Putin joins Erdoğan, voices condemnation of Israeli ship raid

Putin, speaking at a joint press conference following talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Tuesday, underlined that the circumstances of the Israeli attack must be thoroughly investigated. The Russian leader arrived in İstanbul earlier in the day to participate in a summit of a 20-member Asian security forum, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). He and Erdoğan held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

Nine Turks were killed last Monday during the Israeli commando raid of the Mavi Marmara, part of a six-vessel convoy that set out to challenge the blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel said its troops used lethal force in self-defense after they were attacked by pro-Palestinian activists wielding clubs and knives, while both Turkish leaders and the global public were infuriated by the killings.

“Such actions against a civilian ship are unacceptable,” Putin said. “These actions in neutral waters raise special concerns and, undoubtedly, demand a thorough investigation,” he added. His remarks in Russian were translated to Turkish through an interpreter.

Russia was among the 32 members of the 47-member UN Human Rights Council that voted last Wednesday to set up an independent fact-finding mission to look into what it termed violations of international law in Israel's raid on the Gaza aid flotilla. Israel appeared to ignore the vote and instead eagerly accepted a US suggestion to launch an Israeli inquiry with the participation of outside observers.

Putin also stated that his country advocated the immediate lifting of the Israeli blockade on the impoverished Gaza Strip, while calling for concrete steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, speak during a press conference in İstanbul on Tuesday. Putin arrived in Turkey to take part in an international conference on peace regulation in Asia.

Expressing pleasure over Russia’s support of Turkey’s efforts to bring the Gaza raid issue to various international platforms, Erdoğan pledged that his country would continue these efforts.

“The voice raised will be the voice of consciences which want a more just and freer world,” Erdoğan said. “The day that justice is established, our pains will ease, even if just partly,” he added.

The Russian and Turkish leaders’ press conference was held only a few hours after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Russia against siding with Iran’s foes ahead of a UN Security Council vote to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Tehran. Ahmadinejad, who was also in İstanbul for the CICA summit, held a separate press conference before joining the other heads of state and government at the summit.

“There is no big problem, but they must be careful not to side with the enemies of the Iranian people,” Ahmadinejad said, as he strongly criticized Russia for backing the draft sanctions.

After weeks of closed-door negotiations, the United States, Britain and France won crucial support from Russia and China for new sanctions, but they have faced a tough campaign to get backing from the rest of the 15-member Security Council.

For his part, at the press conference with Erdoğan, Putin said the sanctions should not be “excessive” and should not create barriers for the development of Iran’s nuclear energy sector. “I hold the opinion that this resolution should not be excessive and should not put Iran’s leadership or the Iranian people in a tricky situation that creates barriers to developing Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy,” he said.Putin also said that he might have a bilateral meeting with Ahmadinejad later in the day in order “to discuss these problems, if my Iranian colleague has such a need.”

He noted that the long-delayed Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran should come on line in August, regardless of the sanctions. The construction of Iran’s first nuclear power plant began in 1975 by German companies. However, the firms stopped work after a US embargo was imposed on high-technology supplies to Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent US Embassy siege in Tehran. Russia signed a contract with Iran in February 1998 to complete the plant.

Refusal to press parties in Nagorno-Karabakh dispute

Putin also made clear yesterday that his country has no intention of pressing any parties in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, suggesting that any interference or pressure on one side of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would be a risky move.

Russia, along with France and the United States, is one the three co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has striven to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for more than 17 years.

“Not only one side bears responsibility when resolving such conflicts. The officials of both countries must discuss this issue and continue a dialogue,” Putin said in response to a question by an Azerbaijani journalist. A solution to the conflict that would be accepted by both parties must be achieved, he said, adding: “Other countries in this issue can act only as mediators. Patience is required, because the issue is very difficult.”

Azerbaijan and Armenia must resolve the conflict themselves, and Russia and other countries are ready to provide them with all necessary assistance, Putin said. “We cannot compel the parties to make a decision. We cannot put pressure on them.”