Even Turkey has shown a more progressive attitude in relation to it's Kurdish minority than the Greeks. Note the similar tactics of denial .... Some analysts consider the new channel a sort of revolution for Turkey, considering that between 1983 and 1991 it was illegal to speak Kurdish.
The state-run Turkish Radio and Television's (TRT) new Kurdish-language channel, TRT-6, went on the air with an image of the Turkish flag being hoisted to the sound of the country's national anthem on January 1.
Earlier the same day, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Edrogan became the first Turkish leader to speak Kurdish publicly when he said, "May TRT-6 be beneficial."
Back in 2004, TRT began a weekly 30-minute Kurdish broadcast. The move was widely seen as a response to European Union pressure to strengthen the rights of the Kurdish minority.
But the 24-hour broadcasts go far beyond that.
Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish columnist and political commentator, says that the political establishment in his country appears to have realized that Turkey's obsession with being a "homogenous" nation -- and the idea that the country should have one common "Turkish" culture -- has backfired.
"The state has seen its mistake. And for a while, especially under the current government [of the] Justice and Development Party -- and thanks to [joining] the European Union process - the Turkish state has started to change its policy and embrace Kurdish citizens [along] with their identity," Akyol says.
"Having a Kurdish channel in TRT -- its a very important thing. It would be unthinkable 10 years ago," he adds. "And I know that many Kurds are happy to see this."
Countering Radical Voices
Turkey's 15 million Kurds make up some 20 percent of the Turkish population. They live predominantly in the east and southeast along the Iranian, Iraqi, and Syrian borders. Currently, the Denmark-based Roj TV is the most popular station among Turkey's Kurds.
But Turkish officials consider the station to be a mouthpiece for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- a rebel group fighting for Kurdish autonomy since 1984 that Ankara, Washington, and the European Union have declared a terrorist organization.
Akyol says countering the message of Kurdish nationalist satellite channels such as Roj TV is one obvious reason the new Kurdish station was launched, because official attempts to stop people from watching the broadcasts failed.
He says the TRT programs will be aimed at providing "Kurdish broadcasts, which would not be supporting radical Kurdish nationalism and would be supporting a more unifying message."
But he sees deeper motives involved as Turkey moves toward greater democratization and its government and institutions also adjust to 21st-century realities.
"Now there is more media than there has ever been. More people are educated and the economy is integrated to the world. It is a much more diverse society and the state is trying to cope with that reality," Akyol says.
Earlier the same day, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Edrogan became the first Turkish leader to speak Kurdish publicly when he said, "May TRT-6 be beneficial."
Back in 2004, TRT began a weekly 30-minute Kurdish broadcast. The move was widely seen as a response to European Union pressure to strengthen the rights of the Kurdish minority.
But the 24-hour broadcasts go far beyond that.
Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish columnist and political commentator, says that the political establishment in his country appears to have realized that Turkey's obsession with being a "homogenous" nation -- and the idea that the country should have one common "Turkish" culture -- has backfired.
"The state has seen its mistake. And for a while, especially under the current government [of the] Justice and Development Party -- and thanks to [joining] the European Union process - the Turkish state has started to change its policy and embrace Kurdish citizens [along] with their identity," Akyol says.
"Having a Kurdish channel in TRT -- its a very important thing. It would be unthinkable 10 years ago," he adds. "And I know that many Kurds are happy to see this."
Countering Radical Voices
Turkey's 15 million Kurds make up some 20 percent of the Turkish population. They live predominantly in the east and southeast along the Iranian, Iraqi, and Syrian borders. Currently, the Denmark-based Roj TV is the most popular station among Turkey's Kurds.
But Turkish officials consider the station to be a mouthpiece for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- a rebel group fighting for Kurdish autonomy since 1984 that Ankara, Washington, and the European Union have declared a terrorist organization.
Akyol says countering the message of Kurdish nationalist satellite channels such as Roj TV is one obvious reason the new Kurdish station was launched, because official attempts to stop people from watching the broadcasts failed.
He says the TRT programs will be aimed at providing "Kurdish broadcasts, which would not be supporting radical Kurdish nationalism and would be supporting a more unifying message."
But he sees deeper motives involved as Turkey moves toward greater democratization and its government and institutions also adjust to 21st-century realities.
"Now there is more media than there has ever been. More people are educated and the economy is integrated to the world. It is a much more diverse society and the state is trying to cope with that reality," Akyol says.
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