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NEWS ANALYSIS: U.S.-TURKISH "MODEL PARTNERSHIP" IN JEOPARDY OVER CONFLICTING ISSUES
Xinhua General News Service, China
March 23, 2015 Monday 2:02 PM EST
ISTANBUL March 23
The so-called "model partnership" between Ankara and Washington is
not strong enough as it used to be, experts said here on Monday.
More than 70 U.S. senators recently wrote to U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry to urge the State Department to immediately address issues
of the intimidation of journalists and censorship of media by President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration in Turkey.
Experts speaking to Xinhua argued that with the letter of the senators
over the worsening democratic credentials of Turkey, the two countries'
relation has reached a new deadlock.
"Obama's 'model partnership' concept is not any stronger now," said
Gencehan Babis, analyst at International Relations and Strategic
Studies.
He said American senators' letter in which they expressed concerns
over the freedom of press in Turkey "is something that should be
taken serious."
Turkey has long been facing with severe criticism and concerns among
the EU countries and U.S. over the worsening conditions of freedom
of press.
On Dec. 14, in a latest operation against anti-government media
institutions and journalists, the editor in chief of Zaman daily
newspaper and the CEO of Samanyolu Media Group was arrested.
Both media institutions belonging to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah
Gulen's Hizmet movement have been critical of Erdogan and the ruling
Justice and development Party AKP.
The two countries' relation has also been damaged over the Syria
issue when Obama administration announced recently that U.S. could
negotiate with Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime to stop Islamic
State's advent in the Middle East.
The two countries haven't reached a consensus in taking a common
stand on the issue. "Turkey put itself in a very difficult position
in Syria insisting on toppling the Assad regime," said Turkey's former
ambassador Murat Bilhan.
"Ankara couldn't take a step back from its current standpoint anymore,"
he added.
In the meantime, the U.S. has discovered that Turkey's model of being a
"democratic, Islamic country" couldn't be enforced in the Arab spring
countries, Babis said.
"The regimes that have been supported by U.S. in some Arab countries
have turned out to be instable structures. Therefore, in the changing
Middle East equation, the relation between the two countries should
be redefined," he said.
According to Bilhan, the general election that will be held in June
in Turkey and the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide will be
critical in determining the future of the relation between the U.S.
and Turkey.
"The big political picture in Turkey is quite complicated for the
moment. The election is quite important and has the potential to
affect long term future of the country and its relation with the U.S.,"
he said.
As for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide that will be
commemorated on April 24, "any statement that would come from the U.S.
has the potential to increase the tension between Ankara and Washington
even more," Babis said.
On April 24, Armenia is set to commemorate the Armenian genocide,
which witnessed the deportation and deaths of more than 1.5 million
Armenians during World War I.
However, Ankara has long been denying the mass killings of Armenian
by the Ottoman Empire, claiming that it was the natural consequences
of the war itself and the inter-ethnic violence.
However, a group of U.S. congressmen has introduced a resolution that
labels the killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
According to Bilhan, the reshuffled U.S. congress and its new members
are not the sympathizer of Turkey. "Therefore, we have to see what
their next reaction will be for the 100th anniversary of the so-called
Armenian genocide," he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Xinhua General News Service, China
March 23, 2015 Monday 2:02 PM EST
ISTANBUL March 23
The so-called "model partnership" between Ankara and Washington is
not strong enough as it used to be, experts said here on Monday.
More than 70 U.S. senators recently wrote to U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry to urge the State Department to immediately address issues
of the intimidation of journalists and censorship of media by President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration in Turkey.
Experts speaking to Xinhua argued that with the letter of the senators
over the worsening democratic credentials of Turkey, the two countries'
relation has reached a new deadlock.
"Obama's 'model partnership' concept is not any stronger now," said
Gencehan Babis, analyst at International Relations and Strategic
Studies.
He said American senators' letter in which they expressed concerns
over the freedom of press in Turkey "is something that should be
taken serious."
Turkey has long been facing with severe criticism and concerns among
the EU countries and U.S. over the worsening conditions of freedom
of press.
On Dec. 14, in a latest operation against anti-government media
institutions and journalists, the editor in chief of Zaman daily
newspaper and the CEO of Samanyolu Media Group was arrested.
Both media institutions belonging to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah
Gulen's Hizmet movement have been critical of Erdogan and the ruling
Justice and development Party AKP.
The two countries' relation has also been damaged over the Syria
issue when Obama administration announced recently that U.S. could
negotiate with Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime to stop Islamic
State's advent in the Middle East.
The two countries haven't reached a consensus in taking a common
stand on the issue. "Turkey put itself in a very difficult position
in Syria insisting on toppling the Assad regime," said Turkey's former
ambassador Murat Bilhan.
"Ankara couldn't take a step back from its current standpoint anymore,"
he added.
In the meantime, the U.S. has discovered that Turkey's model of being a
"democratic, Islamic country" couldn't be enforced in the Arab spring
countries, Babis said.
"The regimes that have been supported by U.S. in some Arab countries
have turned out to be instable structures. Therefore, in the changing
Middle East equation, the relation between the two countries should
be redefined," he said.
According to Bilhan, the general election that will be held in June
in Turkey and the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide will be
critical in determining the future of the relation between the U.S.
and Turkey.
"The big political picture in Turkey is quite complicated for the
moment. The election is quite important and has the potential to
affect long term future of the country and its relation with the U.S.,"
he said.
As for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide that will be
commemorated on April 24, "any statement that would come from the U.S.
has the potential to increase the tension between Ankara and Washington
even more," Babis said.
On April 24, Armenia is set to commemorate the Armenian genocide,
which witnessed the deportation and deaths of more than 1.5 million
Armenians during World War I.
However, Ankara has long been denying the mass killings of Armenian
by the Ottoman Empire, claiming that it was the natural consequences
of the war itself and the inter-ethnic violence.
However, a group of U.S. congressmen has introduced a resolution that
labels the killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
According to Bilhan, the reshuffled U.S. congress and its new members
are not the sympathizer of Turkey. "Therefore, we have to see what
their next reaction will be for the 100th anniversary of the so-called
Armenian genocide," he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress