Wednesday, August 17, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Gul Says Oppressing Kurds a ‘Mistake’

by Contributor
March 19, 2014
in Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
6
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Turkish President Abdullah Gul

COPENHAGEN, Denmark—Speaking to Danish newspaper Politiken on Saturday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Turkey’s policies towards the country’s Kurdish population have been a mistake.

“I’m brave enough to admit mistakes,” Gul told the newspaper, referring to Turkey’s prohibition of Kurds’ right to speak their own language or to express any Kurdish culture in Turkey, among other oppressive measures that have been implemented against the Kurds for decades.

Instead, Gul said that Kurds in Turkey must be afforded democracy if Turks want peace and control in that region of the country.

“The Kurdish question is about the democratic level. If you raise it, then the problems will fix themselves. If you take away all the reasons to fight, it is clear that the people will be with you,” he told Politiken.

In his interview, Gul also underlined Turkey’s good relations with Iraqi Kurds, calling them “close relatives” of the Turks. Indeed, Turkey has been providing Iraq’s Kurds with supplies, support, and developmental aid, winning favor with that region’s Kurdish leaders. This approach has been widely condemned by Kurdish leaders in Turkey, who point to the obvious “divide and conquer” strategy it reveals.

Many journalists, especially from the pro-Kurdish media, have been arrested in Turkey, highlighting another blot on Turkey human rights record concerning the Kurds. The Turkish president admits problems with the press, while stressing that the press must be free.

“Everyone in this country is free to write and publish, criticize or write their opinions freely. Even those with the toughest positions can freely publish and express their opinions,” Gul told the Danish newspaper.

That statement might be quite the overstatement, however, considering that Turkey was named the world’s number one jailer of journalists for the second consecutive year this year by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Daniella Kuzmanovic, associate professor and Turkey expert at the University of Copenhagen, told Iraqi Kurdish news agency Rudaw that Gul’s statements represent a break with Turkey’s official position, held until the 1990s, that the Kurdish problem was not caused by democratic problems, but socio-economic factors.

“Before, Turkish politicians used to say that the problem would be solved by improving the economy. Now, Gul is emphasizing that the Kurdish issue is solved with more democracy,” she told Rudaw.

According to Sardar Sharif, a PhD researcher in international relations at the University of Dohuk, Gul’s statements must be understood in light of the forthcoming local elections in Turkey on March 30.

“Kurdish areas are on AKP (the ruling Justice and Development Party) focus, and Gul’s political statement at this time appears more as a political maneuver to capture Kurdish voters. Another issue is that AKP also now uses its political relations with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in these elections, which is quite understandable,” he said.

Commenting on the Turkish President’s divergent rhetoric, the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, Aram Hamparian, said: “President Gul’s claim to courage in facing up to Turkey’s sins clearly does not extend to an acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide, much less the willingness of his denialist government to accept its moral and legal responsibilities by agreeing to submit to a truthful, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this still unpunished crime against the Armenian nation.”

The chairman of the American Mesopotamian Organization, David William Lazar, said President Gul “admits to ‪‎Turkish‬ past mistakes towards the Kurds, but [he and his] government would not admit to the Genocide that destroyed three nations.”

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

Young Armenian Women Inspired to Volunteer after ARS Focus Group

Comments 6

  1. GB says:
    8 years ago

    Abdullah, keep forgetting that “Mountain Turks” wants to have their own flag and Independence !

    Reply
  2. Sylva-MD-Poetry says:
    8 years ago

    President Gul denies that he has Armenian Genes…
    But one day his offspring will question him…
    Why he denied?…
    That “Honest Clever Artful gene”…
    Why he put the poor Journalist in prison …
    Because He said, “that he has Turkified Armenian genes…!”

    There is no Turkish Gene
    But there is Armenian Gene
    Seljuk Gene
    Kurdish Gene
    Persian Gene
    Scottish Gene
    Irish Gene…

    There is Turkish nationality…But never Turkish genes
    Like there is ‘No American Genes’ …
    Nationality is never a Gene …

    Let him do His DNA and find his origin …and Never Deny …
    You can never hide anything under the Bright Sunny Sky…

    Note: As recent study showed that Turks have 10% Armenian genes…
    As Seljuk arrived a millennium before confiscated, raped …and changed their genes…

    Sylva~MD~Poetry

    Reply
  3. Hratch says:
    8 years ago

    Actually the Young Turks started the mistake. They thought that unlike the Christian Armenians they could assimilate the Muslim Kurds into Turkish society. Since they were giving up all territories in the Balkans, North Africa and Middle East, they wanted to create a more homogeneous Turkey in Asia Minor.

    The Turks knew that it would be next to impossible to have a large Christian minority without have trouble in the future. The Armenian population would have grown organically and with that would have come unrest and trouble. Inter-marriage and Muslim Christian traditions would have always caused segregation and suspicion. In that they were correct, however the miscalculation came when they assumed that the Muslim minorities were more easy to handle. After all, all they had to do is teach them Turkish and ban Kurdish. Traditions and cultural norms were pretty much consistent between the two groups. In the end, the Kurds became the same problem as they feared would come from the Armenians and other Christian minorities residing in Asia Minor.

    In retrospect, the Turks still believe they had it half right. They could not have managed the suppression of both minorities if the Armenian presents continued. It would have been impossible to fight both groups simultaneously.

    Reply
  4. Alex Postallian says:
    8 years ago

    The ugly turk ghoul,found out oppressing the Kurds a big major populace of the SEWER,has caused many political problems..Now what about the raving maniac,errodoggie…

    Reply
  5. Jack Kalpakian says:
    8 years ago

    Gul and Gulen are Turkish interlocutors who can clearly be worked with. I do not think that they can necessarily be assumed to be friendly, but there is some ground for opening a dialogue. It should be pursued with Gulen first, and Gul once he decides on his own political future.

    Reply
  6. Josef says:
    8 years ago

    Because these monguls know the end is near!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Jack Kalpakian Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Chamlian Kicks Off New School Year

Chamlian Kicks Off New School Year

3 hours ago
Search Continues for Missing People as Armenia Mourns Victims of Market Explosion

Search Continues for Missing People as Armenia Mourns Victims of Market Explosion

4 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • www.asbarez.com
    • August 17, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to