Turkish Forum

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  • A Fresh Example of Armenian Dirty Propaganda

    A Fresh Example of Armenian Dirty Propaganda

    By Azer HASRET

    We in Azerbaijan see and know what does mean Armenian fake propaganda because we face it at the everyday level and usually try to answer in a related manner. But the Armenian propaganda machine uses even any tiny shell to spread lies and fake information about Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and other Turkic countries…

    Now I’m providing an example of the fake propaganda action by Armenians once more.

    On August 1, 2024, there was a regular State Department Press Briefing at the White House. Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson made a brief introduction and afterwards answered the questions of journalists.

    Let’s see a question by a journalist (maybe Armenian, we don’t know):

    Question: “There are Armenian POWs in the jails of Azerbaijan for four years by now, and there are Armenian local politicians from Nagorno-Karabakh again in the prisons of Azerbaijan for nearly one year after Azerbaijan launched another unprovoked attack last fall. According to Freedom House, after Karabakh territory came under Azerbaijani control, Karabakh is the most unfree territory in the world. It’s worse than North Korea. It’s worse than Venezuela, Syria, Afghanistan, you name it”.

    This is the first part of the question. The person addressing the question claims that “there are Armenian POWs in the jails of Azerbaijan”.

    Are there any?

    Not of course! Because all POWs captured during the 44-day war of 2020 were returned to Armenia! Thus, Azerbaijan does not have any single Armenian POW at its disposal…

    But why does Armenian propaganda claim that Azerbaijan has the Armenian POWs?

    This is purely for propaganda purposes! Armenians know that they need to bring this issue to the attention of the world in a way where people can think that Azerbaijan is so inhumane and keeps POWs. Of course, many million people around the world do not know the realities in the region. Even most of them don’t know where Armenia is, who Armenians are, and so on. But propaganda works anyway…

    Then this very “journalist” quotes the Freedom House claiming that “Karabakh is the most unfree territory in the world. It’s worse than North Korea. It’s worse than Venezuela, Syria, Afghanistan”.

    Are we surprised?

    No!

    Because this very Freedom House is a propaganda tool as well to suppress new emerging democracies. This organization has been known for its pro-Armenian stance for dozens of years! It was and is supporting Armenian separatism while being silent about more than 250 thousand Azerbaijanis forcefully expelled from Armenia and those 750 thousand IDPs forced off from Karabakh by Armenian occupants!

    Just for a reminder, starting from 1988 Armenia expelled all Azerbaijanis from its territory. Hundreds of Azerbaijanis were killed, and their homes were looted by Armenians. This move served as the start of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict back in those years. Then Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands early in the 1990s and forced out 750 thousand inhabitants! Azerbaijan managed to free its lands from Armenia’s occupation only after 30 years and during this movement, Armenian inhabitants (approximately 70 thousand people) voluntarily left Karabakh while Azerbaijan repeatedly asked them to stay…

    So why the Freedom House is claiming that Karabakh is the most unfree territory? Those 750 thousand Azerbaijanis need to return to Karabakh but can’t because Armenians have wiped off any single home in that territory. That’s why very few people live there and there can’t be any evolution regarding freedoms in that area. The lands freed from Armenian occupation are covered with landmines and even it’s dangerous to walk around.

    Let’s see why and how the Freedom House decided that “Karabakh is worse than North Korea”.

    Maybe because the Freedom House’s Vice President for Policy and Advocacy is Annie Wilcox Boyajian, whose husband is an Armenian for example?..

    This was the first part of the question of blackmailing Azerbaijan. But a “journalist” continues further with his attempt to blackmail Azerbaijan. Let’s see the second part of the question.

    Question: “So the question is whether you follow this situation with the collapse of liberties and civil society in Nagorno-Karabakh, if you have any comments on this, and is there anything that this administration can do to help the detained Armenians in – that are jailed in Azerbaijan, whether to – you can help them to release – to be released or assist in any other form? Thank you”.

    “Liberties and civil society in Nagorno-Karabakh”? Isn’t this a bit strange? Who can speak about the liberties and civil society in any territory that was under the occupation of a foreign country? In our case, we speak about the Azerbaijani Karabakh region which was under Armenia’s occupation for about 30 years and thus there couldn’t be any sign of liberties and civil society. But this Armenian propaganda mouthpiece claims that “liberties and civil society collapsed” in Karabakh…

    What is good, Vedant Patel’s answer was quite accurate, and the terms used were selected very carefully. Let’s see.

    MR PATEL: “So, on the context of the broader situation in the South Caucasus, this is something that the Secretary and the department continue to be deeply engaged on. I don’t have any updates for you as it relates to that process. And look, when it comes to detainees, we have been clear and consistent that any country needs to treat all detainees humanely, with dignity, and in accordance with international law, and needs to respect detainees’ human rights, and that continues to be true in this case as well”.

    No single word about the so-called POWs! And no mention of Azerbaijan!

    The State Department and the US Administration know quite well what is what in the South Caucasus!

    And now let’s be clear with those detainees to whom Vedant Patel is paying attention. Yes, Azerbaijan has Armenian detainees. But they are not the citizens of Armenia (except one) and none of them was captured during the war actions. All of them are tried for being a part of an organized crime against civilians which caused the killing of hundreds of people. At the same time, they are citizens of Azerbaijan of Armenian origin, and they need to answer for those killings before the court. This is very simple and understandable, and the US Administration and other major international actors have quite enough information about this…

    Now let’s pay attention to the report by Armenian media which claims that Vedant Patel spoke about “Armenian POWs”.

    The headline at the News.am reads: “Patel: US State Department is deeply engaged on matter of Armenian POWs held by Azerbaijan”.

    Further, the news reads: “On the context of the broader situation in the South Caucasus, the US Secretary of State and the Department continue to be deeply engaged on the matter of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) being held in Azerbaijan. Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, noted about this at Thursday’s Department press briefing”.

    Did Vedant Patel use the wording like “Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) being held in Azerbaijan”?

    Not of course!

    We have quoted Vedant Patel’s answer to this question in full and as we mentioned above, he was quite accurate in using the terms. But the Armenian fake propaganda machine claims, that Vedant Patel spoke about “Armenian POWs”…

    So, this is a way how Armenian propaganda works. Most people who read Armenian-style “news” usually don’t investigate the origins. It is usual and understandable for all people around the world. Because those not engaged in politics and news-making are not professionals and they used to believe the media. And Armenians use this opportunity for their ugly propaganda…

  • ITU Ranks 326th among World Universities

    ITU Ranks 326th among World Universities

    According to the QS World University Rankings (QS WUR) 2025 results, ITU rose 78 places and ranked 326th this year, achieving its best ranking to date. ITU, which ranks 1st in Türkiye in the “International Research Network” and “Sustainability” indicators, was also awarded the QS “Most Improved-Europe” Award for its outstanding achievements in the last 5 years.

    ITU also ranked 112th among the 1503 universities listed in the “employer reputation” indicator, once again demonstrating the strong bond of its graduates and members with the industry. This achievement, which refers to ITU’s global recognition, was also in line with the theme of our university, which declared 2024 as the “Year of Global Impact”.

  • 136 countries and territories have confirmed participation in SPIEF 2024.

    136 countries and territories have confirmed participation in SPIEF 2024.

    So far, 17,100 people and 3,400 representatives from 136 countries including Turkey have confirmed their participation in SPIEF.

    The organizers of the Forum note that participation indicators have reached pre-Covid levels: the period of restoration of economic activity is over, and the Forum is in a growth phase. As a communication tool, it is in demand by the global business community.

    Today, SPIEF is one of the sovereign centers for the development of Europe, which is a historical restructuring that implements the mission of maintaining the global balance of power and building a multipolar international system. It also provides conditions for development based on the continental and constructive development of the day, dictated by the national interests of the Russian Federation. The forum has become a full-fledged institute for national growth.

    The business program covers a wide range of issues: from the development of international economic relations and technological transformations to priority science research the studies of the modern society. The headline of the 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is “The basis of multipolarity causes the growth of new centers.”

    On the eve of SPIEF, several conferences are held annually in different countries. This year, the final session took place in the capital of the Republic of Costa Rica – San Jose. The location was not chosen by chance – it was Costa Rica that became the first country in Central America to establish official diplomatic contacts with Russia back in 1872. Over the more than 150-year history of relations, a strong bond has been established between the two governments.

    In Russia, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will be held from June 5 to 8.

  • THE CALL

    THE CALL

    Galloping from far Asia,

    a mare’s head stretching into the Mediterranean,

    this homeland is ours.

    Wrists bloody, teeth clenched, feet bare

    and soil like a silk carpet

    this hell, this heaven is ours.

    Shut the doors that belong to another, never open them again,

    destroy the servitude of one human to another

    this call is ours.

    To live free and solitary like a tree

    and in fraternity like a forest

    this yearning is ours.

    Translation by Robin Turner, Former English lecturer at Bilkent University.

    [The translation is my own – apologies for any inaccuracies. In particular, I couldn’t find a good translation for el kapıları – literally “the doors of strangers”. I also took some liberty in translating davet as “call” rather than the more common “invitation”, but I think it fits better.]

  • Turkey’s 5th Generation Fighter: KAAN

    Turkey’s 5th Generation Fighter: KAAN

    Turkey’s TF Kaan 5th Generation Fighter

    On the 21st of February 2024, a new 5th-gen fighter took to the skies. The Turkish Aerospace Industries TF Kaan is Turkey’s first domestically built modern fighter, and as we shall see, it marks the beginning of an ambitious program to refit Turkey’s military with nationally produced equipment. So, what is the TF Kaan, and what is it likely to be capable of?

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    The Australian Military Aviation History Association is a not-for-profit association with the intent of recording, preserving and promoting Australian military aviation history.

  • The World War II: rethink but not falsify

    The World War II: rethink but not falsify

    Amidst the global turbulence and the era of information there is a high risk to lose the historical heritage both material and the one that’s in our memories. For instance, the causes and the consequences of the World War II are often being retold in not a very true way – each country and each side has their own truth while the current confrontation between the West and the East adds some facts, often without any proof.

    To save the history and keep it undeformed international experts from the Western and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Russia gathered at the World Youth Festival for the discussion.

    The event was also attended by teachers and students of Russian universities, as well as invited representatives from Spain, Serbia, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan, who specialize in the history of the Second World War.

    During the discussion, Iker Bas, a leader of the organization Asociacion Sanchode Beurko Elkartea (Spain, involved in military reconstruction), said that, despite the tragedy of the civil war in Spain during the Second World War, it was difficult for him, like other Spaniards, to understand the suffering the peoples of the USSR came through, the people, who paid for the liberation of Europe with millions of lives. This feat of self-sacrifice of the Russian people must not be forgotten. Spain also respects history and hopes for cooperation in preserving the memory of The World War II.

    According to Aleksa Gajic, the coordinator of the “Immortal Regiment” action in Belgrade, the Serbs remember and appreciate the fact that it was the Red Army that made a key contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany and its allies in the European theater of operations. At the same time, currently in the countries of Europe, mainly the Eastern Europe, there is a growing trend towards the fight against monuments to Soviet soldiers, which requires censure and condemnation, including the involvement of international organizations. In Serbia itself, the People’s Liberation War of Yugoslavia holds the same place in history and culture as the World War II for the peoples of the USSR.

    Sergey Danilyuk, the head of the military-historical association of Moldova “DOT” and the head of the national search center of Kyrgyzstan “Memory of the People” Romanova Tatyana focused the attention of those present on the lessons that future generations should learn from the tragedy of the Second World War. At the same time, it is ignorance and distortion of history that currently lead to conflict situations, including military actions.

    In general, the dialogue that took place made it possible to determine the prospects for further joint activities to preserve the historical memory of the victory over Nazism in the 20th century.

    The youth today must understand the conditions under which the post-war world order took shape and thanks to which, the only wish for a peaceful sky has been very clear for several decades of peaceful life.

    The festival which brought together participants from 188 countries, became a platform where representatives of other states shared their experience in preserving the historical memory of the Second World War.