Turkey may in fact become a regional power through the UNSC

PanARMENIAN.Net - However, it is of no significance. The leading role in the UNSC is played by Russia and the United States. Turkey holds normal relations with both of these world powers and, who knows, it may establish such relations with China and France as well. Great Britain is, naturally, not counted as it is accurately moving through the course of American interests. According to Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan Turkey deserves a UNSC seat, which comes to a vote on October 17. "Ankara's growing influence on international affairs gives it a basis to calculate on a seat among the non-permanent members of the UNSC," considers Babacan and, on the whole, he is right.

This process started still back in 2004. The site Turkish Policy Quarterly (TPQ) was opened then, which was called to report to politicians and diplomats the viewpoint of Ankara on different matters of world politics. A similar purpose serves also the site TurkishNY.com. However, in all probability, a leading role in this process is played by the Israeli lobby in the USA, which badly needs Turkish membership in the UN for the mere purpose of adopting pro-Israeli resolutions.

With present state of affairs it is of utmost interest how the permanent members of the UN Security Council will vote. The United States and Great Britain will naturally vote "for", while the standpoint of China and France is still in question. However, skillful propaganda can have positive results. As for Russia, taking into consideration the latest events in the Caucasus and its sudden «affection» towards Turkey, there must be no doubt that the Russian representative will vote "for" too, especially when almost all the transit pipelines from Moscow to Europe have some connection with Turkey. Here is the latest example: Russian company "Stroytransgas" has signed a contract on constructing a pipeline from Aleppo in the north of Syria to the Turkish coast. The deal will cost US$71 million, the pipeline length being 62 kilometers. Thus, Turkey has more chances against the other candidates - Austria and Iceland. However, there is a delicate point here: the vacant seat of the UNSC non-permanent member is meant for a European country, a position Turkey can be considered to hold with great reserve. Anyway, for the last 30 years the world community seems to have been indifferent towards such kind of geographical «trifles»… By the way in two years' time, which is the term of service of non-permanent members of the UNSC, it is possible to accomplish what one could not achieve through lobbying in the corridors of the Organization.

And what will Armenia be faced with in case the situation has a positive outcome for Turkey? In all probability we shall face nothing good: the Turkish representative will push forward Azerbaijan's resolutions on «regulating» the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which, in such state of affairs, will be definitely passed. Naturally, at first no one will pay attention to these resolutions, but it will be only for the time being until the X hour arrives and the mediators decide that Nagorno Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan and try to bring the Karabakh people back under Baku's control with the proved method of twisting arms. And what will be afterwards? Definitely there will be a new war, but whether it will end up with a contract between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan or whether Yerevan will urge Stepanakert to yield to the world community, in this case to Azerbaijan is still a question. As for the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide (by calling it «international» we still mean Turkey first of all), Ankara will have an opportunity to openly speak against any case of mentioning the events of 1915 in the UNSC documents. In any case, the weakness of Armenian diplomacy in the UN will once more be an evident and grievous fact.

Karine Ter-Sahakyan