By Kaan Durukan
Published: January 12 2007 02:00 | Last updated: January 12 2007 02:00
From Mr Kaan Durukan.
Sir, As a student of the Middle East and Islamic civilisations, with a specific interest in the history of the Ottoman empire and modern Turkey, my home country, I found Vincent Boland's recent analysis pretty comprehensive and useful ("Why Turks are growing disillusioned with Europe", January 3). I just want to add - or occasionally underline - a few points.
In the first place, Mr Boland is right to detect the rise of a new type of nationalism in Turkey, triggered by the rapidly changing nature of the relationships with the west, the US and the European Union in particular. The threat is not the "Islamisation" of Turkey. In the worst-case scenario, if the European Union project fails for Turkey - or there is some crisis in
the process - the danger is not necessarily the rise of a radical Islam, but the domination of a radical nationalism.
For most Turks nationalism is the lowest common denominator of their identity regardless of social status, economic power or political affiliations. The foundations of this historical phenomenon lie in the glorious imperial past of Ottoman centuries, the total absence of a colonial rule (comparable only to China, Japan, Iran and Russia in this respect) and, most of all, the successful war of independence fought under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the 1920s.
Under these circumstances, if Turkey feels humiliated by some additional criteria not applied by the EU to some other past/present candidates or if the calendar of admission becomes subject to significant changes or ambiguities, this crucial element of national pride may put an end to the process and the European Union may face a xenophobic neighbour instead of a collaborative partner.
Second, there are frequent references to the value systems that define Europe in the course of history, the most notable being Graeco-Roman origins, the Judaeo-Christian heritage, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. One wonders if the principle of pacta sunt servanda, simply "to keep promises", which was around through all these centuries, is still an integral part of European political culture.
Referring to a legal agreement, the European Union quite rightly asks Turkey to recognise Cyprus like all the other member states (although the admission of the country in 2004 is an enigma, considering the extremely controversial situation of the island between Turkey, Greece and southern and northern sectors). But the EU seems to neglect the fact that the isolation of Turkish northern Cyprus, which voted for a viable solution with the support of the EU, US and the UN, still continues.
Kaan Durukan,
University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Madison, WI 53706, US
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Journalist killed by gunman in Istanbul
By Vincent Boland in Istanbul
Published: January 20 2007 02:00 | Last updated: January 20 2007 02:00
A newspaper editor and leading figure in one of Turkey's most painful historical deb-ates - the massacre of Armenians - was shot dead yesterday.
Hrant Dink, 53, was shot three times in the head outside the offices of Agos, a weekly newspaper, in Istanbul. He died almost immediately. His murder brought swift condemnation from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, who sent the interior and justice ministers to the city as an investigation started.
Mr Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent, had played a lead role in breaking the taboo on discussion of the massacre during the collapse of the Ottoman empire. He had been credited with trying to bring Turks and Armenians together but had been given a suspended prison sentence in 2005 for allegedly insulting the state.
Armenians allege that as many as 1.5m of their compatriots in the Ottoman empire fell victim to a campaign of genocide by the empire's rulers, beginning in 1915. Turkey denies genocide and insists that hundreds of thousands of Turks and Arm-enians died as the result of war, famine, ethnic cleansing and disease during that turbulent period.
Mr Dink's murder could have repercussions for Turkey in Washington. Both houses of the US Congress are due to debate a motion in the next few weeks that would recognise the Armenian massacre as genocide.
Turkey is fighting a rearguard diplomatic action to prevent it. The White House has indicated that it would not approve such a motion but the atmosphere in which the debate takes place will be clouded by yesterday's events.
There was a heavy police presence in Istanbul last night as Mr Dink's friends gathered outside the newspaper offices. Mr Erdogan said the murder was ''an attack on all of us'' and appealed for calm. Two men were under arrest last night in connection with the murder.
Most Turks are not aware of the fate of the Armenians because school textbooks make no reference to it.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: January 20 2007 02:00 | Last updated: January 20 2007 02:00
A newspaper editor and leading figure in one of Turkey's most painful historical deb-ates - the massacre of Armenians - was shot dead yesterday.
Hrant Dink, 53, was shot three times in the head outside the offices of Agos, a weekly newspaper, in Istanbul. He died almost immediately. His murder brought swift condemnation from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, who sent the interior and justice ministers to the city as an investigation started.
Mr Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent, had played a lead role in breaking the taboo on discussion of the massacre during the collapse of the Ottoman empire. He had been credited with trying to bring Turks and Armenians together but had been given a suspended prison sentence in 2005 for allegedly insulting the state.
Armenians allege that as many as 1.5m of their compatriots in the Ottoman empire fell victim to a campaign of genocide by the empire's rulers, beginning in 1915. Turkey denies genocide and insists that hundreds of thousands of Turks and Arm-enians died as the result of war, famine, ethnic cleansing and disease during that turbulent period.
Mr Dink's murder could have repercussions for Turkey in Washington. Both houses of the US Congress are due to debate a motion in the next few weeks that would recognise the Armenian massacre as genocide.
Turkey is fighting a rearguard diplomatic action to prevent it. The White House has indicated that it would not approve such a motion but the atmosphere in which the debate takes place will be clouded by yesterday's events.
There was a heavy police presence in Istanbul last night as Mr Dink's friends gathered outside the newspaper offices. Mr Erdogan said the murder was ''an attack on all of us'' and appealed for calm. Two men were under arrest last night in connection with the murder.
Most Turks are not aware of the fate of the Armenians because school textbooks make no reference to it.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Turkey to step up reforms for EU accession
By George Parker in Brussels
Published: January 15 2007 02:00 Last updated: January 15 2007 02:00
Turkey has vowed to mount a "do-it-yourself" legislative onslaught to prepare for European Union membership, in spite of the fact that significant parts of the accession talks were suspended last month.
The move is being welcomed by Brussels as a positive reaction by Ankara to the partial breakdown of the talks.
Volkan Bozkir, Turkey's ambassador to the EU, said Ankara would respond to last month's setback by "accelerating" reforms so that it was ready to join the EU when the political climate changed.
Mr Bozkir told the Financial Times that Ankara had taken the latest blow to its accession prospects in a "calm and professional way". He said: "It shows Turkey wants to maintain its relationship with the EU.
"It would have been easy for Turkey to react strongly and to freeze part of its relationship or to express some kind of broken-heartedpsychology."
In December, the EU suspended membership talks in eight policy areas because of Turkey's refusal to open its ports to Cyprus - an EU member since 2004 - whose Greek Cypriot government Ankara refuses to recognise.
Last week, Abdullah Gul, Turkey's foreign minister, convened more than 150 senior officials from different government departments to order them to draw up detailed legislative plans to prepare the country for EU membership.
Mr Bozkir said legislative plans for the years up until 2013 would be submitted by the end of January and would then be prioritised, with the aim of bringing the country's laws and norms up to EU standards.
The plan would cover 32 outstanding subject areas of the membership negotiations, including the eight frozen last month. He hoped preparatory work would be almost complete when the EU finally decided to open detailed talks.
Recognising the risk of political deadlock with elections in Turkey this year and in Cyprus in 2008, he said: "We will use this dangerous period - this year and next year - so that we do not allow precious time to be lost."
But Mr Bozkir said there would be no amendments to Article 301 of the penal code - which makes it a crime to insult Turkey or its officials - before this year's elections. He said courts needed to build up jurisprudence to defend freedom of speech, which would be more effective than changing the law.
Olli Rehn, EU enlargement commissioner, said: "We certainly welcome Turkey's decision to pursue the reforms on the ground, although the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
"But overall this is a positive initiative, which shows they are doing these reforms for the sake of the citizens of Turkey, not just because of the EU."
Mr Bozkir said Ankara expected the EU to show good will in return by opening negotiations on several subject areas - or chapters - during the German presidency of the EU.
Some EU officials believe the chapter covering enterprise and industry could be opened by March.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: January 15 2007 02:00 Last updated: January 15 2007 02:00
Turkey has vowed to mount a "do-it-yourself" legislative onslaught to prepare for European Union membership, in spite of the fact that significant parts of the accession talks were suspended last month.
The move is being welcomed by Brussels as a positive reaction by Ankara to the partial breakdown of the talks.
Volkan Bozkir, Turkey's ambassador to the EU, said Ankara would respond to last month's setback by "accelerating" reforms so that it was ready to join the EU when the political climate changed.
Mr Bozkir told the Financial Times that Ankara had taken the latest blow to its accession prospects in a "calm and professional way". He said: "It shows Turkey wants to maintain its relationship with the EU.
"It would have been easy for Turkey to react strongly and to freeze part of its relationship or to express some kind of broken-heartedpsychology."
In December, the EU suspended membership talks in eight policy areas because of Turkey's refusal to open its ports to Cyprus - an EU member since 2004 - whose Greek Cypriot government Ankara refuses to recognise.
Last week, Abdullah Gul, Turkey's foreign minister, convened more than 150 senior officials from different government departments to order them to draw up detailed legislative plans to prepare the country for EU membership.
Mr Bozkir said legislative plans for the years up until 2013 would be submitted by the end of January and would then be prioritised, with the aim of bringing the country's laws and norms up to EU standards.
The plan would cover 32 outstanding subject areas of the membership negotiations, including the eight frozen last month. He hoped preparatory work would be almost complete when the EU finally decided to open detailed talks.
Recognising the risk of political deadlock with elections in Turkey this year and in Cyprus in 2008, he said: "We will use this dangerous period - this year and next year - so that we do not allow precious time to be lost."
But Mr Bozkir said there would be no amendments to Article 301 of the penal code - which makes it a crime to insult Turkey or its officials - before this year's elections. He said courts needed to build up jurisprudence to defend freedom of speech, which would be more effective than changing the law.
Olli Rehn, EU enlargement commissioner, said: "We certainly welcome Turkey's decision to pursue the reforms on the ground, although the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
"But overall this is a positive initiative, which shows they are doing these reforms for the sake of the citizens of Turkey, not just because of the EU."
Mr Bozkir said Ankara expected the EU to show good will in return by opening negotiations on several subject areas - or chapters - during the German presidency of the EU.
Some EU officials believe the chapter covering enterprise and industry could be opened by March.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
EU's Barroso and Italy's Prodi back continuation of Turkey EU membership talks
The Associated Press
Published: January 15, 2007
ROME: European Union membership negotiations with Turkey should continue despite last month's partial freeze in talks, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Italian Premier Romano Prodi said on Monday .
Barroso said that the commission "remains committed to the continuation of these negotiations for enlargement, notably for Turkey," but recognized that the process will be "long and complex."
Speaking at a joint news conference after meeting with Prodi over breakfast, Barroso reiterated that to gain membership Ankara must comply with "all conditions and criteria" imposed by the European Union. Prodi said Italy's position on the issue is "identical" to the commission's.
EU leaders decided last month to halt negotiations in eight out of 35 policy areas due to Ankara's refusal to open its ports and airports to EU member Cyprus, whose government Turkey does not recognize.
Turkey insists it will only open its ports and airports after steps are taken to end the international isolation of a breakaway Turkish Cypriot republic in the island's north.
Turkey has vowed, nevertheless, to press ahead with other reforms.
Prodi and Barroso met hours before they were scheduled to travel to Slovenia to celebrate with other EU leaders that country's entry into the euro zone. As of Monday, the euro is the only currency accepted in Slovenia, although people will be able to swap their old currency, the tolar, at banks free of charge until March 1, or exchange them at the country's central bank.
Published: January 15, 2007
ROME: European Union membership negotiations with Turkey should continue despite last month's partial freeze in talks, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Italian Premier Romano Prodi said on Monday .
Barroso said that the commission "remains committed to the continuation of these negotiations for enlargement, notably for Turkey," but recognized that the process will be "long and complex."
Speaking at a joint news conference after meeting with Prodi over breakfast, Barroso reiterated that to gain membership Ankara must comply with "all conditions and criteria" imposed by the European Union. Prodi said Italy's position on the issue is "identical" to the commission's.
EU leaders decided last month to halt negotiations in eight out of 35 policy areas due to Ankara's refusal to open its ports and airports to EU member Cyprus, whose government Turkey does not recognize.
Turkey insists it will only open its ports and airports after steps are taken to end the international isolation of a breakaway Turkish Cypriot republic in the island's north.
Turkey has vowed, nevertheless, to press ahead with other reforms.
Prodi and Barroso met hours before they were scheduled to travel to Slovenia to celebrate with other EU leaders that country's entry into the euro zone. As of Monday, the euro is the only currency accepted in Slovenia, although people will be able to swap their old currency, the tolar, at banks free of charge until March 1, or exchange them at the country's central bank.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Nobel winner Orhan Pamuk is editor-in-chief for a day at Turkish newspaper
ISTANBUL, Turkey: Novelist and Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk devoted the front page of a major Turkish newspaper Sunday to the oppression of artists in his native country, fulfilling an old dream of becoming a professional journalist, if only for a day.
Pamuk, whose trial last year for the crime of "insulting Turkishness" received international condemnation, has a degree in journalism but had never practiced the profession. He was given editorial privileges for the Sunday edition of the newspaper Radikal.
Pamuk's cover story criticized the Turkish press and the state for the suppression of free expression in Turkey.
His banner headline quoted a 1951 article about the Turkish intellectual Nazim Hikmet, an acclaimed poet and denounced communist who spent many years in prison in Turkey for his leftist affiliations and later died in exile in Moscow. His sorrowful exile from his beloved country inspired many of his best-known poems.
The 1951 article had featured Hikmet's photograph along with an encouragement for the Turkish public to recognize him and "spit in his face."
"This expression, which was used beside Nazim Hikmet's picture, summarizes the unchanging position of writers and artists in the eyes of the state and the press," Pamuk's cover story said.
Pamuk, winner of the Nobel prize in literature last year, was one of dozens of authors, journalists, publishers and scholars who have been charged with insulting Turkey, its officials or "Turkishness" under an infamous article of the Turkish penal code. The charges against Pamuk were dropped on a technicality in January 2006.
The European Union has demanded that Turkey change its penal code to ensure freedom of expression, but Turkey has yet to act on those demands.
In the corner of the front page, Pamuk addressed writers directly in a friendly, self-effacing column under the headline, "I was a journalist for Radikal yesterday!"
He said the editorship for a day was a way to realize years of unfulfilled professional dreams, but that he lost all confidence on the way to work at the newspaper's offices.
Pamuk remains a divisive figure in Turkey, where nationalists accuse him of treason for talking about the killings of Armenians and Kurds. He took credit for all the articles that readers didn't like, and gave credit for the articles they did like to the workers of Radikal.
Pamuk's front page also featured an article about a ceremony for Orthodox Christmas in Istanbul. It ran under the headline, "One cross, a thousand police" — a reference to security concerns that surround the Istanbul-based leader of the Orthodox church and Turkey's dwindling Greek Orthodox community.
Nationalists, who are deeply suspicious of the Orthodox church's goals in predominantly Muslim Turkey, have interrupted the Orthodox religious ceremony before.
Other articles on Pamuk's front page dealt with the low percentage of women in politics in Turkey and reactions to the publication of video footage of the execution of Saddam Hussein.
The Associated Press
Pamuk, whose trial last year for the crime of "insulting Turkishness" received international condemnation, has a degree in journalism but had never practiced the profession. He was given editorial privileges for the Sunday edition of the newspaper Radikal.
Pamuk's cover story criticized the Turkish press and the state for the suppression of free expression in Turkey.
His banner headline quoted a 1951 article about the Turkish intellectual Nazim Hikmet, an acclaimed poet and denounced communist who spent many years in prison in Turkey for his leftist affiliations and later died in exile in Moscow. His sorrowful exile from his beloved country inspired many of his best-known poems.
The 1951 article had featured Hikmet's photograph along with an encouragement for the Turkish public to recognize him and "spit in his face."
"This expression, which was used beside Nazim Hikmet's picture, summarizes the unchanging position of writers and artists in the eyes of the state and the press," Pamuk's cover story said.
Pamuk, winner of the Nobel prize in literature last year, was one of dozens of authors, journalists, publishers and scholars who have been charged with insulting Turkey, its officials or "Turkishness" under an infamous article of the Turkish penal code. The charges against Pamuk were dropped on a technicality in January 2006.
The European Union has demanded that Turkey change its penal code to ensure freedom of expression, but Turkey has yet to act on those demands.
In the corner of the front page, Pamuk addressed writers directly in a friendly, self-effacing column under the headline, "I was a journalist for Radikal yesterday!"
He said the editorship for a day was a way to realize years of unfulfilled professional dreams, but that he lost all confidence on the way to work at the newspaper's offices.
Pamuk remains a divisive figure in Turkey, where nationalists accuse him of treason for talking about the killings of Armenians and Kurds. He took credit for all the articles that readers didn't like, and gave credit for the articles they did like to the workers of Radikal.
Pamuk's front page also featured an article about a ceremony for Orthodox Christmas in Istanbul. It ran under the headline, "One cross, a thousand police" — a reference to security concerns that surround the Istanbul-based leader of the Orthodox church and Turkey's dwindling Greek Orthodox community.
Nationalists, who are deeply suspicious of the Orthodox church's goals in predominantly Muslim Turkey, have interrupted the Orthodox religious ceremony before.
Other articles on Pamuk's front page dealt with the low percentage of women in politics in Turkey and reactions to the publication of video footage of the execution of Saddam Hussein.
The Associated Press
Brussels must broaden energy alliances
By Daniel Dombey in London
Published: January 9 2007 02:00 Last updated: January 9 2007 02:00
The European Union must bolster its ties with all its energy producing partners to avoid becoming too dependent on any one source, the EU's long-awaited shake-up of energy policy will say on Wednesday.
Although the European Commission's plan does not explicitly spell out Brussels' fears about the dangers of relying increasingly on Russian gas, it calls for the EU to rally round a policy of strengthening ties with alternative producers, particularly with the former Soviet states.
"Energy must become an integral part of all external EU relations," says a draft of the document, which will be presented by José Manuel Barroso, Commission president.
"The EU must therefore develop effective energy relations with all its international partners . . . This means relations broadened in geographical scope and deepened in nature."
The Commission sets outa series of "targeted ini-tiatives", headed by itstroubled attempt to convince Russia to open up its gas market.
It also calls for stronger ties to Norway, a new "strategic energy partnership" with Algeria, the bloc'sthird largest gas supplier, and more extensive EU level contacts with Qatar.
However, the proposal focuses much of its attention on closer ties with central Asia and the Caucasus, including the implementation of recent agreements with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan "to facilitate the transport of Caspian energy resources to the EU".
The draft sets out the ambition of reaching sim-ilar deals with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan this year.
The importance of such suppliers is likely to be bolstered by the scheduled completion of the Nabucco gas pipeline through Turkey in the early years of the next decade.
The EU is also continuing efforts to draw Ankara into a fledgling arrangement to establish common rules for energy in the south-east of Europe.
The paper says the bloc should also link energy policy and development policy by helping bring renewable energy technology to Africa. It also envisages the launch of a high profile Africa-Europe energy partnership "at the highest level" to help with issues such as security of supply.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: January 9 2007 02:00 Last updated: January 9 2007 02:00
The European Union must bolster its ties with all its energy producing partners to avoid becoming too dependent on any one source, the EU's long-awaited shake-up of energy policy will say on Wednesday.
Although the European Commission's plan does not explicitly spell out Brussels' fears about the dangers of relying increasingly on Russian gas, it calls for the EU to rally round a policy of strengthening ties with alternative producers, particularly with the former Soviet states.
"Energy must become an integral part of all external EU relations," says a draft of the document, which will be presented by José Manuel Barroso, Commission president.
"The EU must therefore develop effective energy relations with all its international partners . . . This means relations broadened in geographical scope and deepened in nature."
The Commission sets outa series of "targeted ini-tiatives", headed by itstroubled attempt to convince Russia to open up its gas market.
It also calls for stronger ties to Norway, a new "strategic energy partnership" with Algeria, the bloc'sthird largest gas supplier, and more extensive EU level contacts with Qatar.
However, the proposal focuses much of its attention on closer ties with central Asia and the Caucasus, including the implementation of recent agreements with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan "to facilitate the transport of Caspian energy resources to the EU".
The draft sets out the ambition of reaching sim-ilar deals with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan this year.
The importance of such suppliers is likely to be bolstered by the scheduled completion of the Nabucco gas pipeline through Turkey in the early years of the next decade.
The EU is also continuing efforts to draw Ankara into a fledgling arrangement to establish common rules for energy in the south-east of Europe.
The paper says the bloc should also link energy policy and development policy by helping bring renewable energy technology to Africa. It also envisages the launch of a high profile Africa-Europe energy partnership "at the highest level" to help with issues such as security of supply.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
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