Ruben Safrastyan: ‘The Armenian Nation Does Not Want to Come under the Ottoman Influence’

YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS: Turkey tends to strengthen its position in the region by using the neo-Ottoman ideology, according to Ruben Safrastyan, Turkologist, director of the RA NAS institute of Oriental studies. He added that the expansion of the influence on Near East is based on Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoghlu’s thesis of ‘strategic depth’.

According to Ruben Safrastyan, ‘0 problem with neighbors’ policy, according to which Turkey will tend to lead a hegemonic policy towards its neighbors – mainly the countries, which were occupied by the Ottoman Turkey in the past – reflects this policy. ‘These ideas come from the neo-Ottomanism and they were to ensure the strategic depth for Turkey,’ he said.

The Turkologist says in his speech in Cyprus the RA President gave quite serious and fundamental assessments to the neo-Ottoman ideology. The RA President described the Ottoman Empire as a country, which brought no any good to its subjects, that is why this concept does not have any prospect,’ Ruben Safrastyan mentioned. He added that the Armenian nation does not want to come under the Ottoman influence.

Speaking on the attitude of the superpowers towards Ottomanism, the Turkologist mentioned that the attitude of US and EU is negative. He added that Russia and Turkey have ‘a geopolitical ceasefire’. ‘However this does not mean that the traditional geopolitical competition between Turkey and Russia is over,’ he said.