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21.12.2009

INFORMATIONAL CONTEXT OF THE POSSIBLE OPENING OF THE TURKSIH BORDER

   

Samvel Martirosyan

The current dynamics of the Armenian-Turkish relations may change the format and the content of the information field in the RA and NKR as well as in the Diaspora.

Today Azerbaijan and Turkey are the main rivals of Armenia on the information field. Meanwhile the developments round the conclusion of the Armenian-Turkish protocols have deformed the information field to a certain extent. Azerbaijan initiated not only anti-Armenian but also partially anti-Turkish policy which is mainly directed to the Turkish and Azerbaijani societies. In this regard the pressure to Armenia released to a certain degree.

In its turn the Turkish front has become more transparent to Armenia. Amid the absence of any relations between two countries the main information struggle went on between Turkey and its satellites (the organizations from Turkish Diaspora, Azerbaijani and Jewish organizations supporting Turkey and etc) and the Diaspora (mainly Western Armenian). Over that period Turkish information field was mainly perceived in the light of information flows of the Diaspora.

Today the situation has changed. For Armenian mass media Turkish periodicals, organizations, experts became “newsmakers”. The Internet users in Armenia, in turn, are reading the Turkish online press more actively. In fact, Armenian information field is, to a certain degree, under the Turkish influence.

Impact on the relations between Armenia and Diaspora

Turkish propaganda already works actively to drive a wedge between Armenia and Diaspora. Today with this purpose the discrepancies between Armeniancy connected with the Armenian-Turkish protocols are used.

Here the Azerbaijani press plays the role of the mediator. With the help of Azerbaijan the filtered Turkish propaganda appears in the Armenian field. Azerbaijani party uses a number of factors among which there are two main ones:

  1. Armenian press readers and Internet users till now depend to a certain extent on Azerbaijani press from which they take news of the regional character.
  2. The language factor. Most of the Internet users in Armenia mainly know Russian and in a less degree English. On the assumption of that Azerbaijani press actively translates from English into Russian the needed articles from the Turkish press in order to exert psychological and informational pressure on the Armenian society. Besides, the materials from Turkish language press, which is not controlled by the Armenian mass media due to a simple reason that many Armenian journalists do not speak Turkish, are actively used.

Those two factors allowed Turkish and Azerbaijani press to impact on the Armenian information field rather actively. They try to drive a wedge between different segments of the Armenian society based on present discrepancies.

It is necessary to take into consideration that after the opening of the border with Turkey Armenia will face another reality. We mean the Armenian community of Turkey. Taking into consideration the fact that the community consists of the Armenians who stayed there after the Genocide and the wave of the Armenians who arrived there from the RA, Turkey will try use the factor of the splitting of the Turkish society. Especially because the community is in a difficult situation and can appear under the pressure of the Turkish authorities. After the murder of Hrant Dink it became clear that for the Turkish authorities the Armenian community is a means of propaganda which is used to form its image in the world. In the same way the factor of the Armenian community can become a means to exert psychological pressure on the Armenia and Diaspora.

Armenian media field

Today Armenian media field, as we have already mentioned, is partially under the Turkish influence. It should be taken into consideration that Turkish media excel Armenian media in regard to the available resources.

The first possible step may be the creation of the offices of the Turkish media in Armenia. Meanwhile, Armenian party can hardly react to that in the same operative way: Armenian press is strictly oriented to the domestic political field (there are no offices of the Armenian media even in the NKR).

On the second stage the dissemination of the Turkish printed press in Armenia is possible (in English, for the Armenians and the tourists and in Turkish for the possible migrants from Turkey).

On the third stage the creation of the joint Armenian-Turkish, as well as only Turkish media in Armenian language is possible.

Armenian information field is not ready to the active Turkish expansion not only in English but also in the Armenian languages. There is already radio station broadcasting in Armenian in Turkey. Besides, there are periodicals in Armenian issued by the Armenian community.

Azerbaijan has been broadcasting news in Armenian on the satellite TV channel. But the Azerbaijani and Turkish invasion of the Armenian language information field will sharply differ from each other on several parameters:

  1. The psychology of the Armenians is seriously studied in Turkey. Thus, the information flow will be weighed in contrast to the crude Azerbaijani propaganda.
  2. The study of the Armenian language is encouraged among the Turkish officials. Besides, there are stratums of the Armenians in Turkey which in one way or another collaborate with the Turkish authorities or press. So there are serious possibilities both for the monitoring of the Armenian press and creating materials in Armenian.

The Armenian society is not ready for such changes of the information field. The information field in Turkey is very diverse, dynamic and demands for much more severe competition than the one in Azerbaijan.

The opposite processes are also possible: Armenian media start to broadcast in Turkish. If before the on-line Turkish version of “Azg” newspaper had existed for several years, then today we have two agencies – Tert.am and News.am – which translate their news in Turkish. On the one hand, it is a good opportunity to influence a part of the Turkish society which does not read in English. On the other hand, the information field which is not controlled by the Armenian community is formed and in the future it can turn into an infogene threat, owing to the fact that from Armenia information flows, which are formed and controlled by a very restricted number of people, go.

Electronic security

The opening of the border with Turkey may also imply the diversification of the data exchange with the external world. There is a possibility of the creation of the fiber-optic communications through the territory of Turkey.

In October 2008 the information appeared that “Beeline” Company and Turkish communication operator (“Turkcell”) are negotiating over the creation of the reserve internet channel. Though later on the information was disclaimed by the company, it is obvious that in case of the opening of the border and free competition the “Turkish cable” can really turn into reality.

In this case it should be taken into account that the Internet traffic coming from Turkey can be potentially controlled by the Turkish special services.

Besides, we may also speak about the usage of the Turkish satellites for the exchange of the data. Armenia, in part, has such an experience. The so-called “virtual silk road” which included several post-Soviet countries has used Turkish satellite to supply Armenian scientific and educational structures with Internet. In 2002 Eurasiasat-1/TurkSat-2A was used.

Conclusion

In the near future the threat of infogene character by Turkey may increase. Two factors should be mentioned:

  • In the near future Turkey will not stop being the information and political competitor of Armenia even after the signing of the protocols and implementing of programmes directed to closer relations stipulated in those protocols.
  • Despite the discrepancies between Turkey and Azerbaijan the latter will not stop being the ally of Ankara. Ankara-Baku propaganda tandem will continue exerting pressure on Armenia. In the same way the merging of the Turkish and Azerbaijani hacker groups acting against Armenia and Armeniancy will continue.

At the same time, the continuing confrontation between Turkey and Israel may become a positive factor for Armenian both for the possible establishing of the closer relations with Tel Aviv and weakening of the Turkish propaganda machine due to the growing pressure on behalf of Israeli party.

On the other hand the abrupt change and activation of the information field will boost the fast development of the mass media in Armenia and shifting the priority to the foreign politics.


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