Cyprus-Forum.com

[Nikitas]

Sveral posters have mentioned the brilliance of Turkish foreign minister Davutoglu and see him as a source of hope due to his enlightened views.

Well these are excerpts from Mr Davutoglu's book, recently translated into Greek, title Strategic Depth.

"Cyprus is a stable base, an air craft carrier able to control the Persian Gulg, the Caspian Sea region and the sea lanes of Aden and Hormuz.... geopolitically and geostrategically Turkey must control Cyprus even if there were not a single Moslem on the island".

"Turkey must be ready to respond with the necessary toughness to anyone who threatens its strateigc objective".

And what are these strategic objectives? In the book Davutoglu describes the future Turkey as an islamic nation, which mobilizes the remnants of Ottomans in Balkan countries towards changes that "cannot exclude any possibility" and proposes a peaceful displacement of Greece in the Aegean.

First we had Taksim and Enosis of the north in Cyprus. Now we see Megali Idea being promoted by the Turkish FM who wants to reinstate Turkish influence in its former imperial colonies. Now, this is a guy that some consider enlightened. Saints preserve us from those that are not!

[BirKibrisli]

What year was that book published,Nikitas...?
Those ideas do not match his recent rhetoric about wanting "zero problems with Turkey's neighbours"...He is very highly regarded by influential and sensible Turkish journalists who wouldn't have a bar of his Islamic ambitions...

[Oracle]

What year was that book published,Nikitas...?
Those ideas do not match his recent rhetoric about wanting "zero problems with Turkey's neighbours"...He is very highly regarded by influential and sensible Turkish journalists who wouldn't have a bar of his Islamic ambitions...

Perhaps Turkey has moved on from having Cyprus as a neighbour to it being considered a Turkish province. Such rhetoric and expectations for good-neighbourliness (as Turkish boundaries keep expanding) would seal its most recent acquisition. Behaving as though they don't know what everyone else is moaning about. Cyprus has been swallowed by Turkey and it had nothing to do with the presence of "a single Moslem"!

[Except now there are 70 Million able to flow through Cyprus]. Thanks "TCs"!

[Nikitas]

The book has just been published in Greece. It was reviewed in the press yesterday with extensibve excerpts and analyses by reviewers.

The phrase "zero problems" had an obvious meaning, as of today it has several possible meanings. But the surprise is the Islamist slant that is involved in his vew of national strategy.

A perennial aspect of Turkish regional policy is the insistence on looking outwards, while it has a huge and presumably underdeveloped hinterland. Have all the problems of this vast area been solved and now Turkey wants to "displace Greece" from some small and generally unproductive islands in the Aegean? One must wonder at this approach and its usefulness for the nation and its people. My personal take is that the elite, who live, invest and move in Istanbul and western coastal cities neglect the east of Turkey and do not see it as a worthwhile area for investment or development which explains why 15 million people are crowded in Istanbul.

[kurupetos]

At least he is honest, unlike most Turks.

[BirKibrisli]

The book has just been published in Greece. It was reviewed in the press yesterday with extensibve excerpts and analyses by reviewers.

The phrase "zero problems" had an obvious meaning, as of today it has several possible meanings. But the surprise is the Islamist slant that is involved in his vew of national strategy.

A perennial aspect of Turkish regional policy is the insistence on looking outwards, while it has a huge and presumably underdeveloped hinterland. Have all the problems of this vast area been solved and now Turkey wants to "displace Greece" from some small and generally unproductive islands in the Aegean? One must wonder at this approach and its usefulness for the nation and its people. My personal take is that the elite, who live, invest and move in Istanbul and western coastal cities neglect the east of Turkey and do not see it as a worthwhile area for investment or development which explains why 15 million people are crowded in Istanbul.

I am wondering though about the original publishing date...The views you reported on Cyprus smell of the 80s...The fear about displacing Greece from some islands too do not match the opinions expressed by Erdogan during his recent visit to Greece...The reason why the elite do not invest in the East is simple...The political situation is not stable...Those are primarily Kurdish areas with the added danger of PKK activities...But that doesn't mean to excuse the government itself for neglecting those parts...

[DT.]

The book has just been published in Greece. It was reviewed in the press yesterday with extensibve excerpts and analyses by reviewers.

The phrase "zero problems" had an obvious meaning, as of today it has several possible meanings. But the surprise is the Islamist slant that is involved in his vew of national strategy.

A perennial aspect of Turkish regional policy is the insistence on looking outwards, while it has a huge and presumably underdeveloped hinterland. Have all the problems of this vast area been solved and now Turkey wants to "displace Greece" from some small and generally unproductive islands in the Aegean? One must wonder at this approach and its usefulness for the nation and its people. My personal take is that the elite, who live, invest and move in Istanbul and western coastal cities neglect the east of Turkey and do not see it as a worthwhile area for investment or development which explains why 15 million people are crowded in Istanbul.

I am wondering though about the original publishing date...The views you reported on Cyprus smell of the 80s...The fear about displacing Greece from some islands too do not match the opinions expressed by Erdogan during his recent visit to Greece...The reason why the elite do not invest in the East is simple...The political situation is not stable...Those are primarily Kurdish areas with the added danger of PKK activities...But that doesn't mean to excuse the government itself for neglecting those parts...

its his new book bir. Got reported here a week ago.

[Acikgoz]

Book was published in 2001. 9 years ago.

[Nikitas]

I have always wondered about people who seem to be so super productive. Being the foreign minister of a nation like Turkey seems like a full time job, where does this man get the time to write yet another book? He is not the only one, there are many examples of people who are similarly super productive.

Maybe his appointment opened up the market for his older writings. At least this is a legitimate way to profit from public office.

[Acikgoz]

Just looked up, he was a professor when he wrote the book in 2001, that was the year AKP was founded. In 2003 he took up a post as ambassador for Turkey.

When you look at their supprt for the Annan plan it would appear that the objectives quoted were willing to be compromised. Makes one think if the policy has been rethought somewhat - obviously there are different perspective between an academic and a praticing policy maker.

The current deal with Brazil and Iran is both groundbreaking yet gives pause for thought as to their stepping out with less consideration of the standard major powers that be.