From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 12/25/2007 3:02 AM
Turkey set to recognize Kosovo's independence Friday, December 14, 2007
BARÇIN YİNANÇ ISTANBUL – Turkish Daily News
Those who have houses of glass should not throw stones at their neighbors. The Turkish public became familiar with this Russian saying when Moscow's ambassador to Ankara reacted to Turkey's Chechnya policy back in the first half of the 1990s.
The implication was clear: Facing a separatist threat from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, (PKK) Turkey's critical stance against Moscow's iron fist policy regarding Chechnya angered Russians.
With Kosovo's declaration of independence seen only months if not weeks away, some countries will be wary of recognizing the breakaway Serb province for fear of setting a precedent that could ultimately undermine their own territorial integrity. It seems Turkey is not among them. “There is no parallelism between the Kosovo problem and the Kurdish problem. Our policy on Kosovo is designed totally independent of our internal problems,” said a Turkish official, who did not want to be named.
The West supports independence for the Albanian-majority territory and it seems Turkey will not wait long, once European Union member states and the United States recognize Kosovo's independence.
Despite the fact that EU leaders are expected to emerge from Friday's summit without agreement on the future of Kosovo, Turkish officials seem confident that both the declaration of independence and the recognition by the West is on an irreversible course.
“Kosovo is at the point of no return. It's been de facto independent,” said a Turkish diplomat.
Kosovo, which has a 90 percent Albanian majority, has been in legal limbo under U.N. administration since NATO bombing in 1999 pushed out Serbian forces to end ethnic cleansing.
“Turkey is in an awkward position. As far as the Cyprus issue is concerned, it will be a positive development, but as far as northern Iraq is concerned, it should not make Turkey happy, “ said Sabri Sayarı from Sabancı University. Kosovo's independence will strengthen the hands of northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey. It will also strengthen the hands of the northern Iraqi Kurds, whose aspiration for independence is fiercely opposed by Turkey, which fears its own Kurdish population might be affected by developments next door.
“Independence of Kosovo has the risk of setting a precedent for other breakaway regions. But I don't think that will stop Turkey from recognizing Kosovo. The Kurdish issue and the situation in Kosovo are not the same,” said Sayarı.
“Every case is different. Making generalizations is not right,” said a high level Foreign Ministry official to the Turkish Daily News.
“Because the West insists Kosovo's independence will not set a precedent, it will contrary to expectations oppose similar demands from other breakaway regions,” said another diplomat from the ministry.
But Russia says unilateral recognition could trigger a "chain reaction" of problems around the world and in fact threatens to recognize Abkhazia, which is seeking independence from Georgia.
Some of the breakaway regions are near Turkey, such as the Transdniestria in Moldova, Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia and Nagorno Karabakh in Azerbaijan. On the Nagorno Karabakh dispute Turkey supports the Azerbaijani government that lost control over the Armenian dominated region.
Ahmet Evin of Istanbul Policy Center believes part of the West's policies on Kosovo is influenced by Russian support to Serbia. “A strong Serbia backed by Russia could be a factor of instability in the eyes of the Europeans,” said Evin. He believes Turkey will recognize Kosovo's independence, since taking an opposite stance will put it in the same position as Russia.
The presence of many Turks with origins in the Balkans will be another factor pushing Turkey to recognize Kosovo's independence. “Turkey might not be the first one to recognize Kosovo. But non recognition will cause resentment among those of Balkan decent,” said Turan of Istanbul Bilgi University.
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