TURKEY CARRIES OUT TRIBAL POLICY TOWARDS ARMENIA (ANALYSIS)
Armen Manvelyan

“Radiolur”
21.03.2006 12:37

As it has been already mentioned, official Washington has again raised
the issue of opening the Armenian-Turkish border. Again it has been
rejected by Turkish authorities. It should be noted that the issue
of opening the Armenian – Turkish border was included in the agenda
of US-Turkey relations long ago.

However, every time the question refers to this, Turkey brings forward
its absurd demands; furthermore, it tries to link the question with
the Karabakh issue. In this regard, it needs to be mentioned that in
the nearest future Turkey will hardly open the border with Armenia,
and there are several reasons for this. First, the relations with
Azerbaijan are important for Turkey. It is linked to Azerbaijan not
only with ethno-tribal similarities, but also with the actively
developing energy ties. This refers to both the Baku-Jeyhan oil
pipeline and the Baku-Erzrum gas pipeline. For a long time Turkey
has been aspiring to become a crossroad of East-West and North-South
energy carriers, and in this context the relations with Azerbaijan
are of strategic importance for Ankara. However, there are deeper
problems here, the most critical of which are the tribal similarities,
which force Turkey to carry out an underlined pro-Azerbaijani foreign
policy. Turning to the issue of “Turkism,” we should note that this
directly contradicts the so-called “Armenism.” Therefore, Turkey
considers every step of Armenia, particularly any success in Armenia’s
foreign policy a threat to its interests, no matter whether this has
to do with Turkey and Azerbaijan or not. Thus, according to Turkish
analysts, military success of Armenia in Karabakh is a direct threat
to their interests, since ” through this step Armenians are trying
to resume the Armenian Issue and return to the idea of creating Mets
(Great) Hayk.” To what extent all this corresponds to reality is a
different issue. It is clear, however, that the Turkish side considers
that the Karabakh issue is first of all a threat to its own interests;
therefore, it is ready for every step to assist Azerbaijan on this
question. Hence, we can say that the close Armenian-Turkish border
is solely the continuation of the 150-year-long policy of Turkey
directed at abolishing the Armenian trace from Small Asia. Simply,
today Ankara has chosen the blockade, since it considers that this
is the best way of exercising pressure over Armenia. Refusal from
the blockade will just mean that Turks have chosen another, in their
view – a more efficient way of pressuring Armenia. That is to say
that speaking about the Armenian-Turkish policy, we have to do not
with Turkey as a separate state, but with the Turkish-Azerbaijani
alliance, which is united against Armenia and carries out a policy
based upon its own tribal interests.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress