ISTANBUL - General Staff Deputy Chief General Yasar Buyukanit said on Friday that Turkish people had owned the eastern and southeastern Anatolia since the Ottoman era, adding, ''people of the region have been living with Turkish language for five hundred years. It is really a shame if we have failed to teach them Turkish language.''
General Buyukanit answered questions at the Globalization and International Security Symposium at the War Academies Command.
Recalling that he had explained the difficulty of supervision of broadcast in foreign language during last night's reception at the Harbiye Officers' Club, Buyukanit stressed that Turkish people had owned eastern and southeastern Anatolia since the Ottoman era.
Noting that Kurdish had always been tried to be taught and the main problem occurred in teaching of Turkish, Buyukanit said, ''people of the region have been living with Turkish language for five hundred years. It is really a shame if we have failed to teach them Turkish language.''
He said, ''what should be done is to broadcast language lessons on state television channels under the Copenhagen criteria.''
When recalled of Greece's allegations about violation of its airspace by Turkish planes, Buyukanit said that the General Staff Chief had made the necessary statement on the issue.
When a reported said that Greece had brought the issue to the EU, Buyukanit said Greece might want to have its theses accepted through the EU.
When asked whether or not Greece had launched a campaign about the issue, Buyukanit, ''are they going to start a campaign? We should ask it.''
Buyukanit said, ''if all of us want a world purified from threats and crises, we should accept that it can be possible by overcoming differences in international prosperity and laying the necessary groundwork for peaceful living of all nations. It is a duty of humanity for us to accept this.''
Buyukanit said, ''globalization is not either good or bad. The thing is to direct the process. If you are dragged by the process or if you try to stand as a barrage before the process, you are either dragged to some place or you remain under it. If you develop necessary policies in a position that can direct the process with the policies that you implement, then there is a possibility that you can be a positive part of the globalization. You should not categorically be against it or categorically say that 'it is a project of civilization. Those who oppose it are ignorant and outworn.' Every country has to find its own path in this process. But, it is more correct to evaluate the pluses and minuses instead of discriminating between the good and the bad.''
Globalization was discussed in that dimension for the first time in Turkey, Buyukanit stated.
Buyukanit noted that definition of globalization could not be made although it had been a matter of discussion for so many times.
''Reflections of a fact which we can't define have started to be seen in our land. It has affected our economy, social life and security,'' Buyukanit said.
Asking ''if they were describing the mountain by looking at the sea'' regarding globalization, Buyukanit said that it would be a very dangerous approach.
Buyukanit pointed out that how the current reflections of globalization would shape up the future should be discussed well.
''If all of us want a world purified from threats and crises, we should accept that it can be possible by overcoming differences in international prosperity and laying the necessary groundwork for peaceful living of all nations. It is a duty of humanity for us to accept this. At the same time, improving and making just negotiation atmosphere among nations, preserving and enhancing respect to international organizations particularly U.N., and sovereign equality and territorial integrity of the states are the other sine qua non conditions of success. Collective intelligence requires this. Provided that we show our determination in this direction. Provided that we don't miss any opportunities when we are dealing with the problems,'' Buyukanit added.
(MS-AY-BRC) 30.05.2003