manage withdrawal from seven priority counties in particular.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly said the
deadlock in the Karabakh talks is an obstacle preventing normalization
of Turkish-Armenian relations, which are outlined the protocols signed
between the two countries in the summer of 2009.
* Mr. Murat Yetkin is the Ankara Representative of the daily Radikal,
in which this piece appeared Wednesday. It was translated into English
by the Daily News staff.
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News
July 14 2010
Turkey
Turkey will reportedly join in for the first-ever humanitarian aid
drill to be held by NATO in Armenia. Turkish officials will be in the
region of Lori Mar, Armenia at the headquarters from Sept. 11 to 17.
Besides, if needed and requested, the Turkish border will be opened
to vehicles during the drill. Diplomatic sources said this would not
be an official opening of the border and that permission would be
given for humanitarian reasons only.
The military exercise has been planned by the Euro-Atlantic Disasters
Response Coordination Center, or EADRCC, under the NATO umbrella, where
all decisions are based on the unanimity of votes. EADRCC organizes
humanitarian assistance practices in member countries of the European
Atlantic Partnership Council, or EAPC, aiming at cooperation between
neighboring non-member countries.
The Council has prepared a scenario of a devastating earthquake
in Armenia for the drill, titled "Armenia-2010." According to the
scenario, the infrastructure of the country will have been ruined
completely in the aftermath of a large earthquake, based on the one
that took place on Dec. 7, 1988, and 20,000 people will have died.
Hazardous industrial waste will have spilled, in the scenario. The
drill includes rescue, evacuation and the fight with hazardous waste.
The goal is to see how NATO and council members coordinate with each
other. (The Metsamour nuclear plant is located in a region close to
the Turkey-Armenia border. It is one of a few that come to mind when
one mentions hazardous spills.)
So far, 19 countries, including Turkey, are to participate in the
practice. A three-member diplomatic and disaster response team from
each country will join the drill. Although Azerbaijan is a council
member, like Armenia, they are not participating. Georgia, on the
other hand, is pitching in.
According to the initial scheme, supply and evacuation operation in
the Lori region in the north is envisaged via Georgia.
Preparations easing the atmosphere
However, Georgian ports cannot meet assistance delivery needs from
the sea. So, Turkey comes into the picture, as several parts of the
drill have been suggested to take place in the country. The Turkish
Foreign Ministry, keeping a possibility in mind, continues to work
to maintain conditions of transition points, highways in the region,
in order not cause any unnecessary political flaws.
As part of the efforts, as the Office of the Governor in Kars was
asked about the condition of highways, public excitement was created,
and it was perceived as a "border opening," because U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton was paying a visit to Baku and Yerevan in those
days, too. Although the Turkish-Armenian border is not open yet due
to serious political problems, Turkey will allow preparations for
such a humanitarian assistance drill when requested.
Preparations are considered to mellow political tension, although
normalization of bilateral relations, including a border opening, is
in deadlock because of the Upper Karabakh talks. Diplomatic sources
are of the opinion that NATO's earthquake exercise will not have any
impact on the Karabakh talks. However, diplomats also stress that
participation of Turkey and Armenia in the drill might help ease
relations between the two countries.
Clinton visited the Azeri capital of Baku in early July to meet
President İlham Aliyev and then passed to the Armenian capital of
Yerevan to meet President Serj Sargsian. She especially requested
progress from leaders in the Karabakh talks. The Minsk Group, under the
co-chairmen of the United States, Russia and France, is in charge of
the Karabakh talks. However, communication is in a dead lock over how
to end Armenian occupation in seven Azeri regions and in Karabakh and
how to manage withdrawal from seven priority counties in particular.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly said the
deadlock in the Karabakh talks is an obstacle preventing normalization
of Turkish-Armenian relations, which are outlined the protocols signed
between the two countries in the summer of 2009.
* Mr. Murat Yetkin is the Ankara Representative of the daily Radikal,
in which this piece appeared Wednesday. It was translated into English
by the Daily News staff.
From: A. Papazian