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SAFRASTIAN: TURKISH PREMIER MAY STRAIN RELATIONS WITH SYRIA
http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2013/06/27/Ruben-safrastyan/
Thursday,June 27
The protests in Turkey can be described as massive riots against the
government, with various strata of society, mainly youths, being
involved in those protests, Director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies of Armenia's National Academy of Sciences, Turkologist Ruben
Safrastian told the correspondent of Aysor.am.
In his opinion, it is too early to draw conclusions about the internal
situation in Turkey. "We can expect the formation of a new political
force," Safrastian said.
Commenting on the situation in Turkey, he stressed one important
circumstance that has attracted scant notice.
"Prior to the protests, maps of a new Turkey, so to speak, appeared
in the Turkish press. The northern areas of Syria were indicated as
part of Turkey on those maps. In other words, these issues are under
discussion in Turkey," the expert on Turkey noted.
According to him, one should not be surprised if Turkey starts
implementing a tougher policy, in particular, regarding Syria. "It is
very likely that Prime Minister Erdogan will soon strain relations
with Syria in order to distract people's attention from Turkey's
domestic problems," Safrastian said.
As regards the relations between the Turkish president and the
prime minister and the disagreements between them, the expert noted:
"Yes, Abdullah Gul has adopted a softer stance and there is also a
difference in their approaches. The reason here is personal. Erdogan
is a charismatic person and has no intention of obeying anyone,
including the Turkish president".
Let us remind you that streets protests began in a number of
Turkish cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, and Izmir in late
May. The protests started as a sit-in at Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park
against the park's demolition, but rapidly grew into anti-government
demonstrations. The police use violence against protesters. 5 people
have been killed in clashes, over 5,000 were injured.
http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2013/06/27/Ruben-safrastyan/
Thursday,June 27
The protests in Turkey can be described as massive riots against the
government, with various strata of society, mainly youths, being
involved in those protests, Director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies of Armenia's National Academy of Sciences, Turkologist Ruben
Safrastian told the correspondent of Aysor.am.
In his opinion, it is too early to draw conclusions about the internal
situation in Turkey. "We can expect the formation of a new political
force," Safrastian said.
Commenting on the situation in Turkey, he stressed one important
circumstance that has attracted scant notice.
"Prior to the protests, maps of a new Turkey, so to speak, appeared
in the Turkish press. The northern areas of Syria were indicated as
part of Turkey on those maps. In other words, these issues are under
discussion in Turkey," the expert on Turkey noted.
According to him, one should not be surprised if Turkey starts
implementing a tougher policy, in particular, regarding Syria. "It is
very likely that Prime Minister Erdogan will soon strain relations
with Syria in order to distract people's attention from Turkey's
domestic problems," Safrastian said.
As regards the relations between the Turkish president and the
prime minister and the disagreements between them, the expert noted:
"Yes, Abdullah Gul has adopted a softer stance and there is also a
difference in their approaches. The reason here is personal. Erdogan
is a charismatic person and has no intention of obeying anyone,
including the Turkish president".
Let us remind you that streets protests began in a number of
Turkish cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, and Izmir in late
May. The protests started as a sit-in at Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park
against the park's demolition, but rapidly grew into anti-government
demonstrations. The police use violence against protesters. 5 people
have been killed in clashes, over 5,000 were injured.