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The following is a selection of entries from daily reports over the last month.
Turkey's New Chief Of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug: Nobody Should Make TSK A Tool For Politics
During his three-and-a-half-hour-long meeting on Tuesday with media executives and representatives, the chief of Turkish General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug spoke about many issues from the EU to Georgia, from terrorism to the motion enabling cross-border operations. On the EU, Basbug said, "for the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), full EU membership is an important means to climb above the level of contemporary civilizations - a goal set by Ataturk" and added that the EU should not make demands that would weaken Turkey’s nation state and its unitary state structures. On politics, Basbug said that none of the country's institutions, including the media, should make politics over the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). Basbug said, "Nobody can use the TSK to serve his/her own interests. Martyrs should not be used as a tool for cheap politics."
Source: Radikal, Sabah, Milliyet, Turkey, September 17, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9928.htm
Nasrallah: Impossible To Determine Consequences Of Israeli Attack
In an interivew, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah told Iranian TV that it was impossible to determine what the consequences would be of an Israeli attack on Lebanon, Iran, Syria, or the Gaza Strip. He said that the possibility of war with Israel depended on regional and international circumstances and events, including Iran's nuclear dossier, the indirect Syria-Israel negotiations, developments in Gaza, the situation in Palestine, and even the Russia-Georgia war.
Source: Al-Safir, Lebanon, September 9, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9722.htm
Proposal In Kremlin: Russian Military Presence In Iran Under Iran-Russia Military Alliance
The Iranian website Asr-e Iran reported that the head of the Moscow-based Center for Studies on Modern Iran, Rajab Safarov, has presented to the Kremlin a proposal to establish an Iran-Russia strategic and military alliance, following the tension between Russia and the West in the Caucasus and the possibility of Georgia and Ukraine joining NATO.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9624.htm
Turkey Moves Ahead With "Unsatisfactory" Caucasus Diplomacy
The shuttle diplomacy by PM Erdogan following the war, encompassing visits to Moscow and Tbilisi, will be followed up in Istanbul this week, with back-to-back visits of the Georgian and Russian foreign ministers.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9543.htm
Russia Warns Turkey On U.S. Ships In Black Sea
Russia's deputy military chief Anatoly Nogovitsyn said that the NATO warships' entrance to the Black Sea is a "serious threat" to his country's security. He said that under the Montreux Convention, signed in 1936 on the status of the Turkish Straits, the warships can only stay in the Black Sea for 21 days, and added, "I would like to reiterate that if the NATO ships continue to stay in the Black Sea after the expiration of 21 day-period, Turkey will be held responsible."
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9487.htm
'Mujahideen Services Bureau' Advises Mujahideen in Chechnya to Carry Out Attacks in Moscow and Target Russian Troops in Georgia
On August 19, 2008 the Islamist forum Al-Ikhlas posted a letter from an organization calling itself the "Mujahideen Services Bureau" to the mujahideen in Chechnya. The letter contained a number of recommendations, including targeting Russian troops in Georgia in order to rekindle fighting between Georgian and Russian forces.
[To view the rest of the report, visit the IWM page]
http://www.memriiwmp.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=406
Sudan Parliament Expresses Support For Russia's Operations In Georgia
The Sudanese parliament has issued an announcement stating that Russia's military operation in Georgia is legitimate, and that Russia has the right to defend its citizens.
The announcement condemned the "genocide" perpetrated by the Georgians against innocent civilians, and attacked the countries with anti-Russian stances, saying that they were the same ones that supported the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Source: Sudantribune.com, August 16, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9246.htm
Iranian Paper Analyzes Russia-Georgia War
The editor of the Iranian daily Kayhan, Hossein Shariatmadari, who is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, wrote in the paper's editorial that the Russia-Georgia war was a pivotal event in the regional and international arena.
The editorial noted that the U.S., Europe, and the Zionist lobby had sacrificed their ally Georgia for fear of their own interests, and stated that this was a lesson for the group in Iran that thinks that closeness to the U.S., establishing relations with it, and relying on it are the key to solving Iran's problems.
Further, the editorial stated, the Russian response, manifested by continued fighting, the rejection of a ceasefire, and the spread of the fighting to Tbilisi, indicates Russia's aspiration to again be a world power and a strategic change in its policy, which up until now been tolerant, towards the policy of the American takeover of the Caucasus.
The editorial noted that the Russian response could be perceived as against the American plan for positioning a missile defense system in the region.
Source: Kayhan, Iran, August 12, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/9143.htm
The Turkish Media Blog
U.S. State Dept: Turkey Permits U.S. Naval Vessels Passage Through Straits
Turkey had denied passage through the Bosphorus to two Georgia-bound naval hospital ships, so as not to violate the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention that does not allow military or heavy vessels into the Black Sea, as well as preventing the passage of Russian naval ships to the Mediterranean. Negotiations were being held between the U.S. and Turkey as well as with other NATO allies to find a solution while abiding with the agreement.
U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood disclosed today that Turkey has agreed to allow passage to three U.S. navy vessels, two of which are used as hospitals.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry official confirmed that the U.S. vessels carrying humanitarian aid would pass through the Bosphorus on Friday, August 22 on their way to Georgia. He added that tomorrow two Spanish ships would also pass through the straits into Black Sea. It is reported that the said ships are under the tonnage limit set by the Montreux Convention and thus there were no concerns of a breach.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry is expected to issue a statement tomorrow on the matter.
Source: Hurriyet, Zaman, Turkey, August 20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9310.htm
Turkey Once Again Says "Nyet" To Allowing Passage To U.S.
Turkey has rejected a U.S. request to allow passage through the Bosphorus straits into the Black Sea for U.S. vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Georgia.
Likewise, it denied NATO naval forces permission to use the straits for deployment in the Black Sea.
Previously, on March 1, 2003, the Turkish parliament, with an absolute AKP majority, said "No" to allowing U.S. forces passage to northern Iraq over Turkish territory – a decision that caused a crisis of confidence in the relations between the two countries that did not heal for a long time. At the time, the Pentagon accused Turkey of changing the course of the war in Iraq due to the inability of the U.S. forces to open a northern front into Iraq. Today a similar crisis is brewing between the two NATO allies.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9295.htm
Source: Hurriyet, Turkey, August 19, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9295.htm
U.S. Presses An Unwilling Turkey To Allow Passage To Black Sea For NATO Naval Vessels
The U.S. is putting pressure on Turkey for the deployment of NATO navy forces in the Black Sea for patrol missions. Turkey is concerned that such move would breach the Montreux Convention and eventually harm its sovereign rights on the straits. Turkey has long opposed the deployment of NATO navy forces on the Black Sea, saying that the region is safe and that the patrols of Blackseafor, formed by contributions of the countries surrounding the Black Sea, is sufficient. However, the recent clashes between Georgia and Russia have weakened Turkey's thesis, prompting the U.S. to relaunch its bid for deployment of NATO forces to the BlackSea. The 1936 Montreux Agreement limits the total weight of warships of any country that does not border the Black Sea to 45,000 tons. The Bosphorus Straits, within Turkey's territorial waters, are considered one of the most strategic waterways in the world, and according to the Montreux Convention Turkey has sovereignty over them.
Unnamed U.S. officials were quoted last week as saying that Turkey had been "sluggish and unresponsive" in granting permission for two U.S. hospital ships to carry humanitarian aid to Georgia. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Friday that Ankara was cooperating with countries sending humanitarian aid to Georgia and that no request had been denied. According to Turkish media reports, Turkey is operating under the terms of the Montreux convention that regulates international traffic through the straits, and also is making every effort not to harm its relations with Russia.
Source: Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet, Turkey, August 18-19, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9292.htm
Ahmadinejad Dismisses Possibility Of U.S. Attack: 'Americans Could Not Lift A Finger Upon Events In Georgia'
Before Friday’s press conference, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a closed meeting with representatives of Turkish media and think tanks. Reportedly he claimed that if Turkey and Iran could work together in political, economic and technological areas, the Middle East problems would be solved.
At the gathering, Ahmadinejad clearly demonstrated that his firm stance concerning his country's nuclear program had not changed. He delivered a salvo of harsh remarks against both the United States and Israel and told the attendees, "It is not possible for the United States, which even failed to protect its ally Georgia, to attack Iran. The U.S. could not even protect its own ally. U.S. clout in world politics is diminishing. Moreover, it is in a major economic depression. We will see that the U.S. empire will crack and eventually collapse. There is nothing that the US can do against Iran."
Source: Zaman, TDN, Turkey, August 16, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9227.htm
Green Light From Russia, Georgia To Turkish Proposal For Caucasian Union
According to Turkish media reports both Russia and Georgia have given green light to Turkey’s proposal for a Caucasian alliance, as Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan met today with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili after his meeting with Russian president and prime minister in Moscow yesterday.
At a joint press conference with Saakashivili, Erdogan said that Turkey wants to secure peace, and to form a cooperation platform which would serve to develop stability for all countries in the region. He added, "We asked Georgia to participate in this platform. Our proposal was also welcomed by Russia". Erdogan also said that Turkey supports Georgia's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, adding that he would visit Azerbaijan to discuss the security of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.
Erdogan and the accompanying delegation later left Tbilisi for Turkey, where tomorrow he will meet visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Source: Hurriyet, Turkey, August 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9195.htm
Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan Due In Moscow And Tbilisi
Turkish PM Erdogan flew to Moscow today to meet Russian PM Vladimir Putin. Tomorrow he will proceed to Tbilisi to talk to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Erdogan's visits are aimed at making a contribution to the efforts to secure a sustainable peace and stability in the region.
The PM is accompanied by FM Ali Babacan.
Source: Vatan, Hurriyet, Turkey, August 13, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9168.htm
Russians Point Finger At Turkey
Turkish media reported that the Russian press held Turkey and the United States responsible for the war in South Ossetia. The Russian daily Izvestia claimed that Turkey was among the countries that supported Georgia by supplying the country with $45 million worth of weapons and ammunition, as well as training Georgian army officers.
A Russian official directly accused Turkey of giving excessive aid to Georgia. Russia says it understands the trade relations between Turkey and Georgia, but also adds that Turkey supplying military aid is perceived as an unfriendly move.
Turkey has signed a military aid agreement with Georgia which amounted to about two million dollars. Prior to the agreement Turkey provided training to the Georgian army, with the U.S. supplying the weapons. 700 Georgian officers train in Turkey's military academies.
Source: Hurriyet, Turkey, August 11, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9105.htm
Ankara In Tight Spot, Calls For "Caucasus Alliance"
As hostilities continue between Georgia and Russia, Turkey feels under pressure and acts cautiously to avoid harming its strategically important relations with both of the parties in the conflict. Several Turkish dailies reported that PM Tayyip Erdogan had initiated calls to his Georgian and Russian counterparts but that PM Putin had not accepted or returned his call. PM Erdogan denied the reports and said that he had not yet called Putin. Erdogan said that Turkey urged the parties to reach a ceasefire and try to resolve the issues through diplomacy. He also proposed the formation of a "Caucasus Alliance," with U.N. involvement, similar to the one in the Balkans.
It is reported that Turkish FM Ali Babacan spoke to the Georgian and Russian FMs as well as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to explore ways to help ease the tension between the parties.
Source: Zaman, Turkey, August 11, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9104.htm
