Turkey Prepares to Fight Back, Develops 4-Point Plan to Put Pressure
on Washington

15:54 – 06.03.10

In the aftermath of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee approving a
resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Ankara has announced
that it is preparing 4 countermeasures aimed at increasing pressure on
Washington. This `pressure plan’ is to be discussed in Turkey’s
Council of Ministers (cabinet) on March 8.

According to Turkish daily Sabah, the plan, comprised of `Political,’
`Economic,’ `Strategic,’ and `Military’ pressure, will review Turkey’s
involvement in different sectors.

Economic measures include determining "new alternatives" in trade
between Turkey and the United States. In the energy sphere, Ankara
will favor closer ties with Moscow, reports Russian news source Ria
Novosti.

On the military front, the decision on bilateral cooperation,
especially in Afghanistan, will be put on hold, but use of Turkey’s
air space and restriction of activities in its military bases "are on
the table." Ankara expects that collaborative efforts between Western
powers and Iran will also be weighed down.

Other measures include Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan possibly
not attending the Global Nuclear Security Summit, which will be held
on April 11-14 in Washington.

Tert.am