Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s threat to retaliate against anyone in Syria who dares to damage the tomb of Suleyman Shah, grandfather of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire, is the latest manifestation of the Turkish government’s utter hypocrisy.
Here is a country that has committed genocide against millions of its Christian subjects (Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks), confiscated their possessions, occupied their lands, destroyed thousands of churches, cemeteries and cultural monuments, and yet has the audacity to warn Syrians before any damage is done to an ancient Ottoman grave!
While the tomb of every human being must be protected and treated with respect, Davutoglu’s threat is a flimsy excuse to interfere in internal Syrian affairs. Ironically, Suleyman Shah’s grave is located in an area not controlled by the Syrian government, but by al-Qaida Jihadists and other rebel groups who have been aided and armed by Turkey to topple Pres. Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The al-Qaida fighters, who have been clashing with other anti-Assad factions in the region where the Ottoman tomb is located, are the ones destroying graves, since radical Islamists believe that the veneration of tombs is idolatrous.
Turkey considers the plot of land in Syria where Suleyman Shah’s grave is situated to be sovereign Turkish territory based on the 1921 Treaty of Ankara signed between Turkey and France, which was occupying Syria at that time. According to that agreement, Turkey had the right to station guards and hoist its flag at that site. Ever since 1921, two dozen Turkish soldiers have been guarding the tomb around the clock.
Article 9 of the Ankara Treaty allocated to Turkey around 80,000 square feet of Syrian territory, 60 miles south of the Syrian-Turkish border. When the area around the tomb was flooded in 1974 by the newly-built Lake Assad, the grave was moved to a new location, 20 miles from the Turkish frontier. Despite the ongoing hostilities in Syria, Turkey has continued to maintain a contingent of its soldiers at the tomb.
In return for giving Turkey territorial rights over this ancient site, France obtained several economic concessions, including the right to have French companies manage the railroad traffic in parts of Turkey and exploit iron, chrome and silver mines for the next 99 years. This questionable trade-off may not be legal under international law, since a colonial power is bartering with someone else’s territory!
The 1921 Treaty also established “a special administrative regime” for Turks living in the district of Alexandretta, which was Syrian territory under the French mandate. In 1939, Alexandretta was completely severed from Syria and officially ceded to Turkey as the Hatay Province. After its independence from France in 1946, the Syrian government acknowledged Turkish sovereignty over the land where Suleyman Shah’s grave is located, but never accepted the give-away of Alexandretta to Turkey.
In a press conference held in Van last Friday, Foreign Minister Davutoglu warned that any attack on the Ottoman-era tomb in Syria “from the [Syrian] regime, radical groups or anyone else would be subject to retaliation from Turkey. In defending its sovereign territory, Turkey will take all necessary measures without any hesitation…. At the present time, there is no question of any intrusion targeting our territory [the tomb in Syria] and our soldiers, but we stand ready to take whatever steps needed in the event of a threat. The Turkish public need have no doubt in this regard.” Meanwhile, officials from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, General Staff, and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) met on March 13 to discuss the security of the Shah’s grave. Although Davutoglu did not specify what measures Turkey would take, the Turkish media speculated that it might send additional troops to guard their revered site.
In my view, Davutoglu’s threat is simply an exercise in saber-rattling against Syria in order to draw the Turkish public’s attention away from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent scandalous and possibly criminal behavior, on the eve of the March 30 municipal elections in Turkey.
Harut Sassounian
I also see hypocrisy from Mr Sassounian here. If he is genuinely interested in the issues involving the past and ongoing destruction of Christian culture in Turkey, or of anyone’s culture anywhere, why does he indulge in tawdry articles like this, belittling concerns about the protection of a site that is of cultural importance to Turkey? As Sassounian himself acknowledges, Islamist groups operating in the area, and their sponsors, have a considerable recent history of destroying historical sites, be it in Saudi Arabia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Mali, or Syria. What is the purpose of this article? Is he implying that it is acceptable that this site be destroyed as some sort of punishment for past destructions by Turks? Is he implying that Turks have no right to expect sites that are important to them be protected given their own disinclination to protect sites that are important to others? Is he implying that Turks are incapable of having such concerns and that it is all a ruse to cover something else? Or is it nothing more that another example of Sassounian trying to piggy-back his usual anti-Turkey-no-matter-what agenda onto any news story he can get his hands on?
You know sometimes it isn’t all about you. The grave is Turkish territory. An attack on the grave would be an attack on Turkish land. We have the right to protect it.
Whoever that so called Steve is, first, ought to cleanse his soul, mind, and venomous vocabulary, and syntax from
extremely chauvinistic, prejudiced, self-righteous, delusionary, and misleading content, and study the Ottoman
history with unbiased, uncloudy, un-distorting magnifying eye-glasses in order to see, and comprehend the real,
un-adulterated truths, and if he’s endowed with intellectual honesty, and integrity, after cleansing his soul , humbly
should face the indisputable archived facts, and confess all the atrocities of his ancestors, and make amends.
{“ The grave is Turkish territory. An attack on the grave would be an attack on Turkish land. We have the right to protect it.”}
(RVDV // March 20, 2014 at 2:28 pm // )
RVDV:
You are quite right: by signed treaties, that piece of land inside Syria is considered Turkish territory.
So the State of Turkey would technically have the Casus belli.
But I am a little puzzled at your reaction to Mr. Sassounian’s article.
Isn’t it a fact that there have been several terrorist bombings at the crossings of Turkey-Syria border since the civil war in Syria started ?
Don’t remember the total, but something like 3-4.
Inside the territory of Turkey.
Reyhanlı bombing alone claimed about 50 killed.
Turkish citizens.
What has Turkey done about it ? Nothing really. (covered it up: wander why)
Isn’t it also true that Turkey has been a conduit for fighters (al-Qaida Jihadists) and war supplies going to Syria ?
The same bunch that is now in control of the area where the tomb is ?
Isn’t it true Turkey was very actively involved, at the behest of US/NATO, in fomenting trouble in Syria ?
Why would Syrian Gov do anything to buy more trouble ? (“…any attack on the Ottoman-era tomb in Syria “from the [Syrian] regime,…”, said Davutoglu)
Turkey got in bed with al-Qaida Jihadists, sent them to Syria, and is now threatening Syrian Gov, because what Turkey’s terrorists-for-hire might do ?
You know the term CIA uses for that, right ? Blowback*.
So isn’t Mr. Sassounian’s preposition that Turkey is just grasping at some flimsy excuse to invade Syria and grab more land that belongs to others – plausible ?
Turkey has never used flimsy excuses before to grab 40% of others’ land, Right ? (paging Cyprus, paging Cyprus……)
Now since we are on the subject of tombs and such, let me ask what you think about the following:
[Armenian cemetery in Turkey is destroyed]
http://news.am/eng/news/114714.html
{An Armenian cemetery was destroyed to build a new road in the Eruh region of the country’s Siirt (Sghert) Province, the Turkish Aykiridogrular website informs. }
[Türkiye’de Ermeni mezarlığı tahribatlarına, insan kemiklerinin ortalığa saçılmasına devam ediliyor]
http://www.aykiridogrular.com/haber-1063-Turkiyede-Ermeni-mezarligi-tahribatlarina-insan-kemiklerinin-ortaliga-sacilmasina-devam-ediliyor.html#.Uytyt6hdW1x
——————-
FOOTNOTE
*[Third assailant captured after suspected Al-Qaeda attack on gendarmerie in central Turkey] (HDN March/21/2014)
{Interior Minister Efkan Ala has announced that a third assailant has been captured, following a suspected al-Qaeda attack on a gendarmerie unit in the Central Anatolian province of Niğde on March 20, which left three dead and five injured.}
“So isn’t Mr. Sassounian’s preposition that Turkey is just grasping at some flimsy excuse to invade Syria and grab more land that belongs to others – plausible ?”
Nope. Like you said, there have been incidents before, ones that could have warranted military action, but Turkey did not act. (Or US/NATO said not to). Why now? Because Erdogan’s approval ratings are down due to the scandal? I’m inclined to believe Turkish people are smart enough to see through that. The public does not want a war with Syria, they know we’d only be doing the dirty work for the west.
“Turkey has never used flimsy excuses before to grab 40% of others’ land, Right ? (paging Cyprus, paging Cyprus……)”
Not really. Greece sponsors an overthrow of a legitimate regime because they want enosis and then its Turkey’s fault? No, it Greece’s fault. They played with fire and they got burned. Does Turkey deserve blame? Absolutely. But we didn’t start this mess, not this time.
Some quotes:
Archbishop and President of Cyprus prior to the invasion, Makarios III:
“The military regime of Greece has callously violated the independence of Cyprus. Without trace of respect for the democratic rights of the Cypriot people, without trace of respect for the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, the Greek junta has extended its dictatorship to Cyprus.”
“The coup did not come about under such circumstances as to be considered an internal matter of the Greek Cypriots. It is clearly an invasion from outside, in flagrant violation of the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus”
Yes. The President of Cyprus said GREECE invaded his country.
“After the coup, the agents of the Greek regime in Cyprus appointed a well-known gun-man, Nicos Samson as President, who in turn appointed as ministers known elements and supporters of the terrorist organisation ‘EOKA B'”
Nikos Sampson- new President of Cyprus- a gunman. EOKA B- Terrorists. These are all his words.
Finally, and most telling, Makarios III on the Cyprus problem and Greek-Turkish negotiations:
“But how could there be any progress in the talks while the policy on Cyprus of the regime in Athens has been DOUBLE-FACED? It was agreed by all the parties concerned that the talks were taking place on the basis of independence. The regime of Athens also agreed to that, and time and again the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that the position of Greece on this issue was clear. If that were the case, why had the military regime of Greece created and supported the terrorist organisation ‘EOKA B’, whose purpose was stated to be the union of Cyprus with Greece and whose members called themselves ‘unionists’?”
“The coup of the Greek junta is an invasion, and from its consequences the whole people of Cyprus suffers, both Greeks and Turks.”
This is all from a speech Makarios III gave before the UN security council
http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/history/republic/makarios-speech.html#speech
So, was it a ‘flimsy’ excuse to use military force against a country that had been invaded by a terrorist organization backed by a dictatorship? (Again, terrorist and dictatorship are not my words)
Oh, here’s my favorite quote with regard to Cyprus. This gem is brought to us by Nikos Sampson (in a later interview with a Greek newspaper):
“Had Turkey not intervened I would not only have proclaimed Enosis but I would have annihilated the Turks in Cyprus.”
Is this not genocidal hatred? Would you sit back and do nothing if this ideology was in place in a country where 1/3 of the population is your ethnic kin?
I feel sorry for the people of Cyprus- Greek and Turk. They didn’t deserve what happened in 1974. I blame those cowards in Athens. And by cowards I mean Turkey took over 40% of the island in 3 days and they did basically nothing. I blame Turkey for not taking more measures, if any, to resolve the conflict. I also blame the UK, who like Turkey and Greece had the power to intervene in Cyprus, per the treaty, and did nothing.
Also, and finally, my position on Cyprus has always been clear: the initial invasion was justified by Turkey. Everything since is not ok.
From wikipedia:
“The United Nations Security Council has challenged the legality of Turkey’s action, because Article Four of the Treaty of Guarantee gives the right to guarantors to take action with the sole aim of re-establishing the state of affairs.[58] The aftermath of Turkey’s invasion, however, did not safeguard the Republic’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but had the opposite effect: the de facto partition of the Republic and the creation of a separate political entity in the north.”
The problems of legality arise once Turkey had control over a portion of the island, NOT with the invasion, and then did not reestablish normal state affairs. Had Turkey reestablished “normal state affairs” I think the excerpt is saying Turkey would have acted within its legal rights when it invaded.
What part of “Turkish soil” was not clear? When exactly Davutoglu or any Turkish official showed insensitvity towards desruction of graves of any kind anywhere? Steve is right.
It´s interesting how many Turks or Turkfans ar controlling Sassounians article about this old grave. If you placed it near to the Turkish border anyhow, why did you not choose a place inside Turkey ? You would have saved the money you have to spend for your soldiers ! Or is it a special Turkish reason to post soldiers in Syria ???
And why are you not controlling the financial crimes of Erdogan. I guess that´s a field on which Turks should concentrate at present.
Armenians want to bash Turks at every opportunity. This is no exception. Sovereign Turkish land is sovereign Turkish land. It is what it is. What does it have to do with armenians?
Actually, it’s the Turk posters on here, who are trying to bash Mr. Sassounian. And the reason why they’re trying to do this, along with creating a big, ridiculous theater over the grave of the Ottoman Terrorist Empire’s founding dog father, is because they’re desperate to take attention away from the enormous number of Armenian churches, graveyards, and khachkars, destroyed by their criminal nation. That just comes to show what a horrible hypocrite the Turkish nation truly is.
Yes and No: we do not want to bash ordinary Turks, at every or any opportunity. We have no issue or quarrel with ordinary, non-Denialist Turks.
However, we will bash the Denialist State of Turkey, and denialist Turkish NGOs, and denialist individual Turks, at any opportunity, at every opportunity, and twice on Sundays.
And everything connected to the Denialist State of Turkey necessarily has to do with Armenians: your Turk ancestors invaded our lands, murdered 2 million of our Armenian ancestors (1915-1923) in order to steal their lands, their real estate, their gold, their children….everything.
Get used to it: until the Account is settled we, Diaspora Armenians, will be in your face.
Every day.
Until the Account is settled.
And it will get worse for yous every year.
And there is nothing yous denialist Turks can do about it.
We are immune from retaliation.
Tell your denialist friends.
Read this by your fellow non-denialist Turk/Laz, denialist Turk ‘code46’.
You might understand why we will continue, quote, ‘bashing’, until the Fat Lady Sings.
[The Insufferable Shame of Being a Turk ] (Turk/Laz poet Serkan Engin)
http://paperboatsofpoetry.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-insufferable-shame-of-being-turk.html
{ Turks and Kurds have killed their own neighbours, raped their little girls, burned alive little children and women….}
{ From the beginning of their history, Turks were trouble makers to all those near them. Turks have lived by grabbing the neighbouring lands, killing many people, raping their women, making their children slaves,…}
Have nice day, Turk.
code 46
You´ve got nothing to do with history, right?
If you occupy an area, kill its population there, including old people, children and even babies how do you call that? And if you try to forget your crime for a 100 years, what do you expect the whole world thinks about such people ? Do you really think that Turkey will EVER enter the European Union? Forget it ! Europa is proud that it passed
these rotten times and NOBODY with a turkish like behaviour ever belongs to Europe. And NONE of Europes many Governments has a different oppinion about that ! Give up hope that Turkey could split European nations ! Ask citizens of the EU – and find out how much they like Turkey ! Only people you bribed in the last decades like Turkey and how many do you think are that ?