Comments on: Turkey, China, and Xinjiang http://www.thenewdominion.net/1011/turkey-china-and-xinjiang/ a blog about xinjiang Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:56:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: kahraman http://www.thenewdominion.net/1011/turkey-china-and-xinjiang/comment-page-1/#comment-4709 kahraman Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:11:17 +0000 http://www.thenewdominion.net/?p=1011#comment-4709 An interesting observation that I have not seen mentioned in the discussion of the Sino - Turkish angle on xinjiang events is the recent visit to beijing and urumqi of Turkish president Gul at the end of June (where he received an honorary degree at xinjiang university). I was in beijing at the time where tiananmen was covered with Chinese and Turkish flags. With this visit fresh in memory, I'm sure senior Turkish politicians may have been angry at being fed the peace and harmony line about the Uyghurs only to have demonstrations and riots happen days later. An interesting observation that I have not seen mentioned in the discussion of the Sino – Turkish angle on xinjiang events is the recent visit to beijing and urumqi of Turkish president Gul at the end of June (where he received an honorary degree at xinjiang university). I was in beijing at the time where tiananmen was covered with Chinese and Turkish flags. With this visit fresh in memory, I’m sure senior Turkish politicians may have been angry at being fed the peace and harmony line about the Uyghurs only to have demonstrations and riots happen days later.

]]> By: Frogdeck http://www.thenewdominion.net/1011/turkey-china-and-xinjiang/comment-page-1/#comment-4676 Frogdeck Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:36:01 +0000 http://www.thenewdominion.net/?p=1011#comment-4676 Dawutjan, these are very interesting observations, thank you! Dawutjan, these are very interesting observations, thank you!

]]> By: The New Dominion » Turkey, China, and Xinjiang « euraktiva http://www.thenewdominion.net/1011/turkey-china-and-xinjiang/comment-page-1/#comment-4655 The New Dominion » Turkey, China, and Xinjiang « euraktiva Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:10:36 +0000 http://www.thenewdominion.net/?p=1011#comment-4655 [...] via The New Dominion » Turkey, China, and Xinjiang. [...] [...] via The New Dominion » Turkey, China, and Xinjiang. [...]

]]> By: dawutjan http://www.thenewdominion.net/1011/turkey-china-and-xinjiang/comment-page-1/#comment-4649 dawutjan Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:28:37 +0000 http://www.thenewdominion.net/?p=1011#comment-4649 Personally, I don't think anyone in Turkey makes much of a connection between the situation in Xinjiang, and the plight of the Kurds. Which is odd, I suppose, but never underestimate the power of nationalism to hide what is immediately apparent to outside observers. I have spoken to Uyghurs in Turkey who had served in the Turkish army, and they described to me with pride how they had put down Kurdish protests! It's very much a weakness of the Uyghur movement internationally that they seem unwilling to state their case in terms of other oppressed ethnicities elsewhere, something which might lead them to recognise parallels with the Kurds. So, I think support for the Uyghurs in Turkey has largely been articulate within a very narrow nationalist discourse, I don't think the government was ever worried about giving ammunition to the Kurds. Personally, I don’t think anyone in Turkey makes much of a connection between the situation in Xinjiang, and the plight of the Kurds. Which is odd, I suppose, but never underestimate the power of nationalism to hide what is immediately apparent to outside observers. I have spoken to Uyghurs in Turkey who had served in the Turkish army, and they described to me with pride how they had put down Kurdish protests! It’s very much a weakness of the Uyghur movement internationally that they seem unwilling to state their case in terms of other oppressed ethnicities elsewhere, something which might lead them to recognise parallels with the Kurds.

So, I think support for the Uyghurs in Turkey has largely been articulate within a very narrow nationalist discourse, I don’t think the government was ever worried about giving ammunition to the Kurds.

]]> By: Tamerlane http://www.thenewdominion.net/1011/turkey-china-and-xinjiang/comment-page-1/#comment-4648 Tamerlane Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:46:37 +0000 http://www.thenewdominion.net/?p=1011#comment-4648 That is an interesting development. I always assumed that the Turkish gov't was not openly supportive of the Uyghurs because they didn't want to give their Kurds any ideas. That is an interesting development. I always assumed that the Turkish gov’t was not openly supportive of the Uyghurs because they didn’t want to give their Kurds any ideas.

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