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The article discusses politics and government in Turkey. The suggestion by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that two statues in the city of Kars created as a monument to reconciliation between Turks and Armenians be destroyed is examined. Although Erdogan said he objected to the statues on aesthetic grounds, the possibility that he was appealing to nationalist sentiments prior to elections to be held in June, 2011 is considered.