TURKISH DAILY NEWS: ARMENIA ONLY ALTERNATIVE FOR TURKEY
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.10.2008 16:42 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It could be argued that the latest developments
will damage Turkey and Turkey’s Caucasus and Central Asia policies
as much as it did Georgia. In addition to the economic problems,
Turkey’s political course of action/vision and infrastructure,
which have been developed over the last decade with huge effort and
occasionally ambiguously, are under threat of collapse, analyst Mitat
Celikpala wrote in an editorial in the Turkish Daily News.
"Turkey’s connection with Azerbaijan and Central Asia is weakening
and there is a possibility that its policy to form a secure line might
collapse. Georgia’s instability and civil war is more of a threat to
Turkey than a Georgia without territorial integrity. Georgia-centered
instability and disorder will force Turkey to choose between different
alternatives, though clearly there are few to choose from. The
possibility of diversifying relations with Iran is seriously limited
by the U.S., and to a certain extent by Iran’s policy choices and
attitudes.
The only alternative that remains is Armenia. The acceleration
of secret and indirect negotiations with Armenia to overcome the
problems and progress in the resolution of problems between Armenia and
Azerbaijan could be expected. The Armenian Diaspora and relations with
Russia will be the major roadblocks in this process. In this context,
the policies towards Azerbaijan will be another restriction. It must be
stressed that Georgian leader Saakashvili has led himself, his country,
Turkey and his allies onto a problematic path. The negotiations,
which will be the result of the interaction of multiple unknowns,
will result in a different Georgia and Caucasus. This process, in
which the EU and USA will have an influential role, is filled with
questions about the situation of Abkhazians and Ossetians, as well
as Georgians. Turkey certainly needs to find its place at the table;
Turkey’s regional interests are too important to be left to even
its closest allies to defend. Providing decision-makers with daily,
reliable and constructive alternatives is just as important as swift
and correct decision-making," the article says.