TURKEY’S IMPORTANCE FOR USA EXPLAINED BY ANTAGONISM OF RUSSIA
By H. Chaqrian

AZG Armenian Daily
10/04/2007

On April 4 "Azg" has once already referred to an article by Turkish
political scientist Hasan Koni, entitled "The Armenian Issue and
Turkey’s International Status".

The author of the article considers the issue of the Armenian Genocide
from the positions of official policy of denial. He refers to the
Genocide as "mass deportation of Armenians", which was necessity of the
World War I. In order to conceal the real nature of the "deportation"
and reduce the number of victims he reminds of the Armenians that
accepted Islam.

Koni writes: "Who don’t know who they are [Muslim Armenians]. They
count from 300 to 400 thousand people. For example our Alavi
brothers, inhabiting the Hakkyar region, are Muslim Armenians. The
Government of Turkey does not speak of this so as not to disturb
the citizens. Probably, there are turncoat Armenians among the
high-ranking officials of Turkey. Nothing of them is said either. In
general, Armenians that accepted Islam are not taken into account
when considering the Armenian Question."

Koni’s views on the role of Turkey in South Caucasus and Central Asia
are also interesting. He considers that Turkey is a link between the
East and the West, and if the USA want to make investments in Asia,
they should first come to Turkey.

Speaking of the downfall of the USSR, Koni recollects that in
those times the South Caucasus, except Armenia, had pro-Turkish
orientation. After Russia’s interference to the processes in South
Caucasus, Turkey lost the region because of failing to provide
assistance to pro-Turkish forces. He says that the USA needs Turkey
for so as to supervise Israel on the Mediterranean, to control energy
sources and balance Russia on the Black Sea, in South Caucasus, the
Balkans and Central Asia, taking into account large Turkish-Speaking
population in those regions.

In case Russia puts and end to its antagonism with the USA, the
importance of Turkey will also be diminished.

"If Putin comes to agreement with us and Russia becomes a Western
state, Turkey is lost. In case democracy is established in Iran,
probably Iranians will gain our preferences n energy sources,"
confessed an American politician to Koni.