SYRIAN TURKMENS: POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND MILITARY STRUCTURE SURİYE TÜRKMENLERİ:

ORSAM Report No: 150
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN
Report No: 22, Mach 2013
SYRIAN TURKMENS: POLITICAL MOVEMENTS
AND MILITARY STRUCTURE
SURİYE TÜRKMENLERİ:
SİYASAL HAREKETLER VE ASKERİ YAPILANMA
CENTER FOR
MIDDLEStratejik
EASTERN
STRATEGIC Merkezi
STUDIES
Ortadoğu
Araştırmalar
Center for
Mıddle Eastern
StrategıcMERKEZİ
Studıes
ORTADOĞU
STRATEJİK
ARAŞTIRMALAR
‫مركز الشرق األوسط للدراسات االستراتيجية‬
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
ORSAM-ORTADOĞU TÜRKMENLERİ PROGRAMI
ORSAM
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES
SYRIAN TURKMENS:
POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND MILITARY
STRUCTURE
SURİYE TÜRKMENLERİ:
SİYASAL HAREKETLER VE ASKERİ YAPILANMA
ORSAM Report No: 150
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN Report No: 22
March 2013
ISBN: 978-605-4615-47-6
Ankara - TURKEY ORSAM © 2013
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center for mıddle eastern strategıc studıes
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES
History
In Turkey, the shortage of research on the Middle East grew more conspicuous than ever during
the early 90’s. Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) was established in January 1, 2009 in order to provide relevant information to the general public and to the foreign
policy community. The institute underwent an intensive structuring process, beginning to concentrate exclusively on Middle affairs.
Outlook on the Middle Eastern World
It is certain that the Middle East harbors a variety of interconnected problems. However, neither the Middle East nor its people ought to be stigmatized by images with negative connotations. Given the strength of their populations, Middle Eastern states possess the potential to
activate their inner dynamics in order to begen peaceful mobilizations for development. Respect
for people’s willingness to live together, respect for the sovereign right of states and respect
for basic human rights and individual freedoms are the prerequisities for assuring peace and
tranquility, both domesticalhly and internationally. In this context, Turkey must continue to
make constructive contributions to the establishment of regional stability and prosperity in its
vicinity.
ORSAM’s Think-Tank Research
ORSAM, provides the general public and decision-making organizations with enlightening information about international politics in order to promote a healtier understanding of international policy issues and to help them to adopt appropriate positions. In order to present effective
solutions, ORSAM supports high quality research by intellectuals and researchers that are competent in a variety of disciplines. ORSAM’s strong publishing capacity türansmits meticulous
analyses of regional developments and trends to the interested parties. With its web site, its
books, reports, and periodicals, ORSAM supports the development of Middle Eastern literature
on a national and international scale. ORSAM supports the development of Middle Eastern
literature on a national and international scala. ORSAM facilitates the sharing of knowledge
and ideas with the Turkish and international communities by inviting statesmen, bureaucrats,
academics, strategicts, businessmen, journalists, and NGO representatives to Turkey.
www.orsam.org.tr
Oytun Orhan
Completing his undergraduate education in Gazi University F.E.A.S. Department of International Relations, Orhan did his master’s degree in Hacettepe University Department of International Relations by writing his thesis entitled, “Identity’s Effect on Syria’s
Regional Policies (1946-2000). Orhan still continues his doctorate studies in Abant İzzet
Baysal University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of International Relations.
Working as an expert within the Middle East Research Programme of the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies (ASAM) between the years 1999-2009, Oytun Orhan has been
working as a researcher in the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM)
since 2009.
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PRESENTATION
As ORSAM, we published a report entitled, “Community Brought up to Agenda upon the Transition in Syria: Syrian Turkmens” some 8 months after 15 March 2011, when the popular uprising
started in Syria. This report played an important role in terms of recognition of Syrian Turkmens, who were less well-known back then. The Syrian Turkmen movement has made great
strides since then. Without any opportunity to become organized under the authoritarian Ba’ath
regime, Turkmens strived to become organized in political, social and military terms starting
from scratch.
Syrian Turkmens are still in the stage of being organized. However, it is possible to suggest for
a community, which could not even find an opportunity to come together for many years, that
they made great strides at short notice.Two Turkmen political parties were created for Syrian
Turkmens to obtain their political, social and cultural rights in new Syria, and for them to struggle
in political terms on behalf of Syrian Turkmens. In addition, a supra-political party initiative was
launched under the name of Syrian Turkmen Platform. Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoğlu attended the meeting of Syrian Turkmen Platform, held in Istanbul on 15 December 2012, and he
promised to support the Platform. These are all important developments for Syrian Turkmens.
Another important pillar of Turkmens’ organization efforts took place in military field. Unfortunately, the transition in Syria is strived to be made through armed methods due to the fact that
the regime resorts to violence. The Syrian people, who used to express their demands through
civilian demonstrations at the outset, had to resort to arms in order to defend themselves after a
certain point. Concordantly, Syrian Turkmens formed troops in almost all Turkmen settlements
to protect their villages and towns. Those troops, which were created especially in Latakia (Bayır
– Bucak) and Aleppo, strive to topple the Assad regime by cooperating with armed opposition.
This paper, prepared by ORSAM Specialist Oytun Orhan, focuses on the aforesaid political and
military organization process and structures. The fact that the paper is based on interviews with
Turkmen politicians and military commanding officers further increases its importance. Our ultimate wish is for this report to contribute to the struggle of Syrian Turkmens.
Hasan Kanbolat
ORSAM Director
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Contents
Presentation.............................................................................................................................................4
Abstract.....................................................................................................................................................7
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................8
1. Turkmen Political Movements in Syria.........................................................................................8
1.1. Syria Turkmen Bloc...................................................................................................................9
1.2. Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement..............................................................................11
1.3. Syrian Turkmen Platform.........................................................................................................13
2. Military Structure of Syrian Turkmens.........................................................................................14
2.1. Turkmen Troops in Latakia Province (Bayir – Bucak District)........................................14
2.2. Turkmen Troops in Aleppo Province....................................................................................15
2.3. Turkmen Troops in Homs Province ......................................................................................16
2.4. Turkmen Troops in Al-Raqqah Province .............................................................................17
2.5. Turkmen Troops in Damascus Province ..............................................................................17
2.6. Turkmen Troops in Idlib Province ........................................................................................17
2.7. Turkmen Troops in Hama Province ......................................................................................18
2.8. Turkmen Troops in Tartus Province .....................................................................................18
Conclusion................................................................................................................................................18
ANNEX – 1: INTERVIEWS WITH SYRIAN TURKMENS
Interviews are chronologically listed.
1. AN INTERVIEW WITH ALİ ÖZTÜRKMEN, SYRIAN
TURKMEN ATTORNEY AND RESEARCHER.........................................................................19
2. AN INTERVIEW WITH ZIYAD HASAN, CHAIRMAN OF SYRIAN
DEMOCRATIC TURKMEN MOVEMENT...............................................................................25
3. AN INTERVIEW WITH BEKIR ATACAN, FOUNDING MEMBER OF SYRIA
TURKMEN BLOC AND SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC TURKMEN MOVEMENT................29
4. AN INTERVIEW WITH YUSUF MAHLI, MEMBER OF THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL AND THE SYRIAN
DEMOCRATIC TURKMEN MOVEMENT...............................................................................32
5. AN INTERVIEW WITH YUSUF MOLLA, CHAIRMAN
OF THE SYRIA TURKMEN BLOC .............................................................................................35
6. AN INTERVIEW WITH TARIK SULO CEVIZCI,
DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE SYRIA DEMOCRATIC TURKMEN MOVEMENT.....41
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ORSAM Report No: 150, March 2013
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
By: Oytun Orhan
ORSAM Middle East Expert
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN
PROGRAMME
ORSAM
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES
SYRIAN TURKMENS:
POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND MILITARY
STRUCTURE
Abstract
- The biggest deficiency of Syrian Turkmens is the fact that they do not have any opportunity to become organized under the Assad regime. Therefore, a movement with political opposition tradition is lack of organization
and leader/leading group at the head of the Syrian Turkmen community. Like all other Syrian opposition
groups, also Turkmens found an opportunity to become organized abroad following the outbreak of upheaval
in Syria.
- As from March 2012, two political movements under the names of “Syria Turkmen Bloc” and “Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement”, which carry out political activities on behalf of Syrian Turkmens, emerged.
Those two political movements are different from one another in certain aspects such as the influence areas,
ideologies, Turkmen troops they are in relation with. The Syrian Turkmen Platform, which is not a political
movement and which is of Turkey originated, also started to carry out activities as a non-political party initiative in order to take on the leadership of Syrian Turkmen movement.
- The Syria Turkmen Bloc was created following the outbreak of the uprising in Syria, as a result of organization efforts of Syrian Turkmens living in Turkey. They started their activities on August 2011, and establishment
of the Syria Turkmen Bloc was declared on 15 February 2012. The Bloc is a Latakia- and Bayır – Bucak-based
movement. It is mostly influential and active in Bayır – Bucak, where it has most profound relations with
Turkmen troops; and the majority of its administrative body is composed of people from Bayır – Bucak origin.
- The Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement is the second political movement, which was created to represent
Syrian Turkmens after the Bloc. The political party, which is called “Movement” in short, was created following
the outbreak of uprising in Syria when Syrian Turkmens felt the deficiency of organization, and as a result
of organization efforts of Syrian Turkmens in Turkey. First of all, Syrian Turks Association was formed, and
then it was decided to politicize Turkmens in Syria. As a result of this, the establishment of Syrian Democratic
Turkmen Movement was declared in Istanbul on 21 March 2012.
- The idea of founding Syrian Turkmen Platform was come up with in 2012. The first goal was to create a
public opinion on Syrian Turkmens in Turkish and world public opinion. It emerged as a civilian initiative.
There are Syrian Turkmens within the Turkmen Platform initiative who climbed the ladder in business and
trade life living in Turkey for years. The objective of this initiative is to form an assembly through delegates to
be elected in Syria, and for the committee that would be designated by this Assembly to speak for and represent
Syrian Turkmens. So what is wanted is for the aforesaid two Turkmen parties and a supra-political parties
structure to take part in this initiative.
- The Turkmen military structure in Latakia province is composed of 12 troops and higher division of these
troops called “Brigade of Turkmen Mountain”. The commander of Brigade of Turkmen Mountain, which is the
higher division of Turkmen military troops in Latakia province, is Colonel Muhammad Awad.
- The vast majority of Turkmen troops in Aleppo province is under the command of Ali Basher, a Syrian
Turkmen from Aleppo. The groups under the command of Ali Basher provide security of almost all Turkmen
villages in Aleppo. Those troops state that they control an area of some 350 kilometers. Also in central Aleppo,
the security of 6 Turkmen neighborhoods are provided by those troops. There are 6 Troops under the command
of Ali Basher. 6 Troops are planned to be gathered under two major brigades.
- If the future Syrian regime wants to build a country where all ethnic and sectarian groups within the borders
can live in peace and together, then it must recognize the presence of Turkmens and provide an environment
for Turkmens to be equally represented in political field with other communities. It is critically important
for both Syria and the region that Turkmens, who have suffered from the oppression of the Assad regime and
human rights violations, equally take part in political and social life in new Syria with Sunni Arabs, Arab
Alawites, Christians, Kurds, Druses and Shias.
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Introduction
One of the consequences of single party regime, which has been going on in Syria for
more than four decades, is the fact that none
of the social or ideological groups in Syria
– except for the groups holding the power
– could find an opportunity to become organized. The authority gap caused by the events
that emerged in Syria on March 2011 made
it possible for the aforesaid groups being
excluded from the power domain for many
years to become organized in a short period
of time. The power struggle in Syria started
to spread from civilian and political sphere
to military sphere some six months after the
outset of the uprising. As a result, dispersed
military groups, which do not have a hierarchical structure, which act independently
from each other and which are in control of
only the neighborhood or village where they
are, emerged. The struggle between the regime and the opposition started to be maintained through armed groups. And this situation brought along a relationship between
external political opposition and internal
military opposition in which military structure is more powerful and has more say. The
military opposition that became organized in
the country felt the need for a means, through
which it could communicate with abroad. The
political opposition organized abroad, on the
other hand, strived to establish its legitimacy
through the connection it established with
military groups. Thus, military groups, which
are close to each external political opposition
and influential political figure, emerged.
Another group that could not have found an
opportunity to become organized in Syria for
many years was Syrian Turkmens, and they
experienced the aforementioned political
and military organization process. In the first
stage, they strived to become politically organized abroad, in Turkey to a great extent. As
the military aspect of the uprising came to the
fore, Syrian Turkmens started to form troops
in Latakia and Aleppo in particular. Most of
8
the Turkmen settlements in rural areas are
still under the control of troops composed
of Turkmens. Besides, in certain city centers,
they fight along with Arab troops against the
Syrian army. This paper will deal with Syrian
Turkmens’ post-uprising efforts for political
and military organization. First of all the formation process and positions of the two political movements and a supra-political party
initiative that appeared within a year will be
discussed. Then troops that appeared almost
in all Syrian Turkmen settlements will be
handled.
1. TURKMEN POLITICAL
MOVEMENTS IN SYRIA
The biggest deficiency of Syrian Turkmens is
the fact that they do not have any opportunity
to become organized under the Assad regime.
Therefore, a movement with political opposition tradition is lack of organization and
leader/leading group at the head of the Syrian Turkmen community. Like all other Syrian opposition groups, also Turkmens found
an opportunity to become organized abroad
following the outbreak of upheaval in Syria.
The first attempt for political organization
of Syrian Turkmens is the “Syrian Turkmen
Movement” created by Attorney Ali Öztürkmen (Silo), who left Syria soon after the outset
of the uprising in 2011 and settled in Turkey.
The Movement, which became organized
through social networking sites, strived for
Turkmens in Syria to take to the streets under
the name of “Turkmen”.1 Besides, the Movement attended the Conference for “Change
in Syria”, which was the first step towards the
formation process of Syrian National Council and which was held in Antalya on 1 June
2011. Then the group also attended all Syrian
opposition conferences held in Istanbul, and
strived to have the “Turkmen” name written
in the reports of the meetings.2
In the following period, as a result of the establishment of the Syrian National Council
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and exclusion of Turkmens, along with Syrian
Turkmen Movement, Syrian Turkmens living
in Turkey or those who migrated to Turkey
after the outbreak of uprising felt the need to
take part in the Council and to maintain their
struggle as a part of their ethnic rights like other groups. Turkmens were not given the right
to represent in the Council for not being organized and for striving rather at an individual
level despite the fact that they wanted to join
the Council. So, the initiatives of prominent
Syrian Turkmens and 180 Syrian Turkmen
in Turkey came together and reached a consensus on becoming organized and defending
the rights of the Turkmen.3 Following this,
“Syrian Turkmen Group” was formed. Syrian
Turkmen Bekir Atacan, who has been living
in Turkey for many years, assumed the leadership of this group. Then the group became
a political movement on November 2011 by
joining forces with Syrian Turkmen Movement led by Ali Öztürkmen, and its name was
changed into the “Syria Turkmen Bloc”. The
first Chairman of this Movement was Bekir
Atacan, while deputy Chairman was Ali Öztürkmen. On January 2012, Atacan and Öztürkmen left the Bloc. On March 2012, on the
other hand, those who left the Bloc and some
other Syrian Turkmens established the Syrian
Democratic Turkmen Movement.4
to take on the leadership of Syrian Turkmen
movement. This initiative has been maintained by Syrian Turkmens who has been living in Turkey for many years, and are prominent figures in Turkish political and business
life.5
As from March 2012, two political movements under the names of “Syria Turkmen
Bloc” and “Syrian Democratic Turkmen
Movement”, which carry out political activities on behalf of Syrian Turkmens, emerged.
Those two political movements are different from one another in certain aspects such
as the influence areas, ideologies, Turkmen
troops they are in relation with.
The Bloc is a Latakia- and Bayır – Bucak-based
movement. It is mostly influential and active
in Bayır – Bucak, where it has most profound
relations with Turkmen troops; and the majority of its administrative body is composed
of people from Bayır – Bucak origin.
The Syrian Turkmen Platform, which is not
a political movement and which is of Turkey
originated, also started to carry out activities as a non-political party initiative in order
Thus, it can be suggested that there are three
different “groups/political parties/power
groups which strive to assume the leadership
of Syrian Turkmen political movement, and
to become the representative of Syrian Turkmens.
1.1. The Syria Turkmen Bloc
The Syria Turkmen Bloc was created following the outbreak of the uprising in Syria, as a
result of organization efforts of Syrian Turkmens living in Turkey. Turkmens, who firstly
fought for Turkmen rights within the Syrian
opposition, came up with the idea of becoming organized with the name of Syrian Turkmens on August 2011 as a result of the fact
that ethnic and sectarian aspect of the conflict in Syria increasingly came to the forefront. Within this framework, they launched
the initiative on August 2011, and establishment of the Syria Turkmen Bloc was declared
on 15 February 2012.
The movement which is known as the “Bloc”
in short has been led by Yusuf Molla of Syria
Turkmen origin who has been living in Turkey for many years.6
The organization structure of the Syrian
Turkmen Bloc is as follows:
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Syria Turkmen Bloc Organizational
Structure
Administrative Board
Yusuf Molla, Ahmet Şirin, Isam Sheikh Ahmet, Murat
Molla, Sinan Metiş, Muhammad Sheikh Ibrahim, Mustafa
Sheikh Ahmet, Turgay Molla Musa, Ayhan Orli, Fida
Harputlu, Hale Molla
Chairman: Yusuf Molla
Media Dep. : Sinan Metiş
Humanitarian Aid: Ahmet Şirin
Political Bureau: Ayhan Orli
Liaison Office : Turgay Molla Musa
The Bloc established liaison bureaus in Syrian
border zones as the first step to become effective in Syria and within the framework of the
strategy towards the field. Firstly Yayladağı,
then Akçakale, and lastly Gaziantep bureaus
were opened. Those offices provide a close
contact between the Bloc and Syrian Turkmen areas. The Yayladağı bureau carries out
activities for Latakia Turkmens, while the
Gaziantep bureau for Aleppo Turkmens and
Akçakale bureau for Turkmens in Al-Raqqah.
Regarding the problem of Syrian Turkmens,
the Bloc considers the biggest problem of
Turkmens as not being united in a single area.
They believe that a post-Assad regional federation is not possible, and that Syria must be
ruled on a citizenship-based approach. The
slogan of the Bloc is “One Syria!”, and it strives
for Turkmens to have political, social, economic, cultural rights in new Syria; and to live
as equal Syrian citizens without any discrimination. The Bloc is against the split of Syria.
They demand a civilized, democratic state,
where central authority is protected but local
authorities are further reinforced. However,
10
Secretary General: Muhammad Sheikh Ibrahim
Organizational Unit: Ziyad Kenan
Financial Affairs: Mustafa Sheikh Ahmet
Women's Branch: Hale Mola
Legal Dep. : Ekrem Dede
Dep. of Youth and Sports: Fida Harbutli
they limit the strengthening local authorities
in a way to prevent federalism.7
The Syria Turkmen Bloc has a close relationship with the Turkmen troops in Bayır – Bucak district. Some 12 Turkmen troops, which
are active in Latakia province, are close to the
“Brigade of Turkmen Mountain” that is an
umbrella organization of the aforesaid troops.
In military terms, the Bloc is not active in
Aleppo. They can only send humanitarian
aid to Aleppo. However, they have strategies
and also strive to be active in military terms
in Aleppo.8
The Syria Turkmen Bloc agreed to form a
new group with those who resigned from
the Democratic Movement following the 1st
Meeting of the Syrian Turkmen Platform that
was organized in Istanbul on 15 December
2012. But the Bloc considers the situation as
the Democratic Movement’s joining the Bloc.
Only by changing the name of the party and
including those who resigned in its administration, the group regards this new initiative
as the same in practice, except for its name.
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Brigade of
Turkmen
Mountain
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So that, the current organizational structure
will be preserved and those who resigned
from the Democratic Movement will be included in the group.
The Syria Turkmen Bloc plans to hold elections in Syria in the forthcoming process and
thus to designate 200 delegates, and also for
those delegates to vote to elect the leader and
administration of the party. The number of
delegates will be elected in proportion to the
population of each Turkmen districts. Accordingly, the biggest delegate will be elected
from Aleppo-Al Raqqah, then respectively
from Latakia-Tartus, Homs and Damascus.
Thus, the administration and leader of the
Syria Turkmen Bloc will be designated by the
aforesaid delegates. This effort is the result of
ideas of Syria Turkmen Bloc to become a political party and to spread it among the party
grassroots.9
1.2. Syrian Democratic Turkmen
Movement
The Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement
is the second political movement, which was
created to represent Syrian Turkmens after
the Bloc. The political party, which is called
“Movement” in short, was created following
the outbreak of uprising in Syria when Syrian Turkmens felt the deficiency of organization, and as a result of organization efforts of
Syrian Turkmens in Turkey. First of all, Syrian
Turks Association was formed, and then it
was decided to politicize Turkmens in Syria.
As a result, the establishment of Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement was declared in
Istanbul on 21 March 2012.
The Movement was founded by a group of
some figures who left the Syria Turkmen
Bloc and young Syrian Turkmens who live in
Turkey. First of all, representatives from each
Turkmen district took part in the administration of the Movement. The Syria Democratic
Turkmen Movement was led by Abdulkerim
Aga for almost a year. During the 1st Meeting
of Syrian Turkmen Platform, which took place
on 15 December 2012, the prominent figures
of the Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement
and Syria Turkmen Bloc announced their decision to join their forces within the scope of
their goal to gather Syrian Turkmens under
a single umbrella. Although the majority of
prominent figures of Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement resigned from the party and
declared they would carry out their activities
under a new joint party, the Syria Democratic
Turkmen Movement said they would continue their political activities with the rest under
the roof of the same party. Ziyad Hasan assumed the leadership of the party, while Tarık
Sulo Cevizci took office as deputy Chairman.
The Movement formed a new administration, including representatives from different
Turkmen districts, through a caucus held on
December 2012.
The Democratic Turkmen Movement has a
result-oriented approach by carrying out its
activities in the field. After its renewed administration structure, the Democratic Turkmen Movement started to come to the fore as
an Aleppo-based movement to a great extent.
It carries out almost all political, civilian and
military activities in Aleppo.
Since the very beginning, the Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement has focused its
attention on diplomacy efforts before Turkey
and the Syrian opposition, besides establishing direct relations with Syria.10 Within this
framework, through the efforts of the Democratic Movement, 16 representatives within
the Syrian National Council and 3 Turkmen
representatives within the Syrian National
Coalition were able to take office. They summarize their short-term plans in the following period as follows; to have a ministry in the
provisional government to be formed, to concentrate on civil organizations in Syria, and to
take part in local administrations in Aleppo
and rebel zones.11
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The Movement’s perspective on the solution
of Syrian Turkmens’ problems is stated as follows: They believe that a split across Syria,
due to the fact that Syrian Turkmens live in
different cities and dispersedly in geographic terms, would give a big damage to Syrian
Turkmens. Therefore, their primary objective is to maintain the unity and integrity of
Syria. They ask for establishment of a new
system based on citizenship in new Syria, and
also they ask for free elections to be held under the supervision of world public opinion,
for preparation of a new constitution in line
with the world standards, and for the groups
constituting the Syrian society to be provided
with cultural, political and citizenship rights.
The organizations within the Democratic
Turkmen Movement and the non-governmental organizations affiliated to the Movement within Syria are listed as follows: Youth
Branches, Labor Organization, Fraternal
Association of Syrian Turkmens, Solidar-
ity Association of Martyr Families, Veterans
and Captives, Humanitarian Aid Centers,
Turkmen News Agency. The Voice of Syrian Turkmens Radio Station is projected to
start broadcasting, and also Turkmen magazines and newspapers are envisaged to be
published. Two schools, in which language of
education is Turkish, in Cobanbey and Bab
Limon under the administration of Aleppo
were opened through the efforts of the Democratic Movement.12
The relationship between the Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement and Turkmen
troops is limited with Aleppo. Ali Basher,
Coordinator of Turkmen Brigades in Aleppo,
state that they act in unison with the Movement.13
The new administration and organizational
structure of the the Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement is as below:14
Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement Organizational Unit
Administrative Board
Chairman: Ziyad Hasan
Deputy-Chairman: Tarik Sulo Cevizci
Aleppo Representative: Yusuf Mahli
Al-Raqqah Representative: Adnan Dede
Homs Representative: Bessam Barak
Representative: Halit Hamdu
Youth Branches:
Hussein Muhammad
Labor Organization:
Muhammad Halil
12
Turkmen Military Troops
Affiliated to Ali Basher in
Aleppo
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-Fraternal Association
of Syrian Turkmens
-Solidarity Association
of
Martyr Families,
Veterans and Captives
-Humanitarian Aid
Centers
-Turkmen News Agency
-The Voice of Syrian
Turkmens Radio Station
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1.3. Syrian Turkmen Platform
The idea of founding Syrian Turkmen Platform was come up with in 2012. The first
meeting was held with 42 participants and
a 5-person committee was formed. The first
goal was to create a public opinion on Syrian
Turkmens in Turkish and world public opinion. It emerged as a civilian initiative. There
are Syrian Turkmens within the Turkmen
Platform initiative who climbed the ladder
in business and trade life living in Turkey for
years.
The objective of this initiative is to form an
assembly through delegates to be elected in
Syria, and for the committee that would be
designated by this Assembly to speak for and
represent Syrian Turkmens. So what is wanted is for the aforesaid two Turkmen parties
and a supra-political parties structure to take
part in this initiative. This initiative achieved
to receive the support of the Foreign Ministry
to organize Syrian Turkmen Platform through
its influence in Turkey. Concordantly, the 1st
Meeting of Syrian Turkmen Platform was
hosted by Turkish Foreign Ministry in Istanbul on 15 December 2012 with the support of
the Prime Ministry.
The Syrian Turkmen Platform asks for a creation of Turkmen Assembly, and for this assembly to be a supra-political parties institution. It is projected to bring 350 delegates
from Syria. After the election of those delegates, a 9-person committee will be formed.
This committee will be the decision-making
body of Syrian Turkmens.15 The Platform
considers it as a joint supra-parties initiative, not as a third alternative political party
to the Syria Turkmen Bloc and Democratic
Turkmen Movement. This decision-making
body will represent Syrian Turkmens in every
platform and will conduct all negotiations on
behalf of Syrian Turkmens.
Even though Mersin MP Mehmet Şandır supports the Platform as “Honorary President
of Syria Turkmens”, he does not directly take
part in the administration. The figures within
the Platform and the administration are listed
as follows: Esat Arber, Muhammed Ali Bardakci (Heysem Molla Ali), Mehmet Türkhan
(Silo), Muhammad Ceren, Mustafa Sheikh
Ahmet, Muhammed Arap, Zeki Turkmen.16
In addition to three major groups striving
to be the representative of Syrian Turkmens
and assume the leadership, there are also
certain small-scale political and civil initiatives. Small-scale organizations started to
be formed in refugee camps, located in Islahiye, where Syrian Turkmens live. Within this
framework, Turkmens living in the aforesaid
camp announced that they created a movement called “Syria Turkmen Party”. This
group stated during the congress of Syrian
Turkmen Platform that they would take part
in the new joint front. Also, another small
group, under the name of “Islamic Union Party”, was formed in the Islahiye refugee camp.17
Another initiative called “Latakia Turkmen
Union” in Latakia province in Syria has been
striving to become a political party.18
Besides political initiatives, there are also
Turkmen youth organizations which organize
protest demonstrations, deliver civilian aid,
and contribute men for troops. Those groups
might be listed as follows:
- Turkmen Youth Movement: They are active in Yayladağı. They carry out activities
both in civilian and political spheres.
- Local Authorities Youth Movement: This
youth movement is active in Latakia Province
in Syria.
- Syrian Turkmen Youth Association: They
are active in southern areas of Damascus controlled by the opposition forces. It is an initiative that is composed of Golan Turkmens.
- Syria Turkmen Youth: They are affiliated to
Syria Turkmen Bloc in Latakia.
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- Free Turkmen Youth: They are active in
Aleppo, and close to Ali Öztürkmen (Silo).
2. MILITARY STRUCTURE OF SYRIAN
TURKMENS
nents as a result of the congress that was held
in Antalya. There are 12 companies under the
Brigade of Turkmen Mountain. In addition,
there is also another Turkmen military unit
called Hezbollah al Galibu that is not affiliated to the Brigade of Turkmen Mountain .20
2.1. Turkmen Troops in Latakia Province
(Bayir – Bucak District)
The troops constituting the Brigade of Turkmen Mountain are listed as follows:21
The Turkmen population live in the area from
the northern Latakia to the Hatay border.
While Bayir district is located on the coastline, Bucak is located in hinterlands. The
coastline that extends from the Hatay borderline to Latakia city center is under the control of regime forces. Bayır district, which is
located in hinterlands, is under the control of
opposition forces.
- Nurettin Zengi: It is active in Saray village
and the neighborhood. The troop is led by
Ferid Masri. And it is one of the three largest
and strongest troops in Latakia.
The majority of Bayır-Bucak in Latakia province is controlled by the Turkmens troops. A
conflict border line was created between Nusayri villages, and Turkmen and Sunni Arab
villages. On this borderline, composed of
Kapakli and Gimam Turkmen villages, both
parties mount guard and conflicts take place
from time to time. The opposition has control
over the majority of Turkmen villages. Only
Buruc and Sulayip, which are Turkmen villages located on southern part of the borderline,
are under the control of regime forces. Those
villages are located in an extremely dangerous
area due to the fact that they are surrounded
by Nusayri settlements and are geographically distant from the areas controlled by the
opposition.19
The Turkmen military structure in Latakia
province is composed of 12 troops and higher division of these troops called “Brigade
of Turkmen Mountain”. The commander of
Brigade of Turkmen Mountain, which is the
higher division of Turkmen military troops
in Latakia province, is Colonel Muhammad
Awad. Muhammad Awad also took part in
the 30-person administration in Higher Military Council, formed by Syrian military oppo-
14
- Zahir Baybars: It is active in Avanli district,
and led by Ali Şehirli. It is one of the three
largest and strongest troops in Latakia.
- Al Huva Billa: It is active in the area located between Kastav and Beyt Mılık. It is led
by Heysem Topalca. And also, it is one of the
three largest and strongest troops in Latakia.
- Yavuz Sultan Selim: It is active in Sheren
district, and led by Tariq Sohta. The troop
fights along with the Free Syrian Army in the
ongoing conflicts in Aleppo and Ras al-Ayn.
- Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror: It is active
in central Gımam and also in the neighborhood.
- Memduh Colha: It is active in Beyt Farez
district. Mustafa Emin, the first leader of
the troop, is the first Turkmen martyr. After
the death of Mustafa Emin, Usama Kadı assumed the leadership of the troop, and then
Emin Ibrahim. Ibrahim is still the leader of
the troop.
- Bin Tamime: It is active in central Gımam.
The troop is deployed between Nusayri villages and the borderline. So the troop is found
in the most dangerous location.
- Katib Al Mustafa: It is active in Çömeren
district. The leader of the troop is Muhammad Abdullah.
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- Firsan Tevhid: They maintain the security
in Isapinar. The leader is Ahmed Reshid.
- Sukur ul Turkmen (Turkmen Falcons):
Even though it is not as large as the other
groups, it is the best organized military troop.
It maintains the security in Nisibin, which
is one of the most important and dangerous
conflict areas. Its leader is Ibrahim Karabacak.
Commander
Muhammad Awad
BRIGADE OF TURKMEN MOUNTAIN
Deputy Commander
Ahmet Arnavut
Nurettin Zengi
Leader : Ferit Masri
District : Murtlu
Zahir Baybars
District: Awanl
Leader: Ali Şehirli
El Huva Billa
District: Kastav and Beyt Mlk
Leader: Heysem Topalca
p
Frsan Tevhid
District: Isapinar
Leader : Ahmet Reshid
Yavuz Sultan Selim
District: Şeren
Leader: Tark Sohta
Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror
District: Gmam
Leader:
Shukur ul Turkmen
District: Nisibin
Leader: Ibrahim Karabacak
Memduh Colha
District:Beyt Fariz
Leader: Emin Ibrahim
Bin Tamime
District: Gmam
Leader:
Katib Al Mustafa
District:Cömeren
Leader: Muhammad Abdullah
2.2. Turkmen Troops in Aleppo Province
The vast majority of Turkmen troops in Aleppo province is under the command of Ali
Basher, a Syrian Turkmen from Aleppo. The
groups under the command of Ali Basher provide security of almost all Turkmen villages in
Aleppo. Those troops state that they control
an area of some 350 kilometers. Also in central Aleppo, the security of 6 Turkmen neighborhoods are provided by those troops.22
There are 6 troops under the command of Ali
Basher. These groups are planning to adopt
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a new military structure. Concordantly, 6
troops are going to be gathered under two
major brigades. The Aleppo Turkmen troops
under the command of Ali Basher are listed
as follows.23
control two neighborhoods called Meydan
and Bostanpasha. They control the aforesaid
neighborhoods, and protect some eight other Turkmen neighborhoods located behind.
Ibrahim Ahmed is the leader of the troop.
- Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror: The leader
of the troop is Mahmoud Suleiman, brother
of Muhammad Suleiman who was the commander of Sultan Abdul Hamid Brigade before being killed. This troop control the 6
Turkmen neighborhoods in central Aleppo.
It is one of the strongest Turkmen troops in
Aleppo.
- Yıldırım Beyazıt Brigade: Halid Gokturkmen is the commander of the brigade.
- Zahir Baybars Brigade: It is active in Jerablus, and led by Muhammad Genç.
- Martyr Ali Yılmaz Troop: It is active in
Bab-ı Limon.
- Buhari Troop: It is active in Munbic district
of Aleppo.
- Imadettin Zengi Troop: It is active in Munbic district of Aleppo.
Buhari and Imadettin Zengin Troops are projected to be merged under the name of Suleiman Shah.
- Alparslan Troop: This troop controls the
Turkmen villages in the area between Azaz
and Jerablus.
There are three other Turkmen military troops
which act independently from the groups that
are affiliated to Ali Basher in Aleppo:
- Ahfad ul Fateh: This brigade is not directly related to a Turkmen political movement
or other Turkmen brigades. The command
center of the brigade is Bab-ı Limon village.
It is also active in Kerpicli and Başlıhoyuk
settlements in Aleppo. They basically fight
against the regime in central Aleppo. They
16
- Sultan Abdul Hamid: Fighting against the
Syrian army in central Aleppo until recently,
the Sultan Abdul Hamid troop was a group
under the command of Ali Basher. The commander Muhammad Suleiman, a military
leader well-accepted by all Turkmens, was
killed in a conflict. After his death, the troop
withdrew from central Aleppo to rural areas,
and left the groups commanded by Ali Basher.
2.3. Turkmen Troops in Homs Province
There are 43 Turkmen villages in Homs
province. The opposition Turkmen troops in
Homs are active in rural areas. There are a
great number of Turkmen population in central Homs, and they fight along with Arabs
against the regime. None of the troops in the
center is completely composed of Turkmens,
but in central Homs, Turkmens are settled
in neighborhoods such as Babı Amr, Bab al
Siba, Bab al Turkmen, Al Var, Al Karabis, Al
Haldi. And many Turkmens, along with Sunni
Arabs, within the troops in those neighborhoods fight against the regime.24
The Turkmen military troops in Homs are
split up to several different groups. The headquarter of Turkmen troops are located in
Zara. The Turkmen troops in Homs are listed
as follows:25
- Homs Shield Battalion (Ketibe Dıra
Homs): It is affiliated to the Homs Military
Council, and financed by the Council.
- Rahman Martyrs Battalion (Shuheda er
Rahman): It is financed by Saudi Arabia.
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- Shuheda al Hak: It is financed by businessmen of Tel Kalaf origin who live in Qatar and
Saudi Arabia.
- Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror: It is affiliated to Al Farouq Brigade, one of the largest
military troops in Syria.
- Soldiers of Zara: The troop, led by Colonel
Osama Kenan, is active in Zara which is surrounded with Nusayri settlements.
- Alparslan: It is active in Tulluf, Kale, Semalil
and Kızhıl villages. The leader of the brigade
is Abdulmuti Kahiye, a non-commissioned
officer who left the Syrian army.
- Homs Turkmens: The troop fights within
Al Farouq Brigade.
There is no other military troop, entirely
composed of Turkmens, in Homs rural area
except for the aforementioned ones. Nevertheless, many Turkmen soldiers take part
in the military troops in villages and towns
where Turkmens live such as Kusayr, Nizariye, Causia, Burç Kai, Tısnin, Hulaya, As
Sabunin, Jibab el Zeyd.
2.4. Turkmen Troops in Al-Raqqah
Province
Turkmen population live in central Tel Abayad in Al-Raqqah Province, as well as in other
villages affiliated to the same province. The
total Turkmen population in Al-Raqqah is
some 15.000-20.000 people. There’s another
Turkmen military troop in Al-Raqqah. The
troop called Enver ul Hak is active in Tel
Abayad district, located across Akçakale that
is affiliated to Urfa, as well as in other Turkmen villages affiliated to the same province.
The leader of the troop is Sheikh Abdullah
Dede. Recently, another branch of Enver ul
Hak was opened in Ras al Ayn. Enver ul Hak
act in unison with the Syria Turkmen Bloc
until recently, but lately it has been establishing close relations with the group led by Ali
Basher.26
2.5. Turkmen Troops in Damascus
Province
Golan Turkmens constitute the Turkmen
military organizations in capital Damascus.
The most prominent one is Imam al-Zahabi
troop. The leader of the troop is Halit Bereket. It plans to change the name into “Turkmen Martyrs Brigade” soon. There is also a
12-person special operational unit in Damascus, which is composed of Turkmens, affiliated to Imam al-Zahabi.
This troop is also led by Golan Turkmen Abu
Farouq. Aside from Imam al-Zahabi, there are
also three other Turkmen troops called Amr
Şubat in Damascus.27
2.6. Turkmen Troops in Idlib Province
Turkmens have military and civilian organizations in Idlib. While the civilian organizations are led by Fadıl Talib, there is a close relationship between military troops and civilian organizations. Turkmen military troops in
Idlib province are listed as follows:28
- Rıcaül Allahul Ahrar: The military leader
of the troop is Munzır Abdullah. They act in
unison with Ahfad ul Fateh, which fights in
Aleppo. Some military forces of the troop are
delpoyed in Hafsar village and its neighborhood in Idlib, as well as in Seladdin province
in Aleppo. The troop also took part in an operation to lay siege to Cisr es Shukur.
- Hananu Shield: It is a military troop composed of Turkmens carrying out activities at
the command of Halid bin Walid Brigade of
Arabs. It is composed of approximately 80
people. It is active in Cisr es Shukur.
- Independent Turkmens: This troop, which
is composed of Turkmens of Idlib origin,
fights along with the Arab brigades in Seladdin, Aleppo, against the regime.
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2.7. Turkmen Troops in Hama Province
There is no military troop in Hama which is
completely composed of Turkmens. However,
a great number of Turkmens are a part of the
military troops, mostly composed of Arabs.29
2.8. Turkmen Troops in Tartus Province
There are 6 villages in Tartus where Turkmen
population lives. Among those, the people of
Al Mitras rebelled against the regime. Al Mitras, supported by Turkmen settlement Zara
in Homs, formed a military troop to protect
their area.30
Conclusion
Syrian Turkmen population is of a key importance not only for Turkey, but also for the
democratic future of Syria. If the forthcoming
Syrian regime wants to build a country where
18
all ethnic and sectarian groups within the
borders can live in peace and together, then
it must recognize the presence of Turkmens
and provide an environment for Turkmens to
be equally represented in political field with
other communities. Syrian Turkmens, who
have courageously stood against authoritarian practices since the very beginning of the
democratic demonstrations in Syria, are as
good as all other communities in terms of
maintaining the integrity of the country. As
Syrian Turkmens have played an important
role for the start of a new period in Syria, the
Syrian opposition should enable Turkmens to
come into their own. It is critically important
for both Syria and the region that Turkmens,
who have suffered from the oppression of the
Assad regime and human rights violations,
equally take part in political and social life in
new Syria with Sunni Arabs, Arab Alawites,
Christians, Kurds, Druses and Shias.
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1. AN INTERVIEW WITH ALİ ÖZTÜRKMEN, SYRIAN TURKMEN ATTORNEY
AND RESEARCHER
ORSAM: Mr. Öztürkmen, could you inform us about the Turkish population in
Syria?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: Syrian Turkmens arrived
in Syrian during the years between 1060 and
1070, when the Oghuz tribe migrated to these
territories in Seljuk Empire period. After the
Seljuks established the Seljuk Empire and appointed atabegs for the administration, Turkmens started to play an effective role in this
geography. Especially during the Crusades
and the conquest of Jerusalem, they played an
important role. The presence of Turkmens in
these territories dates back to 1000 years ago,
starting with the Seljuks until the Ottoman
Empire lost these territories at the end of the
World War I. Coming under the French mandate, these territories constitute the current
Middle East; Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and
Iraq. The Turkish element is another component of these communities.
ORSAM: What is the current Turkmen
population in Syria? Where do they live in
the country?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: They are densely populated in Aleppo province. They live in central
Aleppo province, and approximately in 140
villages. These villages extend from the Jelavlus borderline on east into Azez and Afrin.
After Aleppo, the second province where the
Turkmen population is densely populated is
Homs. They live in central Homs and some
60 villages. Another province where Turkmen
population live in density is Latakia. They are
known as “Bayır-Bucak Turkmens” in Latakia, and we have more than 70 villages with
Turkmen population. Besides, there are many
Turkmens who settled in Damascus as they
consider it as a “sacred city”. On the other
hand there are 4-5 Turkmen villages in the
rural area of Damascus. After the invasion of
Golan Heights, Turkmens who lived in some
20 Turkmen villages moved to central Damascus and suburbans. There are some 10 Turkmen villages in Al-Raqqah province, which is
located on Turkish borderline, 10 villages in
Hama, 5 villages in Idlib, and 5 Turkmen villages in Dar’aa. The Turkmen population is
dispersed in a quite wide geography in Syria.
Despite the population, the underlying reason
why Turkmens cannot currently take part in
Syrian political life is the fact that they lived
under pressure for many years. As a result
of these oppressions, which started during
the French mandate period and continued in
Ba’ath regime and nationalist Arab regimes,
Turkmens grew away from the Turkic world
and were assimilated. This independence
wave, starting from Tunisia in the Middle
East and spreading to Syria, triggered a motive for Turkmens to play an efficient role in
this new formation process in Syria.
ORSAM: Do Turkmens also currently take
part in popular movements in Syria?
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Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: Turkmens do not act as
a part of an organization, but individually. As
Syrian Turkmens, our goal is to make sure
out rights are protected in this new initiative,
and to be recognized as one of the three main
components of Syria (Arab, Kurd, Turkmen).
According to current data, there are approximately 3,5 million Turkmens in Syria. 99%
of Syrian Turkmens are Sunni, while only a
few of them are Shia. They are of Anatolian
Alawite-origin. In general sense, Syrian Turkmens preserve their tribal structure in Aleppo. They have a tribal structure. We cannot
see it in other Turkmen districts.
ORSAM: What are the largest Turkmen
tribes?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The largest one is the
Beydili Tribe and the second is the Ilbeyli
tribe. Both of them are in Aleppo. They originate from Sivas.
ORSAM: You said that the Turkmen population in Syria is 3,5 million. Are Turkmens
who forgot their native language also included in this population? If so, how many
Turkmens are there who still preserve their
language and identity?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: There are some 1,5 million Turkmens who still use their language.
This figure equals to approximately 5 per
cent. The remaining 1 million people, on the
other hand, forgot Turkish language but have
not lost the Turkish identity. There are Turkmen families in Aleppo and Homs who forgot
their language but who know and preserve
Turkmen identity.
ORSAM: What do you think is the cornerstone of the Syrian Turkmen identity?
Which one is more determinant? Being
Muslim, Turkmen, or Syrian?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The identity of Islam
is on the forefront due to the oppression for
years. Turkmens’ forgetting their identity is
20
because of the suppression they were exposed
to. The majority of Turkmens, especially those
living in the hinterlands and in rural areas do
not know what Turkmen means. This is the
result of being ruptured by force from one’s
own culture and history.
ORSAM: Do Syrian Turkmens have an umbrella organization? As far as I know Turkmens do not have a political party, but for
instance, do you have an association?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The former Ba’ath regime did not accord any organizational right
to Syrian Turkmens. They could not find any
opportunity to found neither an association
nor a political movement. Turkmens were not
even allowed to sing their folk songs in certain districts. Under such a regime, Turkmens
could not find an opportunity to become organized. But hopefully, in this new initiative,
Turkmens will be able to protect their rights
as a political and social movement.
ORSAM: Do you think that a movement to
defend the Turkmen identity has a grassroots?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The Turkmen people,
especially the intellectuals, are in favor of it.
The people ask for such a movement. The
reason why it could not be realized by now is
because of lack of education among the majority of Syrian Turkmens, and efficient Ba’ath
propagandas. Besides, the religion factor is
wrongly reflected. Recognition religion as the
upper identity and the assimilation of Turkmen identity became one of the biggest obstacles. It came true through the propagandas of
clerics supported by the regime. I believe that
Syrian Turkmens long for such a movement.
The new regime in Syria will be a civil democratic system. A modern, civil democracy is
required to protect the rights of all communities in Syria. Another system would not look
after the interests of Syrian populations.
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ORSAM: Where do Turkmens stand in the
recent uprisings that took place in Syria?
Do they have a common approach? Is there
any group supporting the regime?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: Turkmens have been
waiting for this opportunity for years. Turkmens know that this regime will not last any
longer under these circumstances. But, unfortunately, they could not become organized
before the aforesaid uprisings. The only reason, as I mentioned before, is fear dating back
years ago. The Turkmen support the opposition movements. For instance, the Turkmen
population in Homs have been playing an
important role in the uprisings. More than
15 Turkmens were martyrized in Homs. Besides, there are hundreds of lost and captive
Turkmen people. As two Turkmens villages
on Lebanese borderline rebelled, they were
attacked by Ba’ath partisans. As we do not
have access to the area, I can only give ballpark figures. Today, approximately 100 Syrian
Turkmens were killed. We have 2 martyrs in
Damascus and Latakia. We do not have precise information regarding the death toll and
captives.
ORSAM: In such transition periods, it is
quite important for a group to have a political movement. To that end, the members of the group might strive to have as
much share as possible within the initiative. Do you believe that Turkmens cannot
sufficiently make themselves heard in the
Syrian opposition meeting currently being
held in Antalya? What else could be done?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The biggest deficiency is
the disorganized structure of Turkmen movements. It has been put off for a long time.
Because Syrian Turkmens were the forgotten
ones for years. We were brought up to world
agenda only after the massacres committed
by the Ba’ath regime in 1996. Besides, while
Turkmens were not given a chance to become
organized due to oppression, Kurds took advantage of the former system. They already
prepared their organizational infrastructure
and today they have all means. Turkmen
movement should become organized as soon
as possible. To that end, it is required to found
Syrian Turkmen Association and Syrian Human Rights Association; and those organizations should carry out activities in a way to
form a party grassroots.
ORSAM: What kind of political system do
you envisage in case of a regime change?
What do you think about the disputes on
secularism and federalism? In addition,
what are the demands of Turkmens?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: First of all, we expect
that Turkmens take part in the new constitution as one of the main components of the
Syrian population. Moreover, we demand the
right of education in mother tongue and also
other social rights. Arab fascism has been implemented and Turkmens have not been provided with any social right yet. Therefore, lots
of Turkmens in Syria have lost their Turkmen
identity. We aim to ensure that the Turkmen
gain back their identity. As for other issues; I
do not expect a federal structure in Syria. Because the Syrian people are well aware of situation they are in. None of the ethnic groups
has ever been limited with a certain are. The
people are intermingled with other ethnic
groups. It is not possible for some of these
groups to gather under a federal structure.
The geographical distribution is not convenient either. For example, the Turkmen population is dispersed in different regions across
Syria. It is also the same for Arab Alawites,
Christians and Kurds.
ORSAM: For instance, during the French
mandate period, the aforesaid groups had
different political structure in current Syrian territories. Is it possible today?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: No. It is not possible in
current system. During the Republic period,
the groups were quite dispersed. Formation
of a federal structure is not possible under
these circumstances. The Qamishli in alHasakah province where Kurds are densely
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populated, for example. While central Qamishli is densely populated with Kurds, Arabs are densely populated in rural areas. It is
by no means possible to consider city center
separate from rural areas. Kurdish, Christian,
Armenian and Assyrian people live in Qamishli. It is unimaginable to turn this into a
federal structure. I believe that a democratic
centralized structure to protect the rights of
both those groups and Turkmens would be
better. In terms of religion, on the other hand,
I am completely against a theocratic political
system due to the fact that 15 per cent of Syrian population is composed of Christians and
people from other sects. Hence, we believe
that civil democracy would be the best option
for Syria. Also, secularism is also a part of this
system. I think that today only a few groups
would argue for Sharia in Syria.
ORSAM: How do you assess the role of
Muslim Brotherhood within Syrian opposition and in the congress that was held in
Antalya?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: I do not think have much
influence. Those from the Muslim Brotherhood did not attend the congress held in Antalya on behalf of the party, but on their own
behalf. The Sharia propaganda was made but
it did not take much attention among the participants. It was highlighted that it is not the
right time to discuss secularism right now,
and that it should be discussed if the uprising
succeeds.
ORSAM: We know that the Muslim Brotherhood is much more supported by the
Sunni Arab population. What do you think
is the main source that supports the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The people no more
think the way they did before. The Syrian
people put their strong religious perspective
away, and they now think in parallel with the
new world conditions. I personally do not believe that the Muslim Brotherhood is as influential as it was before.
22
ORSAM: Don’t you think that the Muslim
Brotherhood would become prominent in
case of a regime change?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The popular uprising in
Syria is a civilian and peaceful movement. It
is not at the helm of any political party. All
current political initiatives are in parallel with
this movement. It was also clearly seen in Antalya congress. It is also the same for Turkmens, Kurds and the Muslim Brotherhood.
ORSAM: What about the relations between Turkmens and the other groups in
Syria?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: We have good relationship with all groups. All groups respect the
interests of one another. They are all aware of
the fact that we are treated unjustly, and they
ask why we waited too long to introduce ourselves. All opposition groups say good things
about Turkmens, and they also add that our
rights will be protected in the future.
ORSAM: How do you think the opposition movement will be concluded? Should
Bashar Assad keep his seat by making reforms? Or, is the regime change inevitable?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: Today, we’ve arrived at
a point where there is no way that the regime
and the people agree and make peace. More
than 2000 people have been killed in Syria.
Furthermore, there are also lots of casualties
who have not been identified. In a a peaceful sit-in protest staged in Homs, the Syrian
security forces opened random fire on protestors. Some friends collected 18 casualties.
And the more than 50 of them were taken
away in army vehicles. Many mass graves
were found. We hear that corpses are not let
out of many areas. There are mass graves in
Latakia. Those corpses are put in containers
and thrown into the sea. The regime finally
showed its true color after years. A system to
rule the people should receive its authorization from the people as well.
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ORSAM: Do you believe that the Assad regime can make a reform?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The Bashar Assad regime is the continuation of the regime taken
over from his father. The love of the people
is not real. If you love, you do not oppress.
The regime had never showed its true color
until recently. As Turkmens, we filed many
applications in the new period. However, we
were all rejected and friends who filed applications were blacklisted. It was said that amnesty would be granted to political prisoners.
I also encounter obstacles in all state affairs.
This regime has lost its legitimacy. The demands of the Syrian people can be fulfilled
only through the change of regime in Syria.
ORSAM: You say that the Syrian regime has
lost its legitimacy, but unlike the regime in
Tunisia, the Syrian regime maintains its
integrity. The army takes sides with the regime. So, how will the regime change take
place?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: Considering the current
situation in Syria, the country is on the verge
of a civil war. The regime is doing it on purpose. The people have not resisted yet. But if
it goes like this, they will. The reason why the
regime can still survive is because of the family connections. It is the same for the army and
intelligence. We see that conflicts take place
among the low-ranking officers within the
army. Some soldiers do not point their weapons at the people. It is known that those soldiers are executed by the regime forces right
away, and the scars all over the corpses show
that they were tortured to death.
ORSAM: So, you argue that there will be
factions within the regime itself. Is it likely that a foreign intervention could take
place?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: Massacres will increase
in the forthcoming period. In that case the
people would grow stronger, and the army
would get weaker. The army cannot get a di-
rect information from different regions anymore. It would have hard times as the factions
within the regime grow stronger. I am not in
favor of a military intervention in Syria. I just
say that pressure should be applied on the regime.
ORSAM: Is it possible that an armed group
might lead the country to a civil war after
the collapse of the regime in Syria?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: We do not want this to
happen. Certain groups might react. There’s
such a risk. Syria is one of the most prominent countries in the Middle East, and it also
played an active role in the formation of some
policies. Certain terrorist groups might take
advantage of a potential political gap in Syria,
and carry out operations. For instance, the
Shabiha organization in Syria. Armed gangs
of the regime. But Shabiha is not that strong
of an organization. The moment the support
is cut off, it is nothing. The Shabiha can survive through the means provided by the regime.
ORSAM: What do you think about Turkey’s approach on current developments?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The Syrian people expect Turkey to play an active role. It is the
same for both Turkmens and other groups.
Furthermore, they do not rely on Western
countries and Iran as much as they do on Turkey. Erdoğan’s statements had a great impact
on the Syrian people. In popular demonstrations staged in certain areas, Arabs hang lots
of Turkish flags and hold Turkish banners.
However, Turkey’s current attitude is not sufficient. The Syrian people should further be
supported. They should be the voice to massacres we are exposed to. What we are going
through is not reflected on the public opinion. Turkey should bring what we have been
witnessing up to the world agenda. We do not
want to end up like the Libyan people.
ORSAM: Is it possible that a civil war could
break out among the Syrian people if the
regime collapsed?
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Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: The Christian and Muslim population in Syria have never clashed
with each other. But the pro-regime families
might be reacted by the people. Druses were
close to the regime in the past. Today, on the
other hand, they approach with caution. The
people perceive the Syrian regime as a Shia
administration. Alawites are the ones who
benefit from all resources of the government and national wealth the most. On the
other hand, the Druse intellectuals support
the popular uprisings and are in favor of the
regime change. Also the Christian intellectuals support popular movements. But they do
not play an active role. To sum up, the groups
that suffer from the regime’s cruelty are play a
more active role.
ORSAM: The opposition movements have
spread to Damascus and Aleppo with a
great influence. Is this because Sunni Arab
elites support the regime?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: It is because of more
effective security in Aleppo and Damascus.
Mosques play the most important role in social movements. The people do not have a
chance to meet in those places. It is forbidden
to meet. Friday prayers and funeral prayers of
martyrs provide an environment for the people to meet. Some clerics complained they
could not perform their duties with ease. In
certain mosques, identity check is made in
the entrance. Mosques are filled with pro-re-
24
gime supporters, Ba’ath supporters, security
forces. The people are not enabled to act as
they wish. The regime exerts its pressure on
these two large cities.
ORSAM: What is the role of Iran?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: As we hear from some
sources, it is asserted that Hezbollah has been
sending militants to suppress the people. Besides, it is also suggested that Syrian security
guards have been trained, informed and provided with weapons.
ORSAM: Lastly, what should Turkey do for
Turkmens in particular?
Ali ÖZTÜRKMEN: We would like Turkey to
make the Syrian Turkmen voice heard across
the world. And also, we would like Turkey to
support protecting Turkmen rights in the new
system to be created in Syria in the forthcoming period. Nothing has been done for Turkmens yet. The name of 3,5 million Turkmen
population is not known in the world public
opinion. What we want is to take part in the
new system, and to protect our rights.
ORSAM: Thank you.
* This interview was conducted by ORSAM
Middle East Specialist Oytun Orhan on 1 June
2011.
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2. AN INTERVIEW WITH ZIYAD
HASAN, CHAIRMAN OF SYRIAN
DEMOCRATIC TURKMEN MOVEMENT
(When this interview was conducted, Ziyad
Hasan was the spokesperson of the Syrian
Democratic Turkmen Movement.)
ORSAM: First of all, could you introduce
yourself?
Ziyad HASAN: I am Ziyad Hasan from
Aleppo, Syria. I graduated from University
of Aleppo, Department of Civil Engineering.
I lived in Libya and Iraq for my job. I have
been in Istanbul for 8 months, and here I have
been making attempts both before the Syrian
opposition and Turkish authorities in order
for Syrian Turkmens to have their political
rights in the post-Assad system. To that end,
I am the spokesperson of the Syrian Turkmen
Community political movement, which we
established along with some friends for this
cause.
ORSAM: You are from Aleppo. Could you
tell us about the security, political, and
economic situation both in central Aleppo
and the rural area?
Ziyad HASAN: In terms of the political situation, the Ba’ath Party, which has influence all
across Syria, has reached both central Aleppo
and rural areas. Currently, each office of the
political party works as an intelligence unit.
It is more occupied with intelligence services
than politics. We see the most serious organization in Aleppo among Kurds. There are
more than 15 Kurdish political parties, and
they form a quite major power. In addition
to this, the PKK terrorist organization has a
considerable number of sympathizers, and
they have a major power in the region.
In economic terms, Aleppo is the locomotive
of the Syrian economy. However, unfortunately the industry of the city, which was severely
affected by the closed economy policy pur-
sued by Hafez Assad, received a second blow
during the Bashar Assad period as a result
of the uncontrolled international expansion
policy and high tax policies targeting producers. Therefore, the number of businessmen
who quit production and started importation
before the revolution was more than 50 per
cent. Adding the recent developments and
embargoes to this import-dependent economic structure, inflation hit the roof. And as
a result, 1 dollar which was equal to 48 SYP
10 months ago started to be exchanged for
80 SYP in black market. Basic needs such as
oil, fuel, natural gas cannot be found. There is
more than 100% price increase in all goods.
The people who were already poor became
miserable.
As for the security; the regime, which maintained the security in Aleppo since the very
beginning of the uprisings and which did not
make any concession, started to show signs of
weakness last month. The regime resorted to
army troops in order to maintain the control
in rural areas. Opening fire on Atarib district
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for the last two weeks, the army also began to
attack on Azaz for two days which is located
near Kilis and 7000 troops were deployed to
suppress the demonstrations in the area.
opments within the last month and according
the what we hear from the country, tension is
increasing and things are reaching a point of
no return.
Increasingly rising demonstrations in central
Aleppo started to be quite frequently seen especially in University of Aleppo and in certain
neighborhoods where Arab tribes are densely
populated. An unfortunately, the death toll in
Aleppo in on the rise.
ORSAM: There are many ethnic and sectarian groups in Aleppo. Could you tell us
briefly about the stance they take on the
Syrian uprising?
The PKK terrorist organization became apparent in areas with Kurdish population, and
barricades were set up on the roads in some
areas. According to the latest information,
Assad talked to some Turkmen tribal leaders, and announced that he wanted to provide
Turkmens with weapons to suppress rising
events in rural areas of Aleppo. And the leaders who turned down the offer are still under
pressure.
ORSAM: Compared to other provinces,
Aleppo witnessed relatively less action until recently. What are the underlying reasons? Is it likely that this situation could
change?
Ziyad HASAN: The reasons why Aleppo
stayed out of those events until recently might
be listed as follows:
- insecurity stemming from the presence of
various ethnic and religious groups in the city,
- interpersonal communication problem
caused by the metropolitan life style (the fact
that demonstrations are mostly staged in tribal, rural areas and the university proves it),
- too strict and cruel security measures taken
by the regime,
- a considerable number of regime partisans
for various reasons.
Nevertheless, considering the recent devel-
26
Ziyad HASAN: We can list the groups living
in the city of Aleppo as follows: Sunni Arabs,
Christians, Turkmens, Kurds and Armenians.
Although Sunni Arabs are those who launched
the uprising in different cities and are in the
forefront, it took too long for them to take
action in Aleppo. They were mostly limited
with rural areas.
Christians and Armenians fear that an Islamic
regime could arise. Those groups support the
regime across Syria or they remain neutral.
The vast majority of Turkmens support the
uprising. Particularly Hama, rural areas of
Aleppo, and Damascus Turkmens. Some of
the Turkmen population, on the other hand,
prefer to remain neutral for various reasons.
The Kurds’ participation in the uprising is
quite local and inefficient.
ORSAM: What do you think the people in
Aleppo preferred for the solution of Syrian problem? What do they think about
military intervention, and establishment
of safe haven? Do they ask for a radical
change or a consensus-based solution?
Ziyad HASAN: There has been major dissidences in Aleppo since the very beginning of
the uprising. I can summarize this dissidence
as below:
1- 70% of the people support the uprising.
But for the reasons I already mentioned before, only 30% of them have risen against the
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regime so far. Rural areas, some tribal neighborhoods of the city, and the majority of this
group are in favor of a radical change, including a military intervention. The other 50% are
ready to take to the streets in case of any security gap. They act more cautiously on solution, and they support establishment of a safe
haven.
2- 30% of the people support Assad for a variety of reasons; and while some of them are
in favor of consensus with certain opposition figures out of the national council, others argue for putting an end to this problem
through military methods.
ORSAM: What are the expectations of
Syrian Turkmens as a result of this uprising process? Have Turkmens got what they
wanted so far within the Syrian opposition?
Ziyad HASAN: The post-revolution expectations of Syrian Turkmens, victims of assimilation policies and tyranny for more than 60
years, can be listed as follows:
- Making political and constitutional reforms,
transition to a multi-party system,
- Turkmens’ participation in the new constitutional drafting process,
- Recognition of Turkmen community as a
primary component in the Syrian constitution,
- Recognition of Turkish language as an official language in the areas where Turkmens
are densely populated,
- Teaching Turkish language in public schools,
and removing all legal barriers on the way to
education in mother tongue,
- Reinforcing local governments, and expanding their scope of authority,
- Laying the foundations of a sustainable eco-
nomic development process to improve economic conditions of the Syrian people and
Turkmens.
Providing a considerable support to the uprising, Syrian Turkmens have unfortunately
been excluded despite all efforts before the
opposition so far. There is no Turkmen representative within the Syrian National Council, which embodies representatives from different groups. The Syrian National Council,
which was established in Turkey that is the
homeland of Turkmens, unfortunately excludes Turkmens in the presence of homeland.
ORSAM: Could you inform us about your
efforts, and the efforts of Syrian Turkmens
to become organized in general?
Ziyad HASAN: We did not have any Turkmen organization until the uprising. Our efforts to that end started after the uprising, and
today we have 3 political groups. One of these
groups is the Syrian Turkmen Movement, of
which I am the spokesperson and which is
embodies representatives from all Turkmen
districts of Syria. As we believe that working
in separate groups would be very harmful for
Turkmens, we talk to other groups and we
are planning to act in unison soon within the
scope of common goals.
ORSAM: Finally, what do you think about
Turkey’s current policy on Syria? What
could you tell us about Turkey’s support for
Syrian Turkmens within this framework?
Ziyad HASAN: Turkey has pursued a stable
policy since the beginning of uprisings. Firstly
talking to the Syrian government and pressing
them to make reforms, Turkey also received
Syrians who took shelter in the country with
open arms. This was a correct and very proper behavior of Turkey. The fact that Turkey let
the Syrian opposition become organized during the same process resulted in the establishment of Syrian National Council in Istanbul.
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And this comes to mean that Turkey will have
a say in the future of Syria.
As for us, Turkmens; we have been excluded
in all political processes so far. Both unorganized structure of Turkmen community
and also Turkey’s indifference in this respect
played a major role in this exclusion. If Turkey
carried on its current attitude, we would be
completely excluded. Therefore, Syrian Turk-
28
mens’ message to Turkey is: Standing behind
Syrian Turkmens is both political, historical
and national duty of Turkey. Otherwise, history would not forgive this mistake.
ORSAM: Mr. Hasan, thank you very much.
* This interview was conducted by ORSAM
Middle East Specialist Oytun Orhan in Istanbul on 24 February 2012.
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3. AN INTERVIEW WITH BEKIR
ATACAN, FOUNDING MEMBER OF
SYRIA TURKMEN BLOC AND SYRIAN
DEMOCRATIC TURKMEN MOVEMENT
ORSAM: First of all, could you introduce
yourself?
Bekir ATACAN: I am Bekir Atacan, a BayirBucak Turkmen from Syria. I have been living
in Turkey for 32 years. I am a Turkish citizen.
I took part in political organizations and parties established recently. I am both founding
member and also the first Chairman of the
Syria Turkmen Bloc. We wanted to enlarge
the Bloc, but when it failed I resigned from
the group. Also with the support of Turkey,
we established the Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement. I am both founding member
of the Movement and also was Deputy Chairman of the Movement. Afterwards a friend
of mine from the group and I resigned from
the Movement due to the fact that we wanted
to establish a political party in Turkey with a
wide political spectrum on behalf of Syrian
Turkmens. We’ve been laying the groundwork to that end. Hopefully, the hard core of
our political party will have been formed by
January. It was impossible for all opposition
groups in Syria to establish a political party.
Turkmens were the ones that suffered suppression most. Because they lived dispersedly. But lately, we’ve actively been maintaining
our political life through the strengthening
opposition, as well as through the support
of Turkey. We aim to make a new initiative.
This formation must be a political party. The
primary goal is to defend the rights of Turkmens in Syria, and secondly, to act as a bridge
for peace between Syria and Turkey. Another
important goal is to provide an environment
where all minority groups and other groups
in Syria could establish friendly relations with
each other. By this means, I believe that we
will play a role in adopting a peaceful system
for the future of Syria. And it will be possible
only through Turkey’s support. We are in a
good relationship with all groups in Syria, but
we are weak. A Turkmen gets along with a
Nusayri, Kurd, and an Arab. We live together
with all groups. As Turkmens live dispersedly;
while one of us has an Arab neighbor, another’s neighbor is Kurd, or Christian. Thanks
to our peaceful nature we inherited from our
ancestors, we have developed good relations.
Now is the time to make the best of it. This
situation would be good for both the Syrian
people and Turkey. It is necessary to strive to
achieve it, and we also need Turkey’s support.
ORSAM: Could you briefly summarize the
Turkmen political movement in Syria from
past to present?
Bekir ATACAN: When the revolution broke
out in Syria, the Syrian National Council was
established 20 months ago and Turkmens
were not included at all. Then we thought that
we were supposed to take part in the Council, and like other groups, we needed to make
ourselves heard to defend our rights. So we
started to make negotiations. First of all, they
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asked us whether Turkmens had an organization or not. We did not have an organization
back then. I gathered 180 Syrian Turkmens,
who live in Turkey, in a dinner on the occasion of Ramadan through my own means.
We discussed during this dinner that we had
to become organized by all means, and that
we could defend our rights only by doing so.
Then we came together and established an association called Syrian Turkmen Association.
On November 2011, we turned it into a political movement. And we decided to change its
name, and call it Syrian National Bloc Party.
I was the chairman and founding member of
this group. We made some strides under the
umbrella of this organization. However, in
due course we realized that it is vicious circle. Hence, we resigned from that group and
pioneered the establishment of Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement also through the
support of Turkey. I was the deputy chairman and founding member of that group as
well. We started to be represented under the
name of Democratic Turkmen Movement
within the Syrian National Council through
the support of Turkey. We had 16 members
to represent us in the National Council. Also,
we achieved to be accorded some rights that
would be accorded to other minorities as
well. Even though the Democratic Turkmen
Movement carried out relatively wider-scale
activities then the Syrian National Bloc, it was
insufficient in terms of number and efforts. A
group of Turkmens including me and those
from Latakia, Homs, Aleppo, Tarsus resigned
from this group; and we argued for establishing a new political party. We had another political party called Syrian Turkmen Bloc, Islamic Party; so we decided to dissolve these
parties and establish a new formation, and to
gather under a single umbrella. We are planning to organize a congress in January. The
decision to establish the new party will be
taken. Its name has not been decided yet. But
most probably “Turkmen” and “Democracy”
will be used.
30
ORSAM: What are your demands as Syrian Turkmens for the post-Assad period?
What kind of Syria would you like to see?
Bekir ATACAN: Turkmens have been present in each province, and each town of Syria
for more than 1000 years. We want to continue our existence in Syria, as well as to take
part in its restoration. We want to carry on
living in Syria under a single umbrella. Of
course, we also demand some cultural rights.
We want to hold meetings, speak out own
language, and spread our culture etc. But we
never ask for a federal structure, or independence. We support the unitary structure of
Syria, as well as its territorial and political integrity.
ORSAM: What is the overall situation in
Syria? What can you tell about the future
of the regime?
Bekir ATACAN: It is not possible to eradicate a dictatorship overnight. Especially in
Syria, the Ba’ath dictatorship has been in
power since 1963. Conflicts have been continuing for 21 months. We believe they will
further continue. The regime lost its control in Aleppo, and Damascus is under siege.
When also Damascus is entirely seized by
the opposition, heads of states will go back
to their hometown, like in Iraq and in Libya
not long ago. It is likely that conflicts will
continue over there as well. Bashar Assad was
born in Kardaha, Latakia. Clashes will spread
to those territories. I believe that eventually a
federal structure will be adopted. Even if not
in a near future, a federal structure will be established in the future. What Russia wants is
the establishment of a Nusayri State. Thus,
Russia would be able to protect its own interests. Approximately 600 thousand Turkmens
live in those territories to stay within these
borders. It equals to almost a quarter of the
total Turkmen population. It is not acceptable
for us. We will do our best to prevent it.
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ORSAM: If a federal system is adopted in
the country, Turkmens might find themselves in the middle of clashes and go
through big problems...
Bekir ATACAN: Exactly. Turkmens have
been living in those territories for 1000 years,
but they have always remained in the background. The first martyr of Latakia is Turkmens. The Syrian media asserts that the
revolution was launched by Turkmens. But
unfortunately our name is mentioned neither
in Turkey nor in the world. Because we have
always said we are “Syrian” above all. We have
seen us as a part of Syria, as a Syrian citizen at
all times. Despite not being on the forefront,
we have taken part in each stage of the revolution. The Turkmen community is the one
with the biggest number of victims. 80-90%
of the Bab-ı Amr population is composed of
Turkmens. Turkmens live in most of the cities
and provinces where massacres are committed today. We are Syrian in the first place, and
Turkmen in the second place. However, others first say the name of the minority group
they are affiliated to, and Syria in the second
place. That’s the difference between them and
us. We are the primary component living in
these territories for more than 1000 years.
Another thing we demand from the National
Council is to be recognized as a primary component. Hopefully we see it in the constitution.
ORSAM: What are the weak points of Syrian Turkmens?
Bekir ATACAN: There are basically two reasons. The fact that we cannot be organized
and we live dispersedly. Kurds, Assyrians,
Christians, Circassians, Nusayris, and Druses live in certain areas; but we do not have a
certain area where we live altogether. We live
on every corner of Syria. 4 million Turkmens
are dispersed across Syria. Because we inherited those territories from our ancestors. In
the past the Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire
ruled those lands.
ORSAM: Lastly, what do you think about
Turkey’s policy on Syrian Turkmens and
Syria? What are your expectations?
Bekir ATACAN: We believe that we serve as
a bridge both among the communities within
Syria, and also between Syria and Turkmen.
Therefore, we want to act as a peace envoy in
Syria. We expect Turkey to make it possible,
and to support us becoming more organized.
ORSAM: Thank you.
* This interview was conducted by ORSAM
Middle East Specialist Oytun Orhan in Istanbul on 17 December 2012.
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4. AN INTERVIEW WITH YUSUF
MAHLI, MEMBER OF THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF SYRIAN NATIONAL
COUNCIL AND THE SYRIAN
DEMOCRATIC TURKMEN MOVEMENT
ORSAM: Could you introduce yourself in
brief?
Yusuf MAHLI: I am Yusuf Mahli. I am originally from Aleppo. I have been living here in
Istanbul for a long time. I am currently doing
Master’s at Istanbul University. I’ve assumed
the Coordination of Secretary General within
Syrian National Council office in Istanbul for
a year. Also, I am a member of the Assembly
of Syrian National Council.
ORSAM: You’ve been carrying out activities as the National Council for a long time.
Recently a new initiative called Syrian National Coalition was established in Qatar.
The Syrian National Council took part in
this new initiative as a group. What does
the establishment of Coalition come to
mean for the Council? Will the Council
continue to stay as a bloc within the coalition?
Yusuf MAHLI: It has been 1 year and 2
months since the establishment of Syrian
National Council. The Council substantially
contributed to the Syrian revolution. It maintained the Syrian politics in the international
arena. The Council has always highlighted
the fact that it is the representative of the Syrian people, and the legitimate representative
of the Syrian people is the Council as well.
However, the Council could not work in coherence. It has deficiencies and problems. But
it is because of the fact that the world public
opinion did not keep its promises. The world
public opinion only give promises, and did
not put them into practice. The Council was
not supported in practical terms.
Being accused of its disunited structure and
of not representing different groups, the
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Council was reorganized and also increased
the number of its members. It increased
from 250 to 400. Besides, revolutionist movements, coordination committees, new political parties and initiatives were included from
different groups. The world public opinion
always asserted that the “Syrian National
Council is not representing the entire Syrian
people” as its justification. So a new initiative
was established to refute this argument. The
Council did not refuse this new initiative and
cooperated. First of all, it was presented as a
plan. The initiative is called the Riad Seif Plan,
named after the Syrian opposition figure Riad
Seif, as he was the one who proposed the idea.
It was believed that Seif would be the leader
of the initiative. Then he apologized, and said
he would not be able to serve as the leader
of Initiative because of his health problems.
Then it was agreed to designate the President
of the Coalition through election. As a result,
Moaz al-Khatib was elected the President of
the Coalition. The representation rate of the
Syrian National Council within the Coalition
would be 40%. The Council refused it, and
asked for a larger quota. Because the Council
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has gained a considerable experience in Syrian politics. It envisages to benefit from these
experiences in the international relations, and
to adapt it within the Coalition. For the time
being, the relationship between the Council
and Coalition has not yet become clear. During the meetings most recently held in Cairo,
the issue of increasing the quota was brought
up to the agenda. The Council maintains its
structure, and it will continue like this.
ORSAM: The Syrian National Council is
already an alliance itself. As a matter of
fact, it was not a quite unified alliance.
Disagreements, ruptures took place within
the Council from time to time. Given this
already fragile structure, is it possible that
the Council could maintain its integrity if
they gathered under a larger-scale opposition umbrella?
Yusuf MAHLI: Actually, the foundation of
the Coalition made it possible for the Syrian
National Council to eliminate its problems
and to become tight-knit. Should the Council preserve its structure within the Coalition
and act in unison, it might be able to manage
the Coalition. This is the belief in the Council.
I believe that it will be achieved. The relationship between the National Council and the
Coalition has not yet become clear. Disputes
still continue. In the first place, the coalition
had a council with 63 seats, of which 22 were
Syrian National Council members. Then the
seats increased from 63 to 70, and it will continue to increase. The Council wants to have
at least 50% of the seats within the Coalition.
Negotiations on the subject still continue.
ORSAM: You were in Qatar during the formation process of the Coalition, so you are
familiar with both the Council and Coalition. What is the thing that does not exist
within the National Council, but within
the Coalition? Besides, could you briefly
inform us about the formation process of
the Coalition?
Yusuf MAHLI: As much as I know, the Coalition plan was brought up in Qatar congress of
the Council two weeks ago. It received worldwide media coverage, but still the Council
carried on holding meetings and expanding.
The recently expanded Council embodied all
mosaics of Syria; but the world public opinion was not satisfied again due to the criticisms against the Council such as ruptures
and disunity etc. Hence, it was suggested to
gather some figures and political groups in
Syrian opposition which refuse to take part
in the Council. It had already been reflected
in the press as the “Riad Seif Plan” before the
meeting. Some prominent figures who joined
the Coalition are those who left the regime.
Those figures might be listed as; Former Ministers, Former Deputy Ministers, local council
members, authors association representative,
businessmen forum, individuals and opposition figures.
ORSAM: What is the situation in terms of
the representation of minorities?
Yusuf MAHLI: Minorities are not included
in the Coalition. However, the groups living
in Syria are demanded to representatively
take part in the Coalition. Turkmens, Kurds,
Assyrians, Alawites are included in the Coalition as political groups and national figures. Furthermore, the representative of the
Druse community takes part in the Coalition
as a member of local council. Christians were
included from the Syrian National Council.
Thus, the Coalition is not based on ethnicity.
ORSAM: You are also Syrian Turkmen.
Important developments have been taking
place in terms of Turkmens. Recently the
Syrian Turkmen Platform was held in Istanbul, and both the Turkish Government
Spokesman Cemil Cicek and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu attended the Platform and addressed a speech.
Within this framework, what would you
like to say about the current situation of
Syrian Turkmen politics?
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Yusuf MAHLI: Turkmens were totally disorganized and weak since the beginning of the
revolution. I attended the majority of Syrian
opposition meetings held in Istanbul. Unfortunately, we witnessed a tragedy of 100 years.
It was like Turkmen politics and Turkmen
identity had disappeared in Syria. Turkmens
considerably supported the revolution especially in Homs after the outbreak of revolution. Then it spread to Latakia, Aleppo and
Damascus. Turkmen-populated areas with
most conflicts. There was no group representing Turkmens within those political
groups. I think that good developments have
taken place for the Turkmen politics lately.
The representation of Turkmens within the
Syrian National Council and Syrian National
Coalition points out that they will have influence in Syrian politics. The fact that Syrian
Turkmen Platform was organized; Turkish
Foreign Minister and Government Spokesman attended this Platform; and that Turkish
President sent a message indicated Turkey’s
support to Turkmens. This is a major step
for Turkmens. The Turkmen entity was seen
both in Turkish and world media.
ORSAM: What do you envisage for the
post-Assad period? How do you think the
transition in Syria will take place?
Yusuf MAHLI: The war still continues in
Syria. The Free Syrian Army has had major
achievements. The Free Syrian Army took the
control of many military troops in Aleppo.
The Army has been achieving major progress in Hama and Damascus. The transition
in Syria depends on Assad’s leaving power; if
the war continues until the very last moment,
the transition process will be very problematic, because the desire for revenge will grow
stronger and will be out of control after a certain stage. Hence, the military units that are
affiliated to the Free Syrian Army should be
gathered under a single umbrella. Moreover,
it is necessary to form a strong centralized
government with an international legitimacy
in order to be able to keep the situation under
control.
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ORSAM: Do you think that political consensus is possible?
Yusuf MAHLI: What the regime says to the
world public opinion is; “We are ready for a
dialogue”. But even the regime itself does not
believe in such a dialogue. By doing so, the regime tries to put the opposition in a difficult
position. However, it was the opposition itself
which asked for a consensus in the first place.
But the regime resorted to military force and
tried to eliminate the opposition. The political consensus is possible only after Assad
leaves the power. He can give his authorities
to the Vice-President, and then a political dialogue might be established.
ORSAM: Finally, what do you think about
Turkey’s policy on Syria?
Yusuf MAHLI: Turkey has always said from
the very beginning that it stands behind the
Syrian people. It did not remain unfulfilled,
but it was also put into practice. The authorities here say that “They are not Syrian refugees, they are our Syrian guests”. The Syrian
people also feel sympathy towards Turkey.
Many countries have taken a stand against
the Syrian revolution. Turkey has always responded to legitimate demands of the people.
It is known both in the media and also among
the people. Turkey has been supporting the
recently-formed Syrian Coalition, as well as
the Syrian National Council. While Turkey
is in favor of continuation of the National
Council, it also supports the Coalition. The
Council has a substantial experience before
the opposition and in the international politics. Turkey is in favor of Council’s taking part
in the Coalition before losing these experiences. Also, Turkey recognizes the Coalition
as the legitimate representative of Syrian opposition.
ORSAM: Thank you very much.
* This interview was conducted by ORSAM
Middle East Specialist Oytun Orhan in Istanbul on 18 December 2012.
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5. AN INTERVIEW WITH YUSUF
MOLLA, CHAIRMAN OF THE SYRIA
TURKMEN BLOC
ORSAM: First of all, could you introduce
yourself?
Yusuf MOLLA: I am from Bayır Bucak district of Latakia. I came to Turkey in 1982 after I
graduated from high school. I graduated from
the Department of Architecture at İstanbul
Technical University. Then I did a master’s
degree in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Yıldız Technical University. I
continued my career in private companies.
As for my political life, thanks God, I have
never supported the Ba’ath Party. Therefore,
I never had a political life in Syria. I could not
carry out any political activity when I came to
Turkey either. Because my family was in Syria
even if I was here. I love and search history.
I have a command of Ottoman language. I
translated many books on the history architecture for the University of Aleppo. I did not
participate in active politics until the conflicts
in Syria broke out. However, I explicitly stated
which sides I took with on the very day of the
outbreak of events, and I started to work on it.
We were in it from day one. We felt the need
of talking on behalf of Turkmens months after
the start of our movement. Because the events
in Syria started to be based on an ethnic and
sectarian affiliation. Everybody began to seek
their right s through this means. We also set
our hands both to protect Turkmen rights
and also to prevent Turkmens from canalizing towards the wrong direction. It was August 2011 when we initiated our activities.
It took months for us to begin. Because we
wanted to have a solid organization. We declared Syrian Turkmen Mass on 15 February
2012. I have been working as the Chairman of
the Organization since its establishment. We
were well received by the opposition. Soon afterwards, we created contact offices in Syrian
border zones as the first step, as we preferred
to carry out our studies in the field. So that we
could establish close relations with the field.
Taking the means we had into consideration,
we reached a considerable success. However, now also Turkmen name is found among
Syrian opposition. We supported our insurgents, and helped the injured. Soldiers were
provided with food, beverage and fuel. Our
people were provided with food and medicine aid. Most of those aids are certified. We
have been preparing a detailed report on it.
We have accomplished great things thanks to
everybody’s support.
ORSAM: Two Turkmen Parties (Mass and
Movement) decided to join their forces in
Syrian Turkmen Platform that was held
not long ago. Could you tell us about the
process of union between parties?
Yusuf MOLLA: Currently it is not an exact
union. Some figures within the Democratic
Movement resigned their offices. We will go
restructuring with new friends. We already
thought of restructuring for a long time but
we could not have found an opportunity. The
participation of our friends led us to go this
restructuring. We are going to hold a con-
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gress approximately in a month. We want to
include more people from the grassroots. The
regime was powerful in Syria in early stages of
the uprising, and many people who could participate and be useful couldn’t do so for fear of
prison and execution. Therefore, a more limited group of people participated. However,
things have changed a lot under current circumstances. Regime is very weak right now.
There are almost liberated zones. We have
been striving to reach all Turkmens wherever
they are in Syria. We will establish local organizations, and we will work for delegations’
being elected from those areas and for their
participation in the congress. We are working
very hard right now. There might be changes
in current administration. We are willing to
leave our offices in case those who deserve
these positions come to office. Our friends
who have been working so far have neglected
their families. All of them have considerable
contributions and good rights.
ORSAM: You have mentioned that there
might be changes in the new organization.
What kind of changes are you planning to
do?
Yusuf MOLLA: Free elections will be held.
A major part of the executive board might
change. We will carry on our activities with a
new structuring along with those who recently joined us. Actually I argue for using one of
the names of the two Turkmen parties. Those
names are popular now. And the name of a
new party to be formed would raise the question of “Who is this new movement?” among
the people. The Turkmen cause was not already a well-known one. Most people do not
even know about the presence of Turkmens
in Syria. It doesn’t feel right to come up with a
new name all over again. However, we will be
in accord with the decision to be taken. Most
probably, we will be known under a new party
name in the forthcoming process.
ORSAM: What kind of organization do
you have in Syria? What are you planning
to do to expand the current organization?
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Yusuf MOLLA: We established 3 offices between Yayladağı and Akçakale to communicate with inside. The office in Yayladağı works
for Latakia Turkmens, the office in Gaziantep
works for Aleppo Turkmens, and the office
which works for Raqqa Turkmens is located
in Akçakale. We are far from Homs and Damascus Turkmens for geographical reasons
and due to the current circumstances, but
we have been working on this. Reaching Damascus and Golan, on the other hand, seems
quite difficult for now. However, we will carry
on our efforts for organization in other areas.
There are people who work with us in the areas that are close to border zone.
We aim at expanding it to the entire grassroots in Syria; organizing the grassroots;
designation of delegates and participation of
these delegates in our general assembly. Free
elections will be held in the general assembly.
We have a ballpark figure even if we do not
have official figures of the population rate.
There are former census results, as well as a
research conducted by ORSAM.
ORSAM: What do you think about the solution of the Syria problem as the Mass?
Where do you place Syrian Turkmens
within the framework of this solution?
Yusuf MOLLA: Turkmens in Syria are not
concentrated in a single area. Therefore, there
cannot be concrete solutions for Turkmens.
For example, district federation is not possible. So, when we began, we wanted Syria to
adopt a citizenship-based format. In fact, even
before the national assembly was formed, we
had prepared a press release. We stated in
the release that the national assembly to be
formed should not be based on national, ethnic structure, but on citizenship. However,
nobody heard us, or even if they did, they did
not take us seriously. Because what is being
discussed right now is the division of Syria.
This division can only be based on ethnic and
religious basis. The assembly was formed,
but things did not go as we wanted. The only
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country showing sensitivity while distributing aids was Turkey. Turkey helped without
making any discrimination among Arabs,
Turks, Kurds. However, the aids coming from
Arab states were not like that. They did not
help us, because they said ; “You have Turkey
standing behind you”. We did not say “We
are Turkmen” only for nationalist discourse.
We said it to protect the rights of Turkmens.
Besides, if you leave a gap, somebody comes
and fills that gap. We hesitated from other
people’s misleading us. Therefore, we immediately set to work. We were active in Syria
events from day one. However, we started to
work for Turkmens after months. Because in
the beginning, “Syria is one!” we said. We still
hope so. But as nationalist and ethnic factions
appeared, we decided to carry out our activities under the name of Turkmen.
ORSAM: What are your activities in the
field?
Yusuf MOLLA: In modern countries military, politics and humanitarian aid are different from one another. But now we are in a
state of war. There is a war in Syria. All activities are related to and depend on each other.
You have to send humanitarian aids to people.
They both really need those aids and also it
makes it possible to establish a dialogue with
them. In the post-Bashar Assad period, those
who have an armed force behind themselves
would also have a say. Our young people took
shotguns and left to go to hills in the first
stage. Most of them had slippers on their feet.
No one can let them be in that state. Besides,
we will need those forces in the post-Assad
period. The aids are not just about those who
provided it. It is all our responsibility. Nobody
can know what will happen. But you have to
do what needs to be done to win.
ORSAM: What about your relations with
other opposition groups in Syria? For instance, besides the Council, also a Coalition was formed...
Yusuf MOLLA: I sincerely say that; if there is
a common ground in Syria, it is the Turkmen
population. The Turkmen are an ethnic group
which are loved most in Syria. Because we get
along with everyone, we do not have excessive ambitions, we are in favor of unity of the
country, and also we are a loyal community.
In Syrian History, you cannot see any betrayal
of a single Turkmen. Despite Arabs and Kurds
who have become an extreme polar, we are
the common ground in Syria. We treat equally towards everyone. While Arabs and we are
in favor of the integrity of the country, Kurds
wants faction. Nevertheless, we are not enemies of Kurds, we are not angry. Many people
were killed during the conflict that broke out
between Arabs and Kurds in 2004. Turkmens,
on the other hand, have not been involved in
such a conflict so far. When we first set off,
nobody knew our cause. Because we had
started from scratch and we used our personal means. Turkmens were ignored when the
first Assembly was in the formation process.
Their excuse was the fact that we were not in
the political arena. So they stated it as an excuse. It was true in a way, but there were by
all means other things behind the scene. After
all, the share to be given to Turkmens would
decrease the share of other groups. Besides,
Turkmens oppose to the projects of dividing
Syria. We wanted Syrian National Council to
be successful. We stood behind it despite the
fact that we weren’t within the Council. But
the Council fell way behind the Syrian revolution, and almost became a burden. The National Council needed to be restructured to
achieve a success. The Council was considered as a means to be used to spread the new
structure to large masses. However, no result
could be achieved. As we estimated, this situation led to the failure of an assembly and to
the formation of a new structure. During the
formation process of the latter, lessons were
learned from the mistakes of the Council. As
a matter of fact, it was decided to spread on
a larger area, and Turkmens were included
in the new Coalition. Currently, there are 16
Turkmen representatives in the Council and
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3 Turkmen representatives in the Coalition.
These representatives can be listed as; Ziyad
Hasan, Huseyin Abdullah and Halid Hoca.
We objected to Halit Hoca. Halit Hoca is
a strong figure in the Syrian opposition. He
could join the Coalition thanks to his popularity. And we could replace him with another
Turkmen. So that, there would be 4 Turkmens
in the Coalition. In other words, if Halit Hoca
had joined independently from the contingent of well-known people, a fourth Turkmen
could have sat in that seat. But it did not happen. Our friends in the coalition work actively
and efficiently. And we have been working to
increase the number of Turkmen representatives.
ORSAM: What do you think the biggest
problems of the Syrian Turkmen movements and of the community are?
Yusuf MOLLA: The problems of the Turkmen people are the same with the problems
of the Syrian people. Turkmens also have
their rights they could not have acquired before. They are being assimilated and dissolving with each passing day. Language is the
key element in the existence of communities.
If you lose your language, you disappear. Unfortunately Turkmens are slowly losing their
language. The biggest problem of Turkmens
is the fact that they cannot preserve their
language. The regime in Syria pursued a conscious assimilation policy for years. In political life, on the other hand, a dictatorial regime
prevailed in Syria. It was not possible for us to
become organized as Turkmens. Therefore,
our political existence is very weak. Besides,
Turkmens have different structures. There is
tribalism among Turkmens in Aleppo, Raqqa
and Golan. It is lost in Latakia and Homs. Each
region has its own characteristics. There is a
commitment to tribes. In the other region, on
the other hand, citizens are not affiliated to
any tribe due to the lack of tribalism. Today,
Turkmens in Syria appear like the subjects of
Turkey. Therefore, they cannot receive the
share they deserve ranging from the foreign
38
logistic aid to humanitarian aids. As Syrians suffered from Kurdish issue, those who
do not now Turkmens approach towards us
with hesitation. Some people have misdetections in their minds. We need to express our
cause in a right way. We need to be strong in
the media for the Turkmen issue to be heard
by everyone, and to be understood correctly.
We expect to be supported by Turkey on this
subject.
As political movements, our major problem is
the lack of experience. We were banned from
politics in Syria. I am an architecture. I just
practiced my profession, and I did not lean
towards the politics. However, when turned
out to be the case, we considered it as our responsibility and we went into politics. Unfortunately, there is no one who is experienced,
popular, and someone who would lead other
people. We have the deficiency of leader position. Besides, we also had the deficiency
of financial opportunities. We still strive to
handle it through our own resources. Large
amount of money is needed to do it in real
terms.
ORSAM: Turkmens live in big cities such
as Damascus and Aleppo. Nusayri state
scenarios are mentioned and Bayır-Bucak
Turks live within those borders. Besides,
Turkmens also live all along the TurkeySyria borderline. So, Syrian Turkmens
are settled in strategic areas. Within this
framework, what kind of problems are
ahead of for Syrian Turkmens in the postAssad regime period?
Yusuf MOLLA: As you also said, Turkmens
live in strategic points. There is a risk of the
establishment of a separate state in Western
Syria. In Turkish border zone, Turkmens live
together with Kurds. Today, a map called
“Kurdistan map” encompasses almost the entire Turkmen area in north. The borders of
Nusayri State are between Homs and Hatay
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borderline. In case such a formation takes
place, there is a risk of deportation for Turkmens. We have been living with Nusayris
for centuries. Yes, problems took place from
time to time. But we were always side by side.
The regime in Syria played the ethnic war
card, and triggered differences. After all this
blood shed, it seems that it will be difficult to
come together. As Syrian Turkmen Mass, we
are against civilian people’s (who are not involved in these events) being harmed. If 100
thousand people took part in these events,
are they all going to be punished? This is a
delicate subject. Is it possible to live together?
In current circumstances, we can say that “it
is not possible to live together”, but I think
it is possible. Most of us have seen and read
blood shed, dead children and raped women. When we first see and read those news,
people show reaction. But I think we cannot
do it, we don’t. Our anger passes away and we
might think reasonable, but I think the other
party does not accept it. Therefore, we might
be deported.
ORSAM: If a Nusayri State was established,
Turkmens might be forced to migrate...
Yusuf MOLLA: Yes, unfortunately. In Latakia, the regime firstly dropped bombs on
Turkmen villages and their neighborhood,
and thus, people in the area were scared away
and they had to migrate. So, certain Turkmen
regions were evacuated.
ORSAM: Do Sunnis continue to migrate
for security reasons? In addition to Turkmens, there are also a great number of
Sunni Arab population who live in central
Latakia...
Yusuf MOLLA: People do not migrate from
central Latakia. But people migrated from
Bayır-Bucak to a great extent. Many people
still live in villages in the area that is out of the
shooting range. However, the primary policy
is to lay siege to the area.
ORSAM: Do you argue for a decentralized
structure where Turkmens have a say in
their own area? Or as Turkmens, do you
prefer to live under a political structure
with cultural and social rights but also
with a strong central authority
Yusuf MOLLA: As Turkmens, we are in favor of the unity of Syria. Of course, we do not
mean a regime like the Baath Party by an authoritarian centralized state, but instead we
mean a civilized, democratic state. We would
like local administrations to be powerful in a
civilized and democratic state. But we do not
want a federal structure or very powerful local administrations. What we care about is
the Syrian people’s having equal rights with
religious and ethnic affiliations of each individual. On the other hand, we want social and
cultural rights of minorities and of those who
have different religious and sectarian affiliations to be protected.
ORSAM: Have ever had big problems in
your relations with Syrian Kurds?
Yusuf MOLLA: We haven’t had any problem
so far. Some problems took place between
Kurds and the Free Syrian Army, but Turkmens were not involved in that. We are still
against resorting to arms to solve this problem. Hostilities are not eliminated easily. Establishing a dialogue must be a priority.
ORSAM: Are Turkmens currently strong
enough to defend their own areas?
Yusuf MOLLA: I think they are. We are
strong both in terms of the structure and also
in terms of the population. However, we do
not have sufficient equipment if you mean
armed struggle. If Turkmen units received
more support, they could easily defend their
areas.
ORSAM: How do you assess Turkey’s approach towards Turkmens? Syrian Turkmens Platform was held in İstanbul. The
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Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey Cemil
Çiçek and Turkish Foreign Miniser Ahmet
Davutoğlu attended the meeting. Could
you tell us about your expectations from
Turkey and your assessments about the
Platform?
Yusuf MOLLA: We are glad to see that Turkey attaches more importance to the Turkmen issue with each passing day. Beforehand,
we thought that Turkmen issue was not given
much importance. It is quite important for
Turkey to see us raising our voice, taking part
in the opposition, and establishing good relations. There is no group in Syria with whom
we are in fight. Turkmens have an important
position in terms of securing uniformity in
Syria in the future. We have a command of
both Arabic and Kurdish culture. We understand both sides better, and we know how
they approach towards each other.
Thanks everyone who contributed to Syrian Turkmen Platform. Our doors are always
open to those who contribute. We complained about the lack of people who devoted
their time and worked for this cause. We cannot make negative comment while there are
people who work to this end now. What is important is to prevent any activity against the
unity of Turkmens. Most of the people in the
organization committee of this platform are
our friends. In fact, we even sent one of our
friends; Mustafa Sheikh Ahmet. Even though
we say that we are not experienced politicians,
we have been in this field for 2 years, and we
have gained experience, even a little. Friends
40
carried out closed activities without sharing
them with the outside. This situation caused
reaction. We have fought against a non-transparent regime for years. Today, people seek
for a more democratic and more transparent
formation. This platform is a major step on
Turkmen issue. With its pluses and minuses,
it was helpful. Thanks for those who contributed. But the forthcoming meetings should
have a broader participation.
Turkey now attaches clearer and more explicit importance to Syrian Turkmens. In
training of Turkmen political groups and in
organization; we would like Turkey to guide
and make us feel that they stand behind us. It
is necessary to provide financial aid to bring
Turkmen name to the forefront in the media,
and also for organization. In terms of the humanitarian aid, we do not expect more than
it is provided for Kurds and Arabs. We have
lived with this community so far, and we will
continue to live with them. In fact, most of us
are related to each other. We will never be divided. Therefore, we would like to please our
friends. I believe that the current misunderstanding will be eliminated in time. We have
a partnership with the Syrian people dating
back to 1000 years. Therefore, we do not want
very apparent aids to be provided by Turkey.
ORSAM: Thank you very much.
* This interview was conducted by ORSAM
Middle East Specialist Oytun Orhan on 21
December 2012.
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
SYRIAN TURKMENS: POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND MILITARY STRUCTURE
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PROGRAMI
6. AN INTERVIEW WITH TARIK SULO
CEVIZCI, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF
THE SYRIA DEMOCRATIC TURKMEN
MOVEMENT
ORSAM: First of all, could you tell us about
yourself?
Tarık Sulo CEVİZCİ: My name is Tarik Sulo
Cevizci. I was born in 1984. I am from Çobanbey Village of Aleppo. I have been living
in Turkey since 2004. I graduated from the
Department of Industrial Engineering. I am
doing master degree in Engineering Management Program at İstanbul Technical University. At the same time, I am in executive board
of the Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement,
and also I am Deputy Chairman of the Syria
Democratic Turkmen Movement.
ORSAM: Could you give us a general information about the Turkmen political movements in Syria, and the Democratic Movement?
Tarık Sulo CEVİZCİ: When the conflicts in
Syria first broke out, we understood that Syrian Turkmens were lack of organization. We
convened with our friends and talked about
what we could do to overcome deficiencies.
We foresaw that a crisis that could take place
in Syria might have a major impact on Syria
Turkmens in case of a failure of a political organization. I am one of those who launched
political initiatives in Turkey. I was the Chairman of the Syrian Turks Association which is
the first association. Then we took the decision of politicizing Turkmens in Syria, and I
have taken part in all related-organizations
since then. I joined the executive board of the
Syria Democratic Turkmen Movement which
was created in İstanbul on March 21st. Also, I
also worked as the Deputy-Chairman of the
organization. We assigned our new Chairman
in the Congress that was held last week. I was
assigned as the Deputy-Chairman responsible for foreign affairs and political units. During this period of time, we assumed role as the
addressees of the Turkmen in Syria before the
opposition. Currently, we have 16 Turkmen
representatives within the Syrian National
Council. In the newly-established National
Coalition, on the other hand, we have 3 Turkmen representatives. There are also independent political formations such as Syrian
Turkmen Mass and Halit Hoca who work in
cooperation with us in the Coalition.
ORSAM: Currently it is suggested that
there are 1,5 million Turkophone in Syria, but what is more important than their
number is the fact that the Turkmen live
in extremely strategic areas. For instance,
Bayır-Bucak Turkmens are settled in Latakia Province where Nusayris live in majority; and Aleppo Turkmens, on the other
hand, are settled along the Turkey-Syria
borderline. Within this framework, what
are the major risks ahead of the Syria Turkmens in the forthcoming period?
Tarık Sulo CEVİZCİ: Syria Turkmens relatively protect their own areas. However, there
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41
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are certain problems in the areas where they
live together with Nusayris. We have problems about the area in particular. On the one
hand there is an effort to take part in the restructuring process, and on the other hand,
there is a struggle for life; and on the other
hand there is a risk of losing lands. For example, the priority of Bayır-Bucak Turkmens in
Latakia province is to take their lands back.
Their priority is to go back to their villages.
However, Aleppo is considered as a partially
liberated zone. The problem of the Turkmen
people in that area is the fact that they cannot be represented within the institutions
restructured such as security and municipalities. The priority in Aleppo is to receive
right of representation. In Homs, on the other
hand, there is a struggle to survive. The villages in the area are blockaded, humanitarian
aid cannot be provided and people struggle
for their lives. The aforesaid difference also
goes for the Turkmen in Golan and Damascus. People in the area wait for bombs to be
dropped on themselves. In other words, the
problem in Aleppo-Raqqa and problems in
Damascus-Hama-Homs are very different
from each other.
ORSAM: What kind of solution do you
come up with on Turkmen issue in Syria
as the Democratic Movement? In addition,
could you inform us about your Movement’s activities both in the international
arena and in Syria?
Tarık Sulo CEVİZCİ: As the Turkmen
Democratic Movement, we will carry out
result-oriented activities in the forthcoming process. In Aleppo, we will rather focus
on civilian organization. Representation of
Turkmens in the institutions in Syria is very
important for us. We should obtain rights to
do justice to those who were martyrized in
the field. In Latakia, on the other hand, we
aim to stop the migration. Besides, we want
those who took shelter in Turkey to go back
to their country. The only aid we can provide
for Homs is to provide them with financial
42
aid. There’s nothing else we can do. We can
sum up the new strategy of the Syria Turkmen
Democratic Movement as follows; to carry on
our struggle in the opposition, to win a seat as
Minister in the government to be formed, to
give weight to civilian organizations, to take
part in local administrations in Aleppo and in
liberated zones, and thus to let Turkmens in
Syria have a say.
ORSAM: What kind of solution do you
propose for the Turkmen in New Syria?
Tarık Sulo CEVİZCİ: Syria Turkmens live in
different cities, and they do not have a geographical unity. Therefore, any faction to take
place for that reason would harm Syria Turkmens to a great extent. Thus, our primary objective is to keep unity and integrity of Syria.
Besides, we ask for a new system based on
the citizenship in Syria. A new state that is
not based on any party, any sect, any ethnic
group; but totally based on citizenship. Besides, we ask for an election to be held under
the supervision of the world public opinion, a
constitution to be prepared in line with world
conditions, and for groups constituting the
Syrian community to be provided with both
cultural, political and civil rights. I do not say
minority, because we are not minority.
ORSAM: Syrian Turkmen Platform was
held in İstanbul not long ago. The Platform
was hosted by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Foreign Minister Davutoğlu also attended the conference and made a speech.
During his speech, he made a commitment
regarding that Turkey would support Syria
Turkmens. What do you think about Turkey’s approach towards you Syrian Turkmens? What are your expectations from
Turkey?
Tarık Sulo CEVİZCİ: Even before we came
to Turkey, we already felt their support. This
trust already existed. Arabs and Kurds always
says to Turkmens that; “There is a state standing behind you. You are in a much better con-
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Report No: 22, March 2013
SYRIAN TURKMENS: POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND MILITARY STRUCTURE
ORSAM-ORTADOĞU TÜRKMENLERİ
PROGRAMI
dition than us.” However, we haven’t received
as much support from Turkey as they say.
Still, we have received a considerable amount
of support and attention from Turkey. Even
under current conditions, Turkey stands behind Syrian Turkmens. Turkey provides both
political and humanitarian aid. Of course we
expect much more support and aid. We are
also aware of the fact that both the government and public opinion increasingly support
us with each passing day. However, this is not
enough. More effort and more aids should be
provided. Syrian Turkmens have not gained a
place in the world public opinion yet. Turkey
should be a voice to us in the world public
opinion.
ORSAM: Thank you very much.
* This interview was made by ORSAM Middle
East Specialists Oytun Orhan and Bilgay Duman in Ankara on 24 December 2012.
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
43
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PROGRAMME
ORSAM REPORTS
ORSAM Report No: 1
March 2009
The Struggle Against Piracy:
The Somalia Case and Turkey’s
Position
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 2
April 2009
60 Years of Alliance: NATO and
Turkey
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 3
May 2009
Iraq’s Pivotal Point: Talafar
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 4
July 2009
2009 Lübnan Seçimleri: Kazananlar, Kaybedenler ve Türkiye
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 5
August 2009
Turkey-Lebanon Relations:
Perceptions of Turkey Among the
Religious and Sectarian Factions
in Lebanon
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 6
November 2009
The Tuzhurmatu Turkmens: A
Success Story
(Tr - Eng - Ar)
ORSAM Report No: 7
November 2009
The Forgotten Turkmen Land:
Diyala
(Tr - Eng - Ar)
ORSAM Report No: 8
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 1
December 2009
Abkhazia for the Integration of the
Black Sea
(Tr - Eng)
44
ORSAM Report No: 11
February 2010
The Forgotten Turks: Turkmens
of Lebanon
(Tr – Eng – Ar)
ORSAM Report No: 12
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 2
February 2010
Russian Perspective: The Influence of the Factor of Iraq on
Turkey’s Middle East Policies
(1990-2008)
(Tr - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 13
February 2010
7 March 2010 Irak Seçimleri
Öncesi Şii Kökenli Parti ve Seçmenlerin Politik Davranışlarının
Analizi
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 14
February 2010
Seçim Öncesi Irak’ta Siyasal Durum ve Seçime İlişkin Beklentiler
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 15
March 2010
Orsam Heyetinin 7 March 2010
Irak Seçimlerine İlişkin Gözlem
Raporu
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 16
April 2010
Sultanate of Oman: An Arab State
Between Tradition and Modernity
in the Arabian Peninsula
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 17
April 2010
Evaluation of Iraqi Parliamentary
Elections of March 7, 2010 and
the New Political Equation
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 9
January 2010
The Yemen Issue: A Step Toward
Regional War?
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 18
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 3
May 2010
Turkish-Russian Relations: From
Neighborhood to Strategic Cooperation
(Tr - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 10
January 2010
Civil War in Yemen: The Power
Struggle, Regional Influences and
Relations With Turkey
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 19
September 2010
Turkmens’ Migration Towards
Turkey and Turkmen Population
in Turkey
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 20
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 4
October 2010
Current Situation in Kyrgzstan,
the Reasons of Change in
Government and Short Term
Foresights
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 21
November 2010
Away From Iraq: Post 2003 Iraqi
Migration to Neighboring Countries and to Turkey
(Tr – Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 22
January 2011
Turkey-Yemen Relations and the
Perception of Turkey in Yemen
(Tr – Eng – Ar)
ORSAM Report No: 23
January 2011
Is the Qatar-Iraq-Turkey-Europe
Natural Gas Pipeline Project
Feasible?
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 24
January 2011
The State of Kuwait: Relations
with Turkey, War and Peace and
the Al-Sabah
Government in Between
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 25
January 2011
Embargo on Iran by the Security
Council in Legal and Political
Aspects
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 26
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 5
February 2011
The Recent Developments in
Kyrgyzstan:
Past, Present and Future
(Tr - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 27
February 2011
The Steps of the Egyptian Revolution: Is That the End of an Era?
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 28
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 6
February 2011
The Limits of Power in Distraining on Ships by a Coast State
on the
International Law of the Sea
-Georgia’s Distraining on the
Ships Navigating Around the
Black Sea(Tr)
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
ORSAM Report No: 29
February 2011
Tunisia, Popular Revolution and
Turkey’s Exprience
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 30
February 2011
Property Disagreements in
Kirkuk: A Study Based on the
Field Search
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 31
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 7
March 2011
The Developments in Afghanistan
and Pakistan and Their Effects on
International Security
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 32
March 2011
Shiite Opposition Question in
Saudi Arabia and Its Impacts
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 33
March 2011
Turkmen Existence in Iraq
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 34
March 2011
Turkmen Press in Iraq
(Tr – Ar)
ORSAM Report No: 35
March 2011
Current Situation and Important
Political Developments in Iraq
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 36
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 1
March 2011
Eu’s Water Framework Directive
Implementation in Turkey: The
Draft National Implementation
Plan
(Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 37
March 2011
Popular Revolt in Tunisia and Its
Aftermath
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 38
March 2011
Libyan War, International Intervention and Turkey
(Tr)
SYRIAN TURKMENS: POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND MILITARY STRUCTURE
ORSAM-ORTADOĞU TÜRKMENLERİ
PROGRAMI
ORSAM Report No: 39
March 2011
From Past to Present Libya
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 40
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 2
March 2011
Climate Change From a Security
Perspective and Its Effects on
Middle East
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 41
March 2011
Understanding Iraq Through
Cartoons - 1
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 42
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 3
April 2011
Hydropolitical History of Nile
River Basin and Recent Developments
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 43
April 2011
Social-Political Structure of
the Northern Iraq and Kurdish
Regional
Goverment’s Relations with
Turkey
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 44
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 4
April 2011
The Obligation of “International
Cooperation” in Meriç (MaritzaEvros)
Basin Water Management
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 45
April 2011
Syria Towards Democracy or
Civil War?: Social and Political
Structure, Prospects
For Change and Its Impacts on
Turkey
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 46
May 2011
Power Struggle in Syria, Reaction
of the International Community
and Turkey’s Position
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 47
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 5
May 2011
Turkey-Syria Relations: Asi
(Orontes) Friendship Dam As An
Example Of Cooperation
In Transboundary Waters
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 48
May 2011
Orsam Interviews - 1
Iraqi Arabs, Minorities & Academics - 1
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 57
June 2011
Reflections Of 12 June 2011 Turkey Parliamentary Elections in the
Middle Eastern Countries
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 49
May 2011
Orsam Interviews - 2
Iraqi Turkmens - 1
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 58
July 2011
Reflections of 12 June 2011 Turkey Parliamentary Elections in the
Middle East Through Cartoons
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 50
May 2011
ORSAM Interviews - 3
Iraqi Kurdish Officials, Academics
& Journalists - 1
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 51
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 8
May 2011
The 75th Anniversary of Montreaux Convention Regarding the
Regime of Turkish Straits
(In the Framework of the Changing Geopolitics of the Black Sea)
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 52
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 9
May 2011
Afghanistan and Regional Security
(Middle East, Central and South
Asia, Russian Federation)
(Tr - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 53
May 2011
Madagascar: Gains, Missing
Opportunities, and Relations
with Turkey in the 50th Year of
Independence
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 54
May 2011
Iraqi Groups’ Approach Towards
Main Political Problems and Relations With Turkey: A Study Based
On Field Research
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 55
June 2011
Antalya Conference of Syrian
Opposition: Results, Outlook on
Basic Problems and Expectations
from Turkey
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 56
June 2011
Elections and Experience of Justice and Development Party
(Tr – Ar)
ORSAM Report No: 59
July 2011
Understanding Iraq Through
Cartoons - 2
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 60
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 6
July 2011
Cooperation and Conflict on the
Mekong River Waters
(Tr-Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 61
July 2011
The Complete Decipher of the
“Chance in Syria Conference”,
Carried Out in Antalya Between
June 1-2 2011
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 62
August 2011
Understanding Iraq Through
Cartoons - 3
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 63
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 7
August 2011
The Invisible Strategic Resource:
Transboundary Ground Waters
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 64
August 2011
Victory of Justice and Development Party in 12 June 2011
Turkey’s General Elections
(Tr – Ar)
ORSAM Report No: 65
August 2011
Arab Spring Through Cartoons
–1
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 66
August 2011
Civil War in Libya and International Intervention Through
Cartoons - 1
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 67
August 2011
Somalia: A Nation’s Peril and
Turkey’s Humanitarian Aid
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 68
September 2011
The Operaton Against Osama
Bin Laden and Its Reflections in
Cartoons
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 69
September 2011
Understanding Iraq Through
Cartoons - 4
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 70
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 10
September 2011
Russia’s and Turkey’s Iran Policies in the XXI. Century
(Tr - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 71
September 2011
Gaza Problem: Israel’s Blocade,
International Law, Palmer Report
and Turkey’s Approach
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 72
September 2011
Statistics of the Middle Eastern
Countries
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 73
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 11
October 2011
Anatolian Sphere of Influence
(Tr-Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 74
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 12
October 2011
Ukraine in Regress: The Tymoshenko Trial
(Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 75
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 13
October 2011
Kazaks and Kazakistanis
(Tr - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 76
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 14
October 2011
The Forgotten Turks in Italy:
Moena Turks
(Tr - It)
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
45
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PROGRAMME
ORSAM Report No: 77
October 2011
The Regional and Global Effects
of the Us Post-Withdrawal Policy
Towards Iraq and Its Reflections
on Turkey
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 78
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 8
October 2011
Constructed Wetlands and ReUse of Waste Water for the Irrigation in Turkey and Israel
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 79
October 2011
The Political Balance in PreElection Period in Tunisia
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 80
October 2011
Understanding Iraq Through
Cartoons - 5
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 81
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 15
October 2011
Great Power Politics on Afghanistan
(Tr-Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 82
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 16
October 2011
Afghanistan in the Perspective of
Neighboring Countries
(Tr-Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 83
November 2011
The Community Brought up to
Agenda upon the Transition in
Syria: The Turkmens of Syria
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 84
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 9
November 2011
Somalia’s Catastrophic Famine:
Political Drought or Natural One?
(Tr-Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 85
November 2011
Historical Pragmatism in Syrian
Political Culture, Syrian Foreign
Policy Under Bashar Al-Assad
and Turkish-Syrian Relations
(Tr)
46
ORSAM Report No: 86
November 2011
From Past to Present: The Iraqi
Turkmen Front’s Structure and
Administration
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 87
November 2011
Turkmen in Iraq and Their Flight:
A Demographic Question?
(Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 88
November 2011
Bektashism in Iraq (Turkmens –
Shabaks – Kakais)
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 89
November 2011
Morocco Monarchy in Transformation Process: Evolution or
Revolution?
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 90
November 2011
The Efforts of Democratization in
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Within the Context of Local
Actors and Regional Challenges
(Tr-Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 91
December 2011
The Arab League’s and Turkey’s
Decisions to Impose Sanction
Against Syria, and Possible Consequences
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 92
December 2011
Current Situation of Disputed
Areas in Iraq
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 93
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report: 10
December 2011
Turkey and Wfd Harmonization: A
Silent, But Significant Process
(Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 94
December 2011
The Role of Perception in TurkeyFrance Crisis: French Perception
on Turkey
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 95
December 2012
Arab Spring Through Cartoons
–2
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 96
December 2011
Understanding Iraq Through
Cartoons – 6
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 105
February 2012
Political Rights of Minorities in
Iraqi Legislation
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 97
January 2012
Understanding Iraq Through
Cartoons – 7
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 106
February 2012
Social Rights of Minorities in Iraqi
Legislation
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 98
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 17
January 2012
Presidential Election in Kyrgyzstan and Its Effects on Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Relations
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 99
January 2012
Turkish Political Parties’ Statements on Syrian Refugees in Hatay, and Approaches of Political
Party Representatives and Movements in Hatay Towards Syrian
Developments (March-December
2011)
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 100
January 2012
Statistics of Iraq
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 101
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 11
January 2012
Right to Safe Drinking Water and
Sanitation
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 102
January 2012
How and Under What Circumstances Could Iraq Be Split Up?
Being Ready for the Worst
(Tr – Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 103
January 2012
The Struggle for Oil in Iraq: An
Analysis in the Light of MultiNational Companies,
International Contracts and Constitutional Debates
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 104
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 12
February 2012
An Evaluation on the Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers
(Tr – Eng)
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
ORSAM Report No: 107
February 2012
Human Rights of Minorities in
Terms of International Law And
Iraqi Constitution
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 108
February 2012
The Future of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 109
February 2012
The Missing Letter: The Rise of
Turkey and the “Bric” Area
(It)
ORSAM Report No: 110
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 13
March 2012
Water Resources and Management in Iran
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 111
March 2012
A Critical Look at the Syrian
Kurdish Opposition
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 112
March 2012
Constitutional System and Political Parties in Islamic Republic
of Iran
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 113
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 18
April 2012
Mongolia: A Developing Democracy and a Magnet for Mining
(Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 114
April 2012
Understanding the Syrian Problem Through Comics - 8
(Tr)
SYRIAN TURKMENS: POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND MILITARY STRUCTURE
ORSAM-ORTADOĞU TÜRKMENLERİ
PROGRAMI
ORSAM Report No: 115
April 2012
Arguments on Safe Havens in
Syria: Risks, Opportunities and
Scenarios for Turkey
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 116
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 14
April 2012
The Concept of “Benefit-Sharing”, Its Theoretical Background
and Practical Reflections
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 117
April 2012
Invest to Mosul Invest to Future
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 118
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 19
May 2012
The Analysis of Trade-Economic
Relations
Between Ukraine and Turkey
(Tr - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 119
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 20
May 2012
Geopolitical Dynamics as an
Instrument of Investigation of
Trends and Scenariouse of Regional Development
(Tr - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 120
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 21
May 2012
Development of Political System
in Kazakhstan: 2012 Parliamentary Elections
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 121
May 2012
New Dynamics in Local and Iraqi
Politics in Mosul (Field Study)
(Tr - Eng - Ger)
ORSAM Bericht Nr. 121
Mai 2012
Kommunalpolitik in Mosul und
Neue Dynamiken in Der Irakischen Politik (Feldarbeit)
(Ger)
ORSAM Report No: 122
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 15
May 2012
Water Resources Management
in Iraq
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 123
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 22
June 2012
Global Migration and Development of Migration Policies
of Turkey and European Union
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 124
July 2012
Turkey in Africa: The Implementation of the Action Plan and an
Evaluation
After Fifteen Years
(Tr - Eng - Fr)
ORSAM Rapport No 124
Juillet 2012
La Turquie en Afrique: Un Bilan
de la Mise en Oeuvre du Plan
D’action
Quinze Ans Apres
(Tr - Eng - Fr)
ORSAM Report No: 125
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 23
July 2012
Middle East Policy of Russia
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 126
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 16
July 2012
Towards the New Water Framework Directive: Notes on Water
Draft Law
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 127
August 2012
Kurdish Movements in Syria
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 128
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 24
September 2012
The Development of Belarus Turkey Economic Cooperation in
Modern Conditions
(Tr - Rus - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 129
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 25
September 2012
Belarus-Turkey: Positive Dynamics of Intergovernmental
Cooperation
(Tr - Rus - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 130
November 2012
Syrian Circassians
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 131
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 26
November 2012
“The Third Wave”: Geopolitics of
Postmodernism
(Tur - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 132
November 2012
Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoğlu’s Visit to Kirkuk
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 133
November 2012
The Rise and Future of Opposition in Iraqi Kurdistan Region
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 134
November 2012
Iraqi Circassians
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 135
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 27
November 2012
The Peculiarities of Turkey’s
Foreign Policy towards the PostSoviet States
(Tur – Eng - Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 136
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 28
November 2012
Turkish-Crimean Relationship as
an Integration
Factor in Turkish-Ukranian Relations
(Tur – Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 137
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 29
December 2012
Energy Policy of Belarus and the
Cooperation Belarus Developed
With Russia and the EU on Energy (1991-2011)
(Tur – Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 138
December 2012
“Unity or Pyd Power Play? Syrian
Kurdish Dynamics After the Erbil
Agreement”
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 139
December 2012
Balances among Kurds in Syria,
Regime Opponents and Turkey:
Relations Pattern at the Crossroads of Conflict-Stability
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 140
December 2012
Internal Political Balances in
North Iraq and Future of the Strategic Alliance
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 141
December 2012
The State of Turkmen Education
in Iraq
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 142
January 2013
President Obama’s Second Term:
Domestic and Foreign Challenges
(Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 143
January 2013
2012 Iraq Assessment and Iraq
Chronology
(Tr)
ORSAM Report No: 144
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 17
January 2013
Orsam Water Interviews 2011
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 145
ORSAM Water Research Programme Report No: 18
January 2013
Orsam Water Interviews 2012
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 146
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 30
January 2013
Eurasi in 2013:
Political and Economic
Analysis
(Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 147
BLACK SEA INTERNATIONAL
Report No: 31
January 2013
Cultural Dialogue: Newcomers
from the Ural-Volga Region –
Belarusian-Lithuanian Tartars in
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
(Tur – Rus)
ORSAM Report No: 148
January 2013
Internatonal Politics and Civilizations (Clash of Civilizations and
Dialogue)
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 149
February 2013
David cameron and the Eu:
Crossing the Rubicon
(Eng)
ORSAM Report No: 150
March 2013
Syrian Turkmens: Political Movements and Military Structure
(Tr - Eng)
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
47
ORSAM
ORSAM
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN
PROGRAMME
ACADEMIC STAFF
Hasan Kanbolat
Prof. Dr. Meliha Benli Altunışık
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar
Prof.Dr. Tarık Oğuzlu
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harun Öztürkler
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şahin
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür
Habib Hürmüzlü
Asst. Prof. Dr. Serhat Erkmen
Asst. Prof. Dr. Canat Mominkulov
Elmira Cheremisova
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Didem Danış
Dr. Jale Nur Ece
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlyas Kemaloğlu (Kamalov)
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Yaşar Sarı
Asst. Prof. Dr. Bayram Sinkaya
Dr. Süreyya Yiğit
Att. Aslıhan Erbaş Açıkel
Pınar Arıkan Sinkaya
Volkan Çakır
Bilgay Duman
Tamer Koparan
Noyan Gürel
Oytun Orhan
Sercan Doğan
Nebahat Tanriverdi
Seval Kök
Uğur Çil
Göknil Erbaş
Shalaw Fatah
Tuğçe Kayıtmaz
ORSAM Director
ORSAM Advisor,Middle East, METU Director of Institute of Social Sciences
ORSAM Advisor, ORSAM Eurasian Strategies Coordinator - Bilkent University
ORSAM Advisor,Middle East-Antalya International University
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East Economies - Afyon Kocatepe University, Department of Economics
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East - Gazi University, Department of IR
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East - METU, Department of IR
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East -Ahi Evran University, Department of IR
ORSAM Researcher, Eurasia, Al Farabi Kazakh National University
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East - St. Petersburg University
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East - Galatasaray University, Department of Sociology
ORSAM Advisor, Maritime Safety and Security
ORSAM Advisor, Eurasia
ORSAM Advisor, Eurasia - Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East - Yıldırım Beyazıt University Department of International Relations
ORSAM Advisor, Eurasia - Istanbul Aydın University
ORSAM Advisor, Energy-Maritime Law
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East - METU Department of International Relations
ORSAM Advisor, Africa - ORSAM Antananarivo (Madagascar) Representative
ORSAM Researcher, Middle East
ORSAM Managing Editor
ORSAM İzmir Represatative
ORSAM Researcher, Middle East
ORSAM Research Assistant, Middle East
ORSAM Research Assistant, Middle East
ORSAM Research Assistant, Middle East
ORSAM, Middle East
ORSAM, Black Sea
ORSAM Research Assistant, Middle East
Interpreter
ORSAM Water Research Programme
Dr. Tuğba Evrim Maden
Dr. Seyfi Kılıç
ORSAM Water Research Programme Hydropolitics Researcher
ORSAM Water Research Programme Hydropolitics Researcher
ORSAM ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Ismet Abdulmecid
Prof. Dr. Ramazan Daurov
Prof. Dr. Vitaly Naumkin
Hasan Alsancak
Prof. Dr. Meliha Benli Altunışık
Prof. Dr. Ahat Andican
Prof. Dorayd A. Noori
Prof. Dr. Tayyar Arı
Prof. Dr. Ali Arslan
Dr. Farhan Ahmad Nizami
Başar Ay
Prof. Aftab Kamal Pasha
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın
Ambassador Shaban Murati
Dr. Ersel Aydınlı
Safarov Sayfullo Sadullaevich
Mohamed Noureddine
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı
Itır Bağdadi
Prof. Dr. İdris Bal
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ersan Başar
Kemal Beyatlı
Yaşar Yakış
Barbaros Binicioğlu
Prof. Dr. Ali Birinci
Patrick Seale
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Budak
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Canpolat
Ret. (Air) Gen. Ergin Celasin
Dr. Sami Al Taqi
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mitat Çelikpala
Çetiner Çetin
Prof. Dr. Gökhan Çetinsaya
Assoc. Prof. Dr Didem Danış
48
Former President of Iraqi Council of State
Assistant Director, Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies
Director, Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies
İhlas Holding CEO
ORSAM Advisor Middle East, METU Director of Institute of Social Sciences
Former Minister & Istanbul University
Vice-Undersecretary in Iraq’s Embassy in Ankara
Uludağ University, Head of Department of International Relations
Istanbul University, Department of History
The Director of Centre for İslamic Studies at Oxford University
General Secretary, Turkish Textile Employers’ Association
The Director of The Centre for West Asian Studies in India
President of Kadir Has University
Albanian Institute for International Studies
Vice-President of Bilkent University, Fulbright Executive Director
Strategic Research Center Under The President of Tajikistan
Specialist in Turkish Affairs, Prof. at Lebanese University - History
METU, Head of Department of International Relations
İzmir Economy University, Department of International Relations and European Union
Member of Parliament in the 24th Legislative Term of Grand National Assembly of Turkey
Karadeniz Techinical University, Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering
Head of Iraqi Turkman Press Council
Ambassador, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
ORSAM Advisor, Middle Eastern Economies
Polis Akademisi
Well-Known Middle East and Syria Specialist
Deputy Director General in Prime Ministerial State Archives
Turkish Ministry of Defense Advisor
23rd Commander of Air Forces
General Manager of Orient Research Center
Kadir Has University, Head of Deparment of International Relations
Journalist, Iraq
President of The Council of Higher Education
ORSAM Advisor, Immigration Studies & Iraqi Refugees, Galatasary University, Department of Sociology
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
SYRIAN TURKMENS: POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND MILITARY STRUCTURE
ORSAM-ORTADOĞU TÜRKMENLERİ
PROGRAMI
Prof. Dr. Volkan Ediger
Prof. Dr. Cezmi Eraslan
Prof. Dr. Çağrı Erhan
Asst. Prof. Dr. Serhat Erkmen
Dr. Amer Hasan Fayyadh
Att. Aslıhan Erbaş Açıkel
Cevat Gök
Mete Göknel
Osman Göksel
Timur Göksel
Prof. Muhamad Al Hamdani
Numan Hazar
Habib Hürmüzlü
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar İpek
Dr. Tuğrul İsmail
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlyas Kemaloğlu (Kamalov)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Şenol Kantarcı
Selçuk Karaçay
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Karacasulu
Prof. Dr. M. Lütfullah Karaman Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şaban Kardaş
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elif Hatun Kılıçbeyli
Prof. Dr. Aleksandr Knyazev
Prof. Dr. Erol Kurubaş
Prof. Dr. Talip Küçükcan
Arslan Kaya
Dr. Hicran Kazancı
İzzettin Kerküklü
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kibaroğlu
Prof. Dr. Alexandr Koleşnikov
Dr. Max Georg Meier
Prof.Dr. Mosa Aziz Al-Mosawa
Prof. Dr. Mahir Nakip
Prof.Dr. Tarık Oğuzlu
Hediye levent
Prof.Dr. Çınar Özen
Murat Özçelik
Assoc. Prof. Harun Öztürkler
Dr. Bahadır Pehlivantürk
Prof. Dr. Victor Panin
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Fırat Purtaş
Prof. Suphi Saatçi
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yaşar Sarı
Ersan Sarıkaya
Dr. Bayram Sinkaya
Assoc.Prof.Dr. İbrahim Sirkeci
Dr. Aleksandr Sotnichenko
Semir Yorulmaz
Zaher Sultan
Dr. Irina Svistunova
Asst. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şahin
Prof. Dr. Türel Yılmaz Şahin
Mehmet Şüküroğlu
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oktay Tanrısever
Prof. Erol Taymaz
Prof. Sabri Tekir
Dr. Gönül Tol
Advt. Niyazi Güney
Asst. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür
M. Ragıp Vural
Dr. Ermanno Visintainer
Dr. Umut Uzer
Prof. Dr. Vatanyar Yagya
Dr. Süreyya Yiğit
İzmir Economy University, Department of Economics
President of Atatürk Research Center, Istanbul University, Department of History
Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science, Department of IR & Director ATAUM
ORSAM Middle East Advisor, Ahi Evran University, Head of the Department of International Relations
Baghdad University, Dean of Political Sciences Faculty (Iraq)
ORSAM Advisor, Energy-Maritime Law
Manager of Iraq El FIRAT TV - Turkey
Former Director of Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ)
BTC & NABUCCO Coordinator
Beirut American University (Lebanon)
Cultural Undersecretary in Iraq’s Embassy in Ankara
Retired Ambassador
ORSAM Middle East Advisor
Bilkent University, Department of International Relations
TOBB University of Economics & Technology, Department of International Relations
ORSAM Eurasia Advisor
Bilkent University, Department of International Relations
Kırıkkale University, Department of International Relations
Deputy Director, Vodafone (Turkey)
Dokuz Eylül University, Department of International Relations
Istanbul Medeniyet University, Department of International Relations
TOBB Economy and Technology University, Department of International Relations
Çukurova University, Head of the Department of International Relations
Kyrgyz Slavic University (Bishkek)
Kırıkkale University, Head of the Department of International Relations
Director of Marmara University, Institute of Middle East Studies
KPMG, Sworn-in Certified Financial Accountant
Iraqi Turkman Front Turkey Representative
President of Kirkuk Foundation
Okan University, Head of Department of International Relations
Diplomat
Hanns Seidel Foundation, Projects Director (Bishkek)
President of Baghdad University (Iraq)
Erciyes University, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences
ORSAM Advisor,Middle East-Antalya International University
Journalist, Syria
Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science, Department of International Relations
Ambassador
ORSAM Middle East Economies Advisor, Afyon Kocatepe University, Department of Economics
TOBB Economy and Technology University, Department of International Relations
Pyatigorsk University (Pyatigorsk, Russian Federation)
Gazi University Department of International Relations, Deputy Secretary General of TÜRKSOY
Secretary-General of Kirkuk Foundation
ORSAM Advisor, Eurasia - Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University
Türkmeneli TV (Kirkuk, Iraq)
ORSAM Middle East Advisor, Atatürk University
Reader in Demography and Marketing Regent’s College, (London, UK)
St. Petersburg University (Russian Federation)
Journalist, Egypt
President of Lebanon Turkish Association
Russia Strategic Research Center, Turkey-Middle East Studies Expert (Russian Federation)
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East, Gazi University, Department of International Relations
Gazi University, Department of International Relations
Energy Expert
METU, Department of International Relations
Vice President of the METU North Cyprus Campus (TRNC)
Dean of İzmir University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
Director of Middle East Institute Turkish Studies (USA)
Prens Group, Vice Chairman
ORSAM Advisor, Middle East, METU, Department of International Relations
General Coordinator of 2023 (Magazine)
Director of Vox Populi (Rome,Italy)
Istanbul Technical University, Humanities and Social Sciences
St. Petersburg City Council Member, St. Petersburg University (Russian Federation)
ORSAM Advisor, Eurasia - Istanbul Aydın University
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
49
ORSAM
ORSAM
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN
PROGRAMME
EDITORIAL BOARD OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES
Meliha Benli Altunışık Bülent Aras Tayyar Arı İlker Aytürk Recep Boztemur Katerina Dalacoura F. Gregory Gause Fawaz Gerges Ahmet K. Han Raymond Hinnebusch Rosemary Hollis Bahgat Korany Peter Mandaville Emma Murphy ODTÜ
Dışişleri Bakanlığı Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi Başkanı
Uludağ Üniversitesi
Bilkent Üniversitesi
ODTÜ
Londra Ekonomi Üniversitesi (Birleşik Krallık)
Vermont Üniversitesi (ABD)
Londra Ekonomi Üniversitesi (Birleşik Krallık)
Kadir Has Üniversitesi
St. Andrews Üniversitesi (Birleşik Krallık)
City Üniversitesi (Birleşik Krallık)
Durham Üniversitesi (Birleşik Krallık)
George Mason Üniversitesi (ABD)
Durham Üniversitesi (Birleşik Krallık)
MIDDLE EAST ANALYSIS EDITORIAL BOARD
Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık
Hasan Kanbolat
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar
Asst. Prof. Dr. Serhat Erkmen
50
Middle East Technical University , Director of Institute of Social Sciences
ORSAM Director
Bilkent University, Department of International Relations
ORSAM Middle East Advisor, Ahi Evran University, Head of Department of International Relations
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN PROGRAMME
Report No: 22, March 2013
ORSAM-MIDDLE EASTERN TURKMEN
PROGRAMME
ORSAM
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES
Mithatpaşa Caddesi 46/4 Kızılay/Ankara
Tel: 0(312) 430 26 09 Fax: 0 (312) 430 39 48
www.orsam.org.tr, [email protected]