Turkish prime minister tries Sultan’s regalia

Apparently, the region will undergo changes in the future which will result in rearrangement of power. But all depends on whether Erdogan can change Turkey’s constitution and become a president.

In recent weeks Turkey with enviable persistence has been demanding an apology first from Israel and now from Armenia. In both cases the demand is unfounded. Moreover, it is absurd, especially in regard to Armenia. But let us tell it like it is. For a year Turkey has been urging Israel to apologize and pay a compensation for what happened to Mavi Marmara. The vessel, trying to get into the Gaza Strip bypassing the Israeli customs control, was attacked by Israeli commando. Nine people, citizens of Turkey, were killed in the raid. It is worth recalling that on board the Mavi Marmara there were Palestinian militants and, presumably, cargo of weapons. The second convoy to Gaza, widely-advertised by Turkish and Palestinian activists, never shipped out in June of the current year.

PanARMENIAN.Net - But Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who quite seriously is trying on Sultan’s regalia, the first of them being the scimitar, now demands an apology and compensation from Israel, absolutely forgetting the last days of the Ottoman Empire, mired in debt, corruption and shedding rivers of blood for its own satisfaction.

The new Turkey led by Erdogan is now trying to do the same, with some adjustments for the ХХI century. Israeli website “Arutz 7” reports that Turkish sources informed about a “back-up plan” of Prime Minister Erdogan. If Israel fails to issue an apology, Ankara is ready to further downgrade its diplomatic representation in Tel Aviv, passing the credentials of diplomatic representation from the “government trustee” to the Second Secretary of the Embassy. In international diplomatic circles it is considered to be an act of serious disregard. “My country expects an apology from Israel and she does not intend to wait long,” Erdogan said.

Whether the Jewish state will apologize or not actually makes no difference to Turkey, the main concern is that the military-technical cooperation sould not suffer. Erdogan’s ambitions are playing a big role in this issue: the army, which has always stood for an alliance with Israel, is almost beheaded and therefore it is now critically important for the Jewish state not to be tied to the chariot of Ankara.

Things are much more serious with Armenia. The strangest and rather unsuccessful demand of an apology addressed to the president of a sovereign state will not definitely add to Turkey’s reputation in the region. Moreover, Erdogan’s demand does not fit into any diplomatic and international frameworks. If an apology should be demanded, Turkey itself must apologize to the Armenian nation for the harm she did and has been doing for over 200 years. The same can be applied to Greece and Cyprus, which are also entitled to demand an apology and compensation from Turkey. It is a sure thing that Prime Minister Erdogan is a hot-tempered man and a great number of his statements are made on the spur of the moment. But is this the reality? The Turkish side was alarmed at the answer given by the Armenian President to the question of an Armenian pupil about whether the return of Western Armenia together with Mount Ararat is ever possible in the future. Serzh Sargsyan gave the following answer: “It all depends on you and your generation. My generation, I believe, carried out its duty, when in the early 90s it was essential to defend one part of our country – Karabakh. We managed to do it. And I’m not saying this to rebuke anyone. My point is that every generation has its own duty and it should perform this duty well. If you and your peers spare no effort and energy, if those who are older than you and those who are younger follow your example, we shall have one of the best countries in the world.” What the Turks and Azerbaijanis saw in the speech of the Armenian President is their own problem. Most likely, Erdogan’s attack was associated with his visit to Baku and with his desire to re-emphasize the “friendship” between Azerbaijan and Turkey. But this is only one of the reasons. In fact, Ankara, despite the policy of denial, understands very well that there will arrive the day when she will have to answer for the occupation and depopulation of a foreign country.

Meanwhile, Israel has decided, apparently in defiance of Turkey, to begin establishing relations with Armenia. In the midst of the latest crisis, on July 25 a telephone conversation took place between Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel Danny Ayalon and his Armenian counterpart Arman Kirakossian. Ayalon thanked Kirakossian for the friendly relationship, and mentioned the historical ties and cultural similarities between the two nations. Ayalon also emphasized the importance Israel attaches to the continuous development of diplomatic relations and practical cooperation with Armenia. He further stated that it would be his pleasure to visit Yerevan, and invited Kirakossian to visit Israel. In addition, the Israeli official added that Jewish people sympathize with the “tragedy of the Armenian nation”, apparently referring to the Armenian Genocide. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel also noted that Israel supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to regulate the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. By the way, this is that very Ayalon, who announced in the Knesset that the resolution on the Armenian Genocide will not be accepted. Apparently, the region will undergo changes in the future which will result in rearrangement of power. But all depends on whether Erdogan will be able to change Turkey’s constitution and become a president. No earlier than that!

Karine Ter-Sahakyan
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