Relations With Iran

The long lasting feud between Iran and Turkey reached a positive note in August of 1999 as Iran released two Turkish prisoners which it had held for 19 days. This gesture could prove to be an act of reconciliation on the eve of security talks between the two countries. On July 18, after an attack in which Turks bombed a military post and tribal encampment Iran, the soldiers were detained as they crossed the border.

Turkey's take on the story is a little bit different. According to Turkish officials, the warplanes had attacked a Kurdish rebel base and not the Iranian military post. Turkey claimed that Iranian officers had been training Kurdish rebels from Turkey at the base, and that the soldiers had accidentally crossed the border. At present, Turkey is trying to force Iran to end its supposed support for the Kurdish rebels. The rebels have been fighting for autonomy in the southeast area of Turkey since 1984 but moved bases to Iran after being forced out of Syria in October of 1997.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

On July 15, 1999, the Turkish Grand National Assembly convened with a special agenda on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation. This operation was undertaken in order to end the years of religious and ethnic cleaning of Turkish existence on the island and in the face of a coup d'etat launched to destroy Cyprus and annex the island to Greece. Operation such as this one have since then been used by NATO in a similar operation of Kosovo against the Serbian people. So, due to the operation, the last twenty-five years in Cyprus have been without bloodshed. Many groups have tried terrorist attempts within the borders of Cyprus, yet Turkey has kept a peaceful approach towards the matter. Turkey and Cyprus have simultaneously decided that a lasting settlement safeguarding the two sides of the island will be achieved. Opposed to this reconciliation is the Greek Cypriot who wants to establish its presence in Cyprus. Greece continues to use the PKK terror organization to threaten the stability in the island and in the region.

No matter what Greece's actions are, Turkey has all the legitimate rights and interests of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, including that of statehood and security, and will not allow itself to be undermined. So, through the Cyprus Peace Operation, a just, viable, and peaceful settlement is under way.