Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

[Artashes]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

Turkish PM's son next target of graft probe: media

Ankara (AFP) - The son of Turkey's prime minister will likely be the next target of a widening graft probe that led to a major cabinet reshuffle after three ministers resigned, Turkish media said Thursday.

Several newspapers said a bitter struggle between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his one-time ally turned opponent Fethullah Gulen was set to become more venomous as the corruption scandal inches closer to the premier's inner circle.

The opposition Cumhuriyet daily predicted an "earthquake" as investigators turn their attention to an NGO connected to the premier's son Bilal.

The paper said prosecutors were pressuring police to investigate construction tenders granted to the NGO by an Istanbul municipality, whose mayor has been implicated the corruption scandal.

The mayor, a member of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), was briefly detained last week but later released pending trial.

Three ministers also resigned this week over the corruption inquiry, two of them after their sons were taken into custody.

Erdogan on Wednesday announced a major cabinet reshuffle after the resignations.

But there was no sign that he himself would step down as demanded by anti-government protesters as well as by the environment minister who resigned.

Observers say the graft probe is the result of a rift between Erdogan and Gulen, an Islamic scholar who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999.

Gulen's followers hold senior positions in the Turkish judiciary and police.

Erdogan's government, which weathered mass street protests in June, has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with Gulen's backers over plans to shut down a network of schools run by the movement.

The struggle between the two men poses the biggest threat to Erdogan's undeclared ambition to run for president in 2014.

"There is not even a little sign of a ceasefire, let alone peace," columnist Rusen Cakir wrote in the Vatan daily on Thursday. "To the contrary, it appears the battle (between Erdogan and Gulen) will turn even more violent."

"It is obvious that the (Gulen) movement have more tricks up their sleeve," he predicted.

Gulenists have their own media, universities, think-tanks, and businesses, and with their followers in key positions, analysts say, the movement appears to be the only force that can challenge Erdogan in the run up to local polls in March.

"If the government rushes to act with hostility and moves ahead with hurtful (police) sackings, it will open deep wounds ... which will not be forgotten for centuries," Ali Bulac wrote in the Zaman daily, which is affiliated with the Gulen movement.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) has dominated politics for 11 years and won three successive elections, gaining almost 50 percent of the vote in 2011 after presiding over steady economic growth.

http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-pm-39-...135648624.html

----------- it will open deep wounds... which will not be forgotten for centuries -----------
Compare our (Hayastan) reasons for NEVER forgetting & the hominoids above refrain.
Pathetic, conniving woosys.

[Mher]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

Turkish PM's son next target of graft probe: media

Ankara (AFP) - The son of Turkey's prime minister will likely be the next target of a widening graft probe that led to a major cabinet reshuffle after three ministers resigned, Turkish media said Thursday.

Several newspapers said a bitter struggle between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his one-time ally turned opponent Fethullah Gulen was set to become more venomous as the corruption scandal inches closer to the premier's inner circle.

The opposition Cumhuriyet daily predicted an "earthquake" as investigators turn their attention to an NGO connected to the premier's son Bilal.

The paper said prosecutors were pressuring police to investigate construction tenders granted to the NGO by an Istanbul municipality, whose mayor has been implicated the corruption scandal.

The mayor, a member of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), was briefly detained last week but later released pending trial.

Three ministers also resigned this week over the corruption inquiry, two of them after their sons were taken into custody.

Erdogan on Wednesday announced a major cabinet reshuffle after the resignations.

But there was no sign that he himself would step down as demanded by anti-government protesters as well as by the environment minister who resigned.

Observers say the graft probe is the result of a rift between Erdogan and Gulen, an Islamic scholar who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999.

Gulen's followers hold senior positions in the Turkish judiciary and police.

Erdogan's government, which weathered mass street protests in June, has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with Gulen's backers over plans to shut down a network of schools run by the movement.

The struggle between the two men poses the biggest threat to Erdogan's undeclared ambition to run for president in 2014.

"There is not even a little sign of a ceasefire, let alone peace," columnist Rusen Cakir wrote in the Vatan daily on Thursday. "To the contrary, it appears the battle (between Erdogan and Gulen) will turn even more violent."

"It is obvious that the (Gulen) movement have more tricks up their sleeve," he predicted.

Gulenists have their own media, universities, think-tanks, and businesses, and with their followers in key positions, analysts say, the movement appears to be the only force that can challenge Erdogan in the run up to local polls in March.

"If the government rushes to act with hostility and moves ahead with hurtful (police) sackings, it will open deep wounds ... which will not be forgotten for centuries," Ali Bulac wrote in the Zaman daily, which is affiliated with the Gulen movement.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) has dominated politics for 11 years and won three successive elections, gaining almost 50 percent of the vote in 2011 after presiding over steady economic growth.

http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-pm-39-son-next-target-graft-probe-135648624.html

[Mher]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

Turkey PM faces resignation call as three ministers quit

By Fulya OZERKAN

Ankara (AFP) - Three top Turkish ministers resigned on Wednesday over a high-level graft probe, with one of them calling on the prime minister to step down in a major escalation of the biggest scandal to hit the government in years.

After announcing his own resignation, Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar raised the stakes by calling on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to follow suit. It marks the first time Erdogan has faced such a challenge from a minister in his own Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"I am stepping down as minister and lawmaker," Bayraktar told the private NTV television. "I believe the prime minister should also resign."

Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler also announced they were quitting on Wednesday.

The sons of both ministers are among the two dozen people who have been charged as part of a wide-ranging bribery and corruption probe that has ensnared close government allies and top businessmen, including the chief executive of state-owned Halkbank.

Bayraktar's son was also detained last week, but has not been formally charged and has been released pending trial.

Those caught up in the police raids are suspected of numerous offences including accepting and facilitating bribes for construction projects and illegally smuggling gold to Iran.

Erdogan, who has led Turkey since 2002 as the head of a conservative Islamic-leaning government, has described the probe as "a smear campaign" against his government.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, he did not comment on the ministers' resignations. Instead, he again blamed the probe on "a conspiracy" and "international powers" and insisted the AKP had a clean record.

Observers say the investigation has exposed a rift between Erdogan and former ally Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who lives in the United States and whose movement wields considerable influence in Turkey's police and judiciary.

The damaging probe comes ahead of crucial local elections in March and presidential elections in August.

In his resignation statement, Bayraktar pointed the finger at Erdogan, saying the vast majority of construction projects mentioned in the investigation were carried out with the premier's approval.

"It's the prime minister's natural right to work with or remove whichever minister he would like to," he told NTV in a live broadcast.

"But I don't accept any pressure to resign over an operation involving bribery and corruption... because a big majority of construction plans in the investigation dossier were carried out with the approval of the prime minister."

The television network then cut the live feed in a move that immediately raised a stir on Twitter, with critics slamming it as censorship.

In another blow to Erdogan, former interior minister and current lawmaker Idris Naim Sahin, a predecessor to Guler, also tendered his resignation.

He said government polices had provoked "hostile and discriminatory sentiments in society, caused a loss of self-confidence... and disappointment."

Meanwhile, in an apparent widening of the graft investigation, prosecutors in Ankara said they had opened a probe into the national rail authority over corruption claims in public tenders. No arrests have yet been made, the prosecutor's office said.

Cabinet reshuffle

The political tensions of the past days have hurt the already slowing Turkish economy, pushing the national currency to hover around record lows against the US dollar.

The lira weakened to 2.0907 against the dollar at Wednesday's close. The Istanbul stock market plummeted by 4.2 percent to 66,096.56.

Erdogan, who has responded to the investigation by sacking dozens of police chiefs, is expected to reshuffle his cabinet shortly in light of the corruption controversy.

Caglayan kept up the government's defiant stance in his resignation announcement, declaring that the investigation was "clearly a hideous plot against our government, our party and our country."

"I am stepping down from my post as economy minister so that this ugly game targeting my close colleagues and my son will be spoiled and the truth will be revealed," he said.

Both Caglayan and Guler have rejected the bribery accusations against their sons.

The corruption scandal engulfing the country has angered citizens, thousands of whom took to the streets of Istanbul on Sunday calling on the government to step down.

Erdogan's image was already bruised by a wave of anti-government protests in June that were sparked by plans to raze an Istanbul park.

Muslim cleric Gulen has denied being behind the graft investigation. His reported dispute with Erdogan is thought to be linked to government plans to shut down a network of Gulenist schools, a major source of revenue for the group.

Gulenists were previously key backers of the AKP, helping it to win three elections in a row since 2002.

Turkey's local elections on March 30 are now being seen as a key indicator of where the political fault-lines lie throughout the country.

http://news.yahoo.com/third-turkey-minister-steps-down-over-graft-probe-003901453.html

[Mher]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

Turkish PM, cleric in war of words over graft scandal

By Ayla Jean Yackley and Seda Sezer


ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A war of words escalated on Monday between Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and a cleric with powerful influence in the police and judiciary, worsening political turmoil unleashed by a corruption scandal.

Turkey has been increasingly polarized since the arrest on graft charges last week of the head of state-run lender Halkbank and the sons of two government ministers.

Erdogan answered the arrests by sacking or reassigning the Istanbul police chief and some 70 other police officers.

The scandal and the government's response have added to a febrile political atmosphere in the country, which saw unprecedented mass protests against Erdogan's rule earlier this year.

The public has been riveted by the case, with news channels showing police footage of shoeboxes stuffed with millions of euros in cash allegedly found in homes of corruption suspects.

The lira currency hovered near a record low on Monday, hammered by the domestic political tension as well as the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to cut back monetary stimulus.

In the latest rift, the government attracted unprecedented, open condemnation from Fethullah Gulen, whose Hizmet movement claims at least a million followers, including senior police and judges, and runs schools and charities across Turkey and abroad.

Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, lashed out against the government on Friday by praying that "God bring fire to their houses". Erdogan shot back on Sunday with remarks that, while not naming Gulen directly, accused unnamed outsiders of "setting wicked and dark traps in our country, using their local pawns to disrupt Turkey's unity and integrity."

"We will go into (their) lairs and ... expose those organizations within the state," Erdogan said.

On Monday Gulen made clear he saw the prime minister's remarks as an attack on his movement.

"Those who call Muslims 'gangs', 'bandits', 'network' and see them as gorillas, monkeys that have taken shelter in lairs - these are nothing but a reflection of decayed thinking and no wrong can be made right with them," Gulen said in an audio recording posted on the Internet. "God sees who is in a lair."

FIERY RHETORIC

Erdogan has won three elections in a row and has transformed Turkey by curbing the power of the secularist military establishment. Turkey has thrived economically under his leadership, but this year's protests also revealed dissatisfaction among many Turks with what some see as an authoritarian streak. A decisive break with Gulen, a former ally, adds to the array of figures lined up against him.

Cemal Usak, vice president of the Journalists and Writers Foundation, a group close to Gulen, described the movement's actions as "a civil initiative that is strongly using its right to oppose some of the measures taken by the political authority, something unseen in Turkey in recent times."

"I think the hardening of the prime minister's language is unsound. I find it inappropriate that for the first time in our political history an opinion leader has been targeted," he said.

After years of taking on top figures in the army, Erdogan's response to the corruption scandal puts him at odds with the police and the judiciary.

At the weekend the government changed regulations for police, requiring officers to report evidence, investigations, arrests and complaints to commanding officers and prosecutors.

Halkbank has drawn criticism from Western governments in the past for enabling Turkish and Indian business with Iran, which is under U.S. and EU sanctions that Erdogan disapproves of.

The bank said on Monday its conduct had been entirely lawful. In the past it had helped facilitate purchases of Iranian natural gas in return for shipments of Turkish gold, but it said it halted that practice in June, before measures that would have barred that trade took effect.

"The source of the funds used in these transactions and the parties to this trade are open, transparent and traceable in the system," Halkbank said in a stock exchange filing.

The row has weighed on the Turkish assets as investors fret the authorities could loosen fiscal policy to weather the political storm. Shares in Halkbank have lost about 20 percent of their value since news of the scandal broke on December 17.

Erdogan late on Sunday accused "enemies of Turkey" of trying to sabotage Halkbank, the second-biggest government bank.

"Who are you helping to benefit by damaging this bank? The money that Halkbank has lost because of these incidents is money lost by this country," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-pm-cleric-war-words-over-graft-scandal-062637983--finance.html

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

A selection of reports on Davutoglu's recent visit to Yerevan

RFE/RL Armenia Report - 12/16/2013

Another Davutoglu Meeting In Yerevan Revealed

Armenia -- Chairman of RA Public Council Vazgen Manukian, undated

Ruzanna Stepanian
16.12.2013

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met not only his Armenian
counterpart Edward Nalbandian but also veteran politician Vazgen
Manukian during his visit to Yerevan last week, it emerged on Monday.

Manukian, who was a key member of Armenia's first post-Communist
government and now heads a body advising President Serzh Sarkisian,
said he was invited to speak with Davutoglu immediately after the
latter arrived in the Armenian capital on Thursday morning.

`A member of the Turkish delegation phoned me in the morning to ask
whether I would mind meeting [Davutoglu,]' Manukian told RFE/RL's
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). `I said I don't mind. I find it hard
to tell why he wanted to meet me, but during our conversation I got
the impression that they have come not so much to make statements as
to gauge public mood here.'

Manukian was one of the top leaders of the 1988 popular movement for
Nagorno-Karabakh's reunification with Armenia that eventually ended
Communist rule in the republic and led it to independence from the
Soviet Union. He served as prime minister from 1990-1991 and defense
minister from 1992-993.

Manukian stressed that he talked to Davutoglu in his private capacity
and expressed only his personal views. He defended the Turkish
minister's lukewarm reception by Armenia's leadership, a fact
reflecting a widespread sense in Yerevan that Ankara is trying to
imitate another thaw in Turkish-Armenian relations to stave off
greater international recognition of the Armenian genocide in the
Ottoman Empire during its forthcoming 100th anniversary.

`In a sense, the Turks fooled us on the protocols issue,' Manukian
explained, referring to Turkey's refusal to unconditionally implement
the 2009 agreements on the normalization of bilateral ties. `We
followed a rocky path, overcoming serious complications, but Turkey
stopped at some point. As if that wasn't enough, it linked the
Karabakh issue to relations with Armenia.'

Armenia -- Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu waves from his
limo after his pres conference in Yerevan, on December 12, 2013.

According to Manukian, the genocide issue was discussed during their
conversation. He said he told Davutoglu that Armenians around the
world will continue campaigning for genocide recognition regardless of
interstate relations between Turkey and Armenia.

`I told him the story of our family as an example,' he said. `My
grandfather had five sons when they fled the southern shores of Lake
Van. Only one of them, my father, was alive by the time they reached
modern-day Armenia. ... Many other Armenian families can tell similar
stories.'

`Apart from historical memory and our duty to our grandparents, we
have a feeling that Turkey will remain dangerous to us as long as it
refuses to acknowledge the genocide,' added Manukian.

`Hurriyet Daily News' quoted Davutoglu as telling Turkish journalists
in Yerevan that the 1915 mass killings and deportations of Armenians
were `totally wrong' and `inhumane.' But he seemed to stand by the
official Turkish line that they did not constitute genocide.

Manukian was one of the architects of the foreign policy pursued by
newly independent Armenia's government in the early 1990s. Unlike
Diaspora-based traditional Armenian parties, the government of then
President Levon Ter-Petrosian did not set any preconditions for
normalizing relations with the Turks. It also avoided any territorial
claims to Turkey.

After a brief period of mutual engagement, Turkey closed its border
with Armenia in April 1993 in response to a successful Armenian
military operation in and around Karabakh that precipitated
Azerbaijan's subsequent defeat in the war. Manukian was Armenia's
defense minister at the time.

Manukian said he told Davutoglu that the border closure was a serious
mistake as it stripped Ankara of any leverage against Yerevan. He
claimed that the chief Turkish diplomat partly agreed with him.

`He admitted that if you shut down everything you lose a chance to
influence things,' said Manukian. `He said that if they had been more
flexible in 1993 they would have been in a better position to
influence events in the South Caucasus.'



TURKISH FM SAYS ARMENIA VISIT 'NOT A CRIME'

Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 16 2013

16 December 2013

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said visiting Armenia is "not a
crime" and that it was part of "fair memory," an oft-cited reference
to a Turkish government narrative that World War I inflicted heavy
losses on both sides, Turkish and Armenian.

Davutoglu said on Sunday that his recent Armenia trip, which was
criticized by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and
the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), was part of that "fair memory."

He said meeting with neighboring countries is not a crime but a
necessary step that Ankara needs to take.

"We are developing a special mechanism which will improve our relations
with regional and neighboring countries. Fair memory is the only way
to build on history," Davutošlu said.

Davutošlu drew criticism from various groups after calling the 1915
deportation of Armenians "inhumane" during his visit to Armenia.

Davutošlu's visit was the first high-level visit by a government
official in five years.

Turkey and Armenia have been at odds over allegations of genocide and
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenia defines the 1915 deportation
of Armenians as "genocide" and the border between the two countries
has been closed since Armenia invaded the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-334112-turkish-fm-says-armenia-visit-not-a-crime.html

TURKEY AND ARMENIA: WHAT NEXT?

Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 15 2013

The issue of Armenia enters the Turkish foreign policy agenda almost
exclusively in the context of Western attempts at legislating genocide
resolutions. The result is often a reactive nationalist defense. In
less than two years, by 2015, Turkey will find itself in a similar
dilemma. Once again, it will be external dynamics that will drive the
domestic and foreign policy debate, and quite predictably Turkey will
react with anger and resentment to Western attempts at commemorating
the centennial of the Armenian genocide. In order to avoid such an
ordeal, Ankara needs to think about Armenian-Turkish relations now,
before Western pressure builds up. The fact that Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu visited Yerevan last week is a step in the right
direction and needs to be congratulated. Instead of panicking shortly
before 2015, the Turkish government needs to pursue a multidimensional
strategy, starting now. The first dimension of the strategy should
be the opening of the border and the establishment of diplomatic
relations between the two countries.

As it is well known, shortly after the signature of the two protocols
aiming at achieving these two goals in 2009, Ankara decided to
index the ratifications of the protocols to the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Linking the normalization of relations
to a "frozen conflict" had the impact of freezing the protocols as
well. It also showed that Turkey had no empathy for the Armenian
political leadership, which took a lot of heat from the diaspora for
dropping genocide recognition as a precondition for the normalization
of relations with Ankara.

In retrospect, the Turkish decision to establish a precondition
for normalization with Armenia was shortsighted because it
practically gave Azerbaijan de facto veto power over Turkish-Armenian
normalization. Instead, what Turkey should have done was to establish
diplomatic and economic relations with Armenia with the hope that
such a policy of engagement would in time create positive momentum
and leverage in favor of a resolution in Nagorno-Karabakh. It remains
unclear whether a breakthrough in this frozen conflict can be achieved
in the absence of Turkey gaining more leverage in relations with
Armenia. It looks like sequencing is the main problem here. The
Turkish side is reportedly ready to open the border, establish
diplomatic relations and even provide financial support to Armenia
in return for an Armenian withdrawal from two of the seven occupied
regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. This proposal looks like the
same one Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a few years ago
to his Armenian counterpart at the time, Robert Kocharyan. Kocharyan
had refused the Turkish demand on the grounds that there should be no
linkage between Nagorno-Karabakh and normalization with Turkey. It is
hard to see why today the Armenian reaction to a very similar Turkish
proposal would be any different.

Therefore, this most recent Turkish attempt at rapprochement with
Armenia is also likely to fail in the absence of a unilateral Turkish
gesture such as the opening of the border without preconditions. On
the other hand, since Turkey is always in some kind of election season,
it is almost impossible to see the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
invest serious political capital in rapprochement by taking such
a courageous step. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising
that the Armenian media saw Davutoglu's Yerevan visit as nothing
more than a public relations campaign. If Turkey is really serious
about normalizing relations with Armenia, it will have to take some
risks in relations with Azerbaijan. The key will be to convince Baku
that only the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations will create
positive momentum in solving the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Turkey needs to open the border first and expect its diplomatic and
economic engagement policy with Armenia to pay off in the long run.

The alternative is to continue with the current policy. The current
Turkish policy has produced no change in Nagorno-Karabakh in the last
20 years. It is time to think more creatively.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news/null_334050_turkey-and-armenia-what-next.html

ARMENIA-TURKEY: A VICIOUS CIRCLE
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 16 2013

16 December 2013 - 3:08pm

Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan, exclusively to VK

The arrival of the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Yerevan
to participate in the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the
BSEC was at the center of experts' attention. Before his arrival,
the Turkish Foreign Minister said that Turkey has always attached
great importance to the normalization of relations between Turkey and
Armenia. The Turkish media reported that in Yerevan Davutoglu will meet
with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and President Serzh
Sargsyan during which Davutoglu will try to revive Armenian-Turkish
protocols and discuss the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

In contrast to these expectations, Yerevan gave a very cool response
to Davutoglu's visit; the meeting between President Sargsyan and
Turkish Foreign Minister was not planned and was not held. The visit
of Turkish Minister confined itself to the summit of BSEC. After the
completion of the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia
and Turkey which was planned during the summit, the ministers made
no statements. By the arrival of Davutoglu, in front of the hotel
"Marriott", which hosted the summit, representatives of the ARF and
the Social Democratic Party "Hunchak" organized protest rallies with
the requirements of the lifting of the blockade and the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide .

Observers in Yerevan believe that the arrival of Davutoglu became a
tactical move aimed at simulating progress in bilateral relations
on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, but
the essence of Turkish diplomacy has not changed. "Today, Turkey is
not ready for a u-turn", Deputy Director of the Institute "Caucasus"
Sergey Minasyan said.

Some experts consider the visit of Davutoglu in a regional context.

Turkologist Andranik Ispiryan believes that after the successful visit
of Vladimir Putin to Armenia and his statements on the strengthening
of Russian influence in the South Caucasus, Ankara's geopolitical
position was shaken, and Davutoglu's visit is aimed to recall about
the role of Turkey in the region.

The visit itself took place against the background of the recent
visible activation of Ankara regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

For instance, during a visit to Switzerland in October Davutoglu said
that his country would improve relations with Armenia and open the
border if Armenia withdrew its military forces from the territory
of Azerbaijan.

After the meeting with Davutoglu on December 12, answering reporters'
questions about a possible linkage between normalizing relations with
Ankara and settling the Karabakh conflict , Nalbandian said: "Armenia's
approach, as well as the approach of the international community on the
issue of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations has not changed:
the relationship must be resolved without preconditions. The attempts
of the Turkish side to determine the Armenian- Turkish relations by
other issues are meaningless and unsuccessful".

It is believed that the normalization of relations between the two
countries and the settlement of the Karabakh conflict are two different
processes .

On the other hand, of course, Turkey and Azerbaijan ,as allies,
harmonize their policies in the region. For Baku, it is unacceptable
that the Armenian-Turkish border could be opened, and Turkey
cannot take this step, which goes against the strategic interests
of Azerbaijan.

However, a too frequent use of the border factor by the Turkish side
led to its devaluation. Armenia does not attach much importance
to this issue. Over 20 years of closed borders, the Armenians
have learned to trade, including with Turkey itself, through third
countries, and developed new routes and patterns of trade relations
with many countries. So Turkey's intention to influence Armenia
is inefficient. As a result of these complex relationships there
is a vicious circle, and the political process of normalization of
Armenian-Turkish relations cannot move forward.

Nevertheless, there is some progress in the relationship - the
reduction of hostile rhetoric and increased contacts became positive
developments, which, however, have local importance and do not yet
have a significant impact on the political process.

http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/48787.html

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

"Everyone will know their place," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told cheering supporters of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)

..With Erdogan's place being at the very top.

...will just make his fall even further when it comes.

[Mher]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

Turkey PM vows to go after rivals over mass graft probe
By Fulya Ozerkan

Ankara (AFP) - Turkey's prime minister on Sunday warned his rivals he would "break their hands" if they used a widening graft scandal to undermine his rule, as thousands of angry protesters called for the government's resignation.

"Everyone will know their place," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told cheering supporters of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in his latest combative response to a high-profile probe into bribery and corruption allegations that has ensnared cabinet ministers.

"Whoever dares to harm, stir up or set traps in this country, we will come to break those hands," the premier said in a speech in the Black Sea province of Giresun.

His heated remarks came as riot police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse several thousand demonstrators in Istanbul calling on the AKP government to step down.

Many were protesting against grand urban development projects, but some symbolically held up shoe boxes to show their fury over recent claims of widespread bribery by members of Erdogan's Islamic-leaning government.

In a further sign of growing public anger, Galatasaray football fans in Istanbul chanted "Everywhere is bribery, everywhere is corruption" at the start of a home game against Trabzonspor.

The words were a deliberate play on a chant that was often heard during the huge anti-government protests that took over Istanbul's Taksim Square in June: "Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance".

The high-level graft probe has shaken Turkey's political establishment, exposing a bitter feud between the AKP and influential Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen whose followers hold key positions in the police, judiciary and secret services.

Twenty-four people have been charged so far in connection with the investigation, including the sons of Interior Minister Muammer Guler and Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, as well as the chief executive of state-owned Halkbank.

Police also seized $4.5 million in cash hidden in shoe boxes in Halkbank CEO Suleyman Aslan's home, local media reported last Tuesday.

Those detained are suspected of numerous offences including accepting and facilitating bribes for development projects and securing construction permits for protected areas in exchange for money.

Erdogan has described the sweeping corruption probe, which comes ahead of crucial March municipal polls, as a smear operation against his government.

A day after their sons were charged with acting as intermediaries for giving and taking bribes, the interior and economy ministers broke their silence to deny the accusations.

"It is out of the question for us to be involved in any unlawful affairs," Guler wrote on Twitter on Sunday, while Caglayan railed against a "big trap" set for the AKP government.

Observers have linked last week's police raids targeting scores of people to tensions between Erdogan and followers of the Gulen movement which boiled over when the government announced plans to shut down a network of private schools run by the Islamic cleric, a major source of revenue for the group.

Gulenists were previously key backers of the AKP, helping it to win three elections in a row since it first took office in 2002.

'We will emerge stronger'

Erdogan has responded to the mass detentions by sacking dozens of police officials, including the Istanbul police chief, for cooperating with the investigation without permission.

Local media reported on Sunday that another 25 police chiefs had been fired in the fast-moving saga.

A lawyer for Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania, has denied that he was involved in the graft investigation, and Gulen himself has lashed out at those responsible for the police purge, saying that the assault was aimed at "finishing off" his Hizmet (Service) movement.

Erdogan on Sunday again blamed international plotters and "very dirty alliances" for attempting to create chaos, and voiced his support for the ministers caught up in the probe.

"It is not all about corruption," he said. "The nation will respond to those who attempt to set traps in order to tarnish ministers."

The premier, whose image was already bruised by June's anti-government unrest, is facing a key test as the country braces for an election cycle next year starting with the local polls in March.

"The nation will win on March 30, democracy will win," he said. "We will emerge stronger as long as we remain united."

In the midst of the worst scandal of his 11-year rule, the premier was due to leave the country late on Sunday for a two-day official visit to Pakistan.

http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-sacks-25-more-police-chiefs-graft-probe-115230686.html

[Artashes]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

It was an idea hatched up in some quarters of Washington.

Fortunately ( for its enemies) Ankara is not a mature and responsible adolescent let alone a mature adult to be given such responsibility.

The issue is not only Erdogan but the whole of Turkish psyche.

.

The issue is not only turdogan but the whole tur.. Psyche.
Man you hit that nail squarely on the head. Been saying that since day 1 as well as others.
Artashes

[londontsi]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

And Erdogan is worried that he might end up like Morsi: deposed and in jail.

Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

It was an idea hatched up in some quarters of Washington.

Fortunately ( for its enemies) Ankara is not a mature and responsible adolescent let alone a mature adult to be given such responsibility.

The issue is not only Erdogan but the whole of Turkish psyche.

.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Do you think Turkey has become a regional Leader?

.

Mr Erdogan, like Mr Morsi, has his roots in political Islam. Ankara and Istanbul have hosted a series of meetings of the international Muslim Brotherhood.

And Erdogan is worried that he might end up like Morsi: deposed and in jail.