Tweet
WHO IS THE NEXT?
news.am
July 29, 2011
Armenia
The mainstream media focused attention on Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan's "complex" about apologies". In fact, this year the
Turkish PM demanded "apologies" from Germany, Israel and Armenia.
1.Germany
"Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an apology from
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday over recent accusations
that Turkey is not taking sufficient steps toward resolving the Cyprus
issue," Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review reported.
"It is meaningful that the Chancellor of Germany carries her populist
politics into Cyprus. Those statements do not give the impression of
a leader with vision. We say that Merkel should revise her knowledge
of history and apologize," Erdogan told his deputies during a Justice
and Development Party, or AKP, parliamentary group meeting in Ankara."
"The harsh comments came after Merkel described the Turkish Cypriot
presence in northern Cyprus as an "invasion" during a recent visit
to southern Cyprus. She criticized Turkey and Turkish Cypriots for
not doing enough to reach a deal with Greek Cypriots."
"Merkel's statements not only hurt but they also reflect a lack
of historical knowledge and contradict statements she made in the
past," Erdogan said. "Merkel showed how unfamiliar she is with Cyprus
dispute."
Stressing that the European Union and the United Nations were
ultimately responsible for the negotiations, Erdogan said they were
still looking for a criminal and blamed Turkey. However, Turkey would
not give away a single gram of northern Cyprus, he said.
2.Israel
"Relations between Israel and Turkey continue to be cold as the report
on what happened on board of the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara vessel
pertaining to a flotilla that was heading for Gaza with humanitarian
help is about to be read on the floor of the United Nations," Metrolic
reports referring to the confrontation between Israel and Turkey.
In spite of rumors about secret talks between Turkish and Israeli
leaderships to the purpose of thawing relations between two state that
used to have excellent relations, in a speech delivered on Friday to
the parliament Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan gave no
sign of softening, and restated that there would be no improvement
in the relations between the two sides unless Israel presented an
apology for the loss of nine Turkish lives in the clash with the
Israeli Defense Forces during the boarding, on May 30, 2010.
Erdogan said that normalization was "unthinkable," unless the Israelis
apologized for the "illegal act which is against international law,"
until payment was made to the relatives of those killed in "this
atrocious event," and the embargo on Gaza was lifted.
The raising of the stakes by adding the lifting the embargo on Gaza
proves that Turkish Prime Minister feels that Israel may be in a
difficult spot right now and could consent to at least some of these
demands, though it is unconceivable that it would lift the blockade
on Gaza. Or maybe not.
Erdogan's remarks in parliament come at the end of an European tour
Benyamin Netanyahu took to Europe, during which he visited France,
UK, Germany and two states in Eastern Europe: Romania and Bulgaria.
While in Bulgaria, Netanyahu practically promised the Bulgarians
something as big as a "merger" between the economy of Israel and that
of their country, signing more economic treaties and sealing off more
deals than Bulgarians had ever dreamt of.
Did he send a message to Ankara by proclaiming Bulgaria, one of the
poorest countries within the European Union, the strategic partner
of Israel in the Balkans, a place where Turkey has huge interests, or
was he just courting the Bulgarians for their vote in the U.N. General
Assembly in September in case Palestinians want to proclaim a state of
their one and demand official recognition? Or was he simply interested
in putting Bulgarian food on the table of the Israelis? Could have
been all three combined.
Israel agreed last year to pay compensations to the families of the
people killed in the IDF's raid, and even to express regret for the
loss of their lives, but under no circumstance did it agree to offer
an apology, which would be in their eyes admitting that they had been
acting outside the frame of the international law, which they have
systematically denied.
Since the beginning of the inquiries in the case Israel affirmed that
the actions of the IDF were perfectly legitimate, though unfortunately
they resulted in loss of human lives."
3. Armenia
"Israel can take solace that it is not the only country in the world
from which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking
an apology: On Wednesday he demanded one from Armenia as well,"
The Jerusalem Post reports.
"The Turkish news website Today's Zaman, reporting on Erdogan's current
trip to Azerbaijan, quoted him as saying that Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan should apologize for calling on Armenian school children to
occupy eastern Turkey.
Sarksyan, asked by a student if Armenia would get back its "western
territories" along with Mount Ararat - an area of great historical
significance to Armenians - that's now in Turkey, replied that
"it depends on you and your generation. I believe my generation
has fulfilled the task in front of us; when it was necessary in the
beginning of the '90s to defend part of our fatherland - Karabakh -
from the enemy, we did it. I am not telling this to embarrass anyone.
My point is that each generation has its responsibilities and they
have to be carried out with honor.
The statement infuriated Turkey. According to Today's Zaman, Erdogan
said Sarksyan's behavior was a provocation and an attempt to fill youth
with hatred, which he said would lead Armenia's youth into "darkness."
"There cannot be such diplomacy. Sarksyan has made a very serious
mistake.... He must apologize," Erdogan was quoted as saying.
Erdogan's demand for an Armenian apology comes just a few days after
he threatened Israel with a "Plan B" - a further downgrading of ties -
if it did not apologize for last year'sMavi Marmara incident.
"What we see here is a pattern developing," one Israeli diplomatic
source said of Erdogan's most recent demand for an apology. "Who
is going to ask Erdogan to apologize for Turkey's occupation of
northern Cyprus?"
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's senior forum of
eight ministers - a body known as the octet - met on Wednesday, but,
according to government officials, did not deal with the Mavi Marmara
issue because Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon was not present.
So, who is the next in the Turkish premier's "list"?
news.am
July 29, 2011
Armenia
The mainstream media focused attention on Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan's "complex" about apologies". In fact, this year the
Turkish PM demanded "apologies" from Germany, Israel and Armenia.
1.Germany
"Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an apology from
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday over recent accusations
that Turkey is not taking sufficient steps toward resolving the Cyprus
issue," Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review reported.
"It is meaningful that the Chancellor of Germany carries her populist
politics into Cyprus. Those statements do not give the impression of
a leader with vision. We say that Merkel should revise her knowledge
of history and apologize," Erdogan told his deputies during a Justice
and Development Party, or AKP, parliamentary group meeting in Ankara."
"The harsh comments came after Merkel described the Turkish Cypriot
presence in northern Cyprus as an "invasion" during a recent visit
to southern Cyprus. She criticized Turkey and Turkish Cypriots for
not doing enough to reach a deal with Greek Cypriots."
"Merkel's statements not only hurt but they also reflect a lack
of historical knowledge and contradict statements she made in the
past," Erdogan said. "Merkel showed how unfamiliar she is with Cyprus
dispute."
Stressing that the European Union and the United Nations were
ultimately responsible for the negotiations, Erdogan said they were
still looking for a criminal and blamed Turkey. However, Turkey would
not give away a single gram of northern Cyprus, he said.
2.Israel
"Relations between Israel and Turkey continue to be cold as the report
on what happened on board of the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara vessel
pertaining to a flotilla that was heading for Gaza with humanitarian
help is about to be read on the floor of the United Nations," Metrolic
reports referring to the confrontation between Israel and Turkey.
In spite of rumors about secret talks between Turkish and Israeli
leaderships to the purpose of thawing relations between two state that
used to have excellent relations, in a speech delivered on Friday to
the parliament Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan gave no
sign of softening, and restated that there would be no improvement
in the relations between the two sides unless Israel presented an
apology for the loss of nine Turkish lives in the clash with the
Israeli Defense Forces during the boarding, on May 30, 2010.
Erdogan said that normalization was "unthinkable," unless the Israelis
apologized for the "illegal act which is against international law,"
until payment was made to the relatives of those killed in "this
atrocious event," and the embargo on Gaza was lifted.
The raising of the stakes by adding the lifting the embargo on Gaza
proves that Turkish Prime Minister feels that Israel may be in a
difficult spot right now and could consent to at least some of these
demands, though it is unconceivable that it would lift the blockade
on Gaza. Or maybe not.
Erdogan's remarks in parliament come at the end of an European tour
Benyamin Netanyahu took to Europe, during which he visited France,
UK, Germany and two states in Eastern Europe: Romania and Bulgaria.
While in Bulgaria, Netanyahu practically promised the Bulgarians
something as big as a "merger" between the economy of Israel and that
of their country, signing more economic treaties and sealing off more
deals than Bulgarians had ever dreamt of.
Did he send a message to Ankara by proclaiming Bulgaria, one of the
poorest countries within the European Union, the strategic partner
of Israel in the Balkans, a place where Turkey has huge interests, or
was he just courting the Bulgarians for their vote in the U.N. General
Assembly in September in case Palestinians want to proclaim a state of
their one and demand official recognition? Or was he simply interested
in putting Bulgarian food on the table of the Israelis? Could have
been all three combined.
Israel agreed last year to pay compensations to the families of the
people killed in the IDF's raid, and even to express regret for the
loss of their lives, but under no circumstance did it agree to offer
an apology, which would be in their eyes admitting that they had been
acting outside the frame of the international law, which they have
systematically denied.
Since the beginning of the inquiries in the case Israel affirmed that
the actions of the IDF were perfectly legitimate, though unfortunately
they resulted in loss of human lives."
3. Armenia
"Israel can take solace that it is not the only country in the world
from which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking
an apology: On Wednesday he demanded one from Armenia as well,"
The Jerusalem Post reports.
"The Turkish news website Today's Zaman, reporting on Erdogan's current
trip to Azerbaijan, quoted him as saying that Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan should apologize for calling on Armenian school children to
occupy eastern Turkey.
Sarksyan, asked by a student if Armenia would get back its "western
territories" along with Mount Ararat - an area of great historical
significance to Armenians - that's now in Turkey, replied that
"it depends on you and your generation. I believe my generation
has fulfilled the task in front of us; when it was necessary in the
beginning of the '90s to defend part of our fatherland - Karabakh -
from the enemy, we did it. I am not telling this to embarrass anyone.
My point is that each generation has its responsibilities and they
have to be carried out with honor.
The statement infuriated Turkey. According to Today's Zaman, Erdogan
said Sarksyan's behavior was a provocation and an attempt to fill youth
with hatred, which he said would lead Armenia's youth into "darkness."
"There cannot be such diplomacy. Sarksyan has made a very serious
mistake.... He must apologize," Erdogan was quoted as saying.
Erdogan's demand for an Armenian apology comes just a few days after
he threatened Israel with a "Plan B" - a further downgrading of ties -
if it did not apologize for last year'sMavi Marmara incident.
"What we see here is a pattern developing," one Israeli diplomatic
source said of Erdogan's most recent demand for an apology. "Who
is going to ask Erdogan to apologize for Turkey's occupation of
northern Cyprus?"
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's senior forum of
eight ministers - a body known as the octet - met on Wednesday, but,
according to government officials, did not deal with the Mavi Marmara
issue because Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon was not present.
So, who is the next in the Turkish premier's "list"?