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Armenians And Turks Miss A Unifying Figure

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  • Armenians And Turks Miss A Unifying Figure

    ARMENIANS AND TURKS MISS A UNIFYING FIGURE
    Sassoon Grigorian

    Sydney Morning Herald
    January 22, 2010

    A young boy lights candles at the spot where Turkish-Armenian author
    Hrant Dink was killed in Istanbul. Photo: Reuters

    I still remember shaking Hrant Dink's hand in his Istanbul office,
    never imagining three years later there there would be a 100,000
    strong funeral procession condemning his assassination chanting
    "We are all Hrant Dink: We are all Armenian".

    It is three years since Dink, an editor-in-chief of the bi-lingual
    Turkish Armenian newspaper Agos, and prominent member of the
    Armenian minority in Turkey was killed. For decades Dink advocated
    for reconciliation between Turks and Armenians as well as calling on
    the Turkish Government to recognise the Armenian genocide of 1915.

    Since Dink's assassination, significant progress has been made for
    reconciliation, however, his loss emphasises the need for a unifying
    figure between Turks and Armenians. Despite progress, deep divisions
    still exist, and the absence of an individual that can unify both
    peoples.

    Dink was a unifying figure for many Armenians and those Turks
    advocating for democracy and free speech in Turkey and repealing
    repressive laws such as Article 301. Article 301 is a controversial
    section of the Turkish penal code making it illegal to insult Turkey,
    Turkish ethnicity, or government institutions. Among those charged by
    Article 301 included Dink himself and Orhan Pamuk, Turkish writer and
    recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006. Pamuk was charged
    following comments made in an interview about the mass killings of
    Kurds and Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

    There are those that argued Dink provoked Turkish nationalism. Soon
    after Dink's death, photographs of the assassin emerged flanked by
    smiling Turkish police, posing with the killer side by side in front
    of the Turkish flag. The photos created a scandal in Turkey.

    Despite this, there has been steady progress for reconciliation
    including the signing of an internet petition by some 200 Turkish
    intellectuals about the genocide, saying that they are sorry. The
    text of their apology did not use the term genocide, however, about
    30,000 Turks, from many different walks of life, signed the petition.

    Then there was the bold move of football diplomacy last year where
    Armenia's President Serg Sargsyan invited Turkish President Abdullah
    Gul to Armenia's capital, Yerevan, to watch the football World Cup
    qualifier between both countries. The invitation was reciprocated
    when the sides played in Turkey.

    Unfortunately, in a backward step, what was meant to be the momentous
    signing of protocols between Turkey and Armenia last year degenerated
    into a political sideshow. The protocols have been formulated to
    restore diplomatic relations between both countries, however, they
    are yet to be ratified by their respective parliaments. The protocols
    have faced significant resistance within Turkey and Armenia because
    of the ambiguous language contained in the document, as well as the
    lack of consultation leading to the signing.

    In all of this, one thing is clear, there is no individual or leader
    that stands out like Dink.

    In a speech delivered in May 2006, at a seminar by the Turkish
    Journalists' Association and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Dink said:
    "I think the fundamental problems in Turkey exist for the majority
    as well. Therefore . . . I will speak for the majority, including
    myself in it and dwell on where, we, as Turkey, are headed."

    The majority of people want a restoration of diplomatic relations
    between Turkey and Armenia, but there exists many different paths to
    getting there and continuing deep distrust. Dink had an ability to
    bring people together to a common ground. That is what is needed now.

    Former South African president Nelson Mandela once said: "If you talk
    to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you
    talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

    Dink spoke the language that went to the heart. He remains missed.

    Sassoon Grigorian travelled to Turkey in 2004.

    Source: theage.com.au
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