Revolutions in the Middle East

[Haykakan]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

MIDDLE EAST IS UNDERGOING CHANGES -EXPERT

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 5, 2011 - 15:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Middle East is currently in the stage of change,
yet the final image of the region is hardly predictable at the moment,
according to the director of Armenian National Academy of Sciences~R
Oriental Studies Institute.

At news conference in Yerevan, Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan cited
several factors to lead to regional changes. ~SAfter the Arab spring,
Islamic forces will enter political arena, with U.S. increasing
involvement in regional developments. Also, Turkey will intensify
presence both in Middle East and international arena,~T the expert
said.

As Safrastyan noted in this context, by approving NATO radar
deployment, Ankara struck a deal with Washington, in exchange being
allowed to strengthen it presence in Middle East.

[Haykakan]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

TURKEY STARTS MILITARY DRILL AT SYRIAN BORDER

Hurriyet
Oct 4 2011
Turkey

The Turkish military stages an exercise near the Syrian border as
Prime Minister Erdogan signals sanctions are on the way against Syria

Turkey will lay out new sanctions against Syria soon, visiting Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says in the South Africa. AFP photo

Turkey will consider more sanctions against Syria as it cannot stand
idly by while Damascus shoots demonstrators, the country's prime
minister said Tuesday, the same day the Turkish military announced
plans to conduct exercises near its southern border.

There can be no justification for killing defenseless people, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday in Pretoria at a joint
press conference with Deputy South African President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Stepping up pressure on embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
Erdogan said he would lay out Turkey's plans for sanctions against
Damascus after he visits a Syrian refugee camp near the two countries'
common border in the coming days.

"Regarding sanctions, we will make an assessment and announce our road
map after the visit to [the southern province of] Hatay, setting out
the steps," Erdogan told reporters, adding that he expected to visit
the region on the weekend or at the start of next week.

The prime minister is expected to announce new sanctions during
the trip.

Turkey has begun partially implementing some sanctions, the prime
minister said, but added that it had chosen not to announce them
officially because of the urgency of the matter.

The plan for more sanctions heralds a further deterioration in the
previously friendly relations between Ankara and Damascus since the
start of al-Assad's crackdown on protesters. More than 7,500 Syrians
have taken refuge in camps established in Hatay, having fled the
violence at home.

Erdogan said they had an advanced friendship with al-Assad but added
that the Syrian president had betrayed the principles underlying
the friendship.

"What is important to us is the Syrian people. The freedoms [in Syria]
are disregarded [by the government]," said Erdogan, adding that
al-Assad was repeating his father Hafez al-Assad's violent campaign
against Hama and Homs.

"We never expected that," said Erdogan.

Military exercises on Syrian border

Turkey's military exercises are likely to coincide with Erdogan
planned visit to Hatay. The military said in a statement on its website
Tuesday that the maneuvers would take place in the southern province
between Oct. 5 and 13. Turkey has earlier said it had stopped two
ships carrying arms to Syria.

The aim of the exercises is to test "the mobilization and the
communication between the ministries, public institutions and Turkish
army in case of a war," said the military.

At least 2,700 have been killed in the crackdown in Syria, according
to the United Nations. Demonstrators have begun to demand some form
of international protection that stops short of Libya-style Western
military intervention. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
recently told daily Hurriyet that the conditions in the country were
not sufficient to warrant an international intervention.

Compiled from AP, Reuters and AA stories by the Daily News staff.

[Haykakan]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR IN DAMASCUS: WE ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE OF SYRIA THROUGH FUNDAMENTAL REFORMS

Syrian Arab News Agency
Sept 29 2011
Syria

DAMASCUS, (SANA) - Armenia's Ambassador in Damascus Arshak Poladyan
held on Thursday a reception on the occasion of the 20th anniversary
of his country's independence.

Ambassador Poladyan stressed during the reception that Armenia has
repeatedly announced its desire to develop cooperation with Syria in
various fields.

He added that the mutual visits of the two country's officials during
the last years set a legal and essential base for developing bilateral
relations and led to signing dozens of agreements and protocols in
cultural, scientific and educational fields.

Concerning the current events in Syria and the foreign interference
in the Syrian internal affairs, the Ambassador said that national
dialogue is the only way to solve the crisis, calling on all parties
to sit at the dialogue table and find suitable solutions.

He expressed his optimism about the future of Syria through fundamental
reforms and criticized some satellite channels which exaggerated the
events in Syria.

F.Allafi/M.Eyon

[Haykakan]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg390679.html

Nicely written article.

[Federate]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

For those awake at this hour, watch Mubarak's trial live here http://mubasher-misr.aljazeera.net/

[Mos]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

Muslims uniting is even more unlikely than Arabs uniting but if it were to happen, Armenia would have reason to worry only because Turkey would be a heavyweight member.

Not only that. They would support Azerbaijan and Turkey over armenia any day, just like help was pouring in from Islamic extremists from Checnya and Afghanistan to fight the Armenians. It's foolish to think that Muslims would support us.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

Couple weeks old but worth a watch

Istanbul sees rally in support of Bahrain revolution

[retro]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

I wouldn't say so. There is a good portion of Turks that are religious - of course there exists a culture of secularity, especially in the big cities. There's still great respect to Islam in Turkey. Iranians actually are culturally not that religious - just see the Iranians living outside of Iran.

One could also say the same thing about Armenians. Iran is a far more, reactionary and autocratic nation than Turkey and the Turks on the whole are more conservative, than they are 'religious'.

The Islamists influence in Turkey is a creeping one and they not only have to take over the countries legislative bodies, but also it's judiciary in order to stand any chance of dismantling it's present constitution.

[artour]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

Everything is shamefull and will be painfull. The dictators have been loyal to the world stability interests. There betrail by western coutries is extreamly short sighned. How it will finish is not cleare, but for shure with the degradation for population and grate danger for the rest of the world. We can worry for the armenian communities in Middle Easte, where moderate regimes of Mubarek and Ased have made many good things in combating fundamentalism and supporting friendship between different confessions.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Revolutions in the Middle East

I wouldn't say so. There is a good portion of Turks that are religious - of course there exists a culture of secularity, especially in the big cities. There's still great respect to Islam in Turkey. Iranians actually are culturally not that religious - just see the Iranians living outside of Iran.

The big cities is where the majority of the population is. No matter where in the world, the rural or farm/country areas are religious because their sustenance comes from the land.

I don't see how there is great respect to Islam. Ever since the introduction of secularism by Ataturk, Turkey has been a pseudo Muslim state. Which Muslim laws really remained part of Turkey? There is a Muslim legacy but the people themselves would never agree to be like Saudis.