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OUR GOVERNMENT IS AN OPEN BOOK
Hurriyet Daily News
March 6 2012
Turkey
Our foreign minister is known for his frequent travels and his firmly
and intensely made foreign contacts. Our minister is the portrait of
a dynamic, restless, hardworking and patient politician. Our minister
also does not fail to make diplomatic contacts when he is in the
country. When he cannot find a foreign representative to meet with,
he meets with non-Muslim community leaders, presumably because he
regards them as near-foreigners.
The other day, the foreign minister visited the Fener Greek Patriarch,
the Metropolitan of Deyrulzafaran Monastery, the acting Patriarch of
the Turkish Armenian church, the Metropolitan of the Turkish-Syriac
Church and the acting Patriarch of the Turkish Syriac Catholic Church.
In the law governing the Foreign Ministry his job description is: "To
conduct the Republic of Turkey's relationships with foreign states and
international organizations." Probably the minister regards non-Muslim
communities as foreign elements; he sees fit to contact them in his
capacity as foreign minister.
Also last week our interior minister delivered a speech on the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh. His job description, by law, is "To protect
domestic safety, public order, public safety, public morals, rights
and freedoms written in the Constitution [...] by managing the domestic
security organizations under his ministry."
We can see that our ministers take maximum care on the subject of
respecting their jurisdictions.
For example, the interior minister, speaking on an issue related to
foreign policy, at a rally where placards were held and slogans were
chanted that targeted Armenians, made remarks like, "The fist of the
Turk is one." The very next week, during his visit to the Armenian
Patriarchate, the foreign minister said, "Turkey will overcome the
prejudices formed against Armenians."
Ministries are cross-multiplying and naturally that is confusing. We
do not know why the foreign minister does not speak on the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Khojaly massacre, or why the interior
minister is not making contact with Turkey's non-Muslim citizens.
While the interior minister said, before placards on which were written
"You are all Armenians, you are all bastards," that the 21st century
(he could not slow down and also included the 22nd century) is a
Turkish century, the foreign minister said, "We regard all citizens
as equal under the law. The principled stance of our government on
this issue is out in the open."
I suppose the interior minister and the foreign minister should meet
and have a long conversation. Because, actually, as Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu has said, there are "prejudices that do not suit the
profound culture Turks and Armenians have formed."
These prejudices are at such a point that they caused Interior Minister
Ä°dris Naim Å~^ahin to deliver that unforgettable speech and Davutoglu
to visit non-Muslims as if they were foreigners.
Certainly our government has a plan. While the foreign minister
conducts diplomatic relations with Turkish citizens, maybe, who knows,
the interior minister will open up negotiations with foreign leaders.
After all, our government is an open book; foreign and domestic issues
blend as one.
Ozgur Mumcu is a columnist for daily Radikal in which this piece was
published on March 5. It was translated into English by the Daily
News staff.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Hurriyet Daily News
March 6 2012
Turkey
Our foreign minister is known for his frequent travels and his firmly
and intensely made foreign contacts. Our minister is the portrait of
a dynamic, restless, hardworking and patient politician. Our minister
also does not fail to make diplomatic contacts when he is in the
country. When he cannot find a foreign representative to meet with,
he meets with non-Muslim community leaders, presumably because he
regards them as near-foreigners.
The other day, the foreign minister visited the Fener Greek Patriarch,
the Metropolitan of Deyrulzafaran Monastery, the acting Patriarch of
the Turkish Armenian church, the Metropolitan of the Turkish-Syriac
Church and the acting Patriarch of the Turkish Syriac Catholic Church.
In the law governing the Foreign Ministry his job description is: "To
conduct the Republic of Turkey's relationships with foreign states and
international organizations." Probably the minister regards non-Muslim
communities as foreign elements; he sees fit to contact them in his
capacity as foreign minister.
Also last week our interior minister delivered a speech on the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh. His job description, by law, is "To protect
domestic safety, public order, public safety, public morals, rights
and freedoms written in the Constitution [...] by managing the domestic
security organizations under his ministry."
We can see that our ministers take maximum care on the subject of
respecting their jurisdictions.
For example, the interior minister, speaking on an issue related to
foreign policy, at a rally where placards were held and slogans were
chanted that targeted Armenians, made remarks like, "The fist of the
Turk is one." The very next week, during his visit to the Armenian
Patriarchate, the foreign minister said, "Turkey will overcome the
prejudices formed against Armenians."
Ministries are cross-multiplying and naturally that is confusing. We
do not know why the foreign minister does not speak on the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Khojaly massacre, or why the interior
minister is not making contact with Turkey's non-Muslim citizens.
While the interior minister said, before placards on which were written
"You are all Armenians, you are all bastards," that the 21st century
(he could not slow down and also included the 22nd century) is a
Turkish century, the foreign minister said, "We regard all citizens
as equal under the law. The principled stance of our government on
this issue is out in the open."
I suppose the interior minister and the foreign minister should meet
and have a long conversation. Because, actually, as Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu has said, there are "prejudices that do not suit the
profound culture Turks and Armenians have formed."
These prejudices are at such a point that they caused Interior Minister
Ä°dris Naim Å~^ahin to deliver that unforgettable speech and Davutoglu
to visit non-Muslims as if they were foreigners.
Certainly our government has a plan. While the foreign minister
conducts diplomatic relations with Turkish citizens, maybe, who knows,
the interior minister will open up negotiations with foreign leaders.
After all, our government is an open book; foreign and domestic issues
blend as one.
Ozgur Mumcu is a columnist for daily Radikal in which this piece was
published on March 5. It was translated into English by the Daily
News staff.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress