Forbes: Ankara doesn't want Obama to win over his pledge to recognize Armenian GenocideSeptember 30, 2008 - 19:04 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - There is no doubt that much of the Muslim world is rooting for Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race, Asli Aydintasbas, an Istanbul-based journalist and former Ankara bureau chief of the newspaper Sabah, writes in "Obama, Turkey And The G-Resolution" published by Forbes magazine. "But here in Turkey, the Obamania in the rest of the Muslim world was quick to fade early in the race. Once intrigued by the young senator and his life story, much of the Ankara establishment and the Turkish elite now say they prefer John McCain to snatch the presidential seat. And all this has little to do with Barack Obama himself," the article says. "Modern Turkey is a nation still sorting through the cultural and political clashes that have emerged with the foundation of a secular modern republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire in 1923. It is a nation accustomed to both domestic and foreign conflict and obsessed with the idea of its loneliness on the world stage. So it is no surprise that, on any given subject under the sun, most Turks would ask, "But is it good for Turkey? In this case, the political establishment in Ankara and Turkey's secular elite seem to think that Barack Obama is not good for Turkey," it goes on. It all has to do with the Armenian issue, according to a Turkish politician. "Barack Obama has pledged he would support a genocide resolution. Worse for Ankara, his running mate Senator Joe Biden has long been an ally of Greek and Armenian lobbies in Washington and sponsored bills questioning Turkish policies on Cyprus and Armenia," he said. "John McCain on the other hand knows Turkey well and can understand our strategic value," the politician added. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |