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TURKISH CITIZENSHIP FOR ARMENIAN DIASPORA
Today's Zaman
Dec 26 2011
Turkey
Existing policies give us no hope for progress in solving the chronic
problems between Turkey and the Armenian diaspora and Armenia. In this
context, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu gave hints about
Ankara's new perspective concerning the Armenian diaspora. Speaking
at the 4th Annual Ambassadors Conference held in Ankara on Dec. 23,
Davutoglu kicked off a new era in which each individual who migrates
abroad from Anatolia will be considered part of the Turkish diaspora.
Yerevan is not in the least inclined to recognize Turkey's territorial
integrity. Nor is it willing to review its "genocide" theses. Also,
it shows no intention to withdraw from the Azerbaijani territories it
has occupied. On the contrary, it tries to distract Baku, which does
not intend to resort to the military option, with endless talks and,
in the meantime, absorb the Azerbaijani territories.
Armenia is also not inclined to develop a new initiative regarding
Turkey. Meetings between Turkish and Armenian aquaculture-related civil
society organizations or photos depicting them together with smiling
faces are of no use. Yerevan's bureaucratic oligarchy, inherited from
the Soviet era, continues to survive. Yerevan's nomenclature needs the
"fear of Turks" in order to keep the Armenian people under pressure.
This applies also to the Armenian diaspora, which needs "anti-Turkish"
sentiments to create a different past and a different identity that
would make it possible for them to live as a Christian community
without being assimilated by other Christian societies in Europe,
and in Latin and North America.
And Ankara is tired of extending a hand of friendship to Yerevan
with no avail. Therefore, Turkey will not open the border crossings
to Armenia unless the latter withdraws its troops from Azerbaijani
territories under Armenian occupation.
Moreover, Turkey and Azerbaijan have failed to develop a common
Armenian policy. Despite the fact that some 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territories are under Armenian occupation, that the border crossings
between Turkey and Armenia remains closed, that Armenia accuses
Turkey of committing genocide, that Armenia does not respect Turkey's
territorial integrity, that Turkey faces terrorist attacks from
Armenians, that every year a new parliament passes a bill recognizing
Armenian claims, that the Armenian diaspora conducts activities hostile
to Turkey and Azerbaijan, despite all that, the two countries have
been unable to come up with a joint Armenian policy. They have failed
to establish a common fund. They have been unable to set up a common
strategy center. They have not been able to hold joint conferences
or meetings and they could not encourage joint studies.
Under these circumstances, how can we expect a new rapprochement
between Ankara and Yerevan and the Armenian diaspora?
New policies should not start with an emphasis on recent tragic
developments between Turks and Armenians, but should emphasize the
thousands of years of close and friendly ties between the two nations.
They should be maintained with ties of kinship. In this scope,
Armenians working in Turkey as well as the Armenian diaspora in
South and North America, Europe and the Russian Federation as well
as Armenian citizens should be issued residence permits and, if they
want, Turkish citizenship. The children of Armenians working in Turkey
may be admitted to Turkish schools. Undergraduate and graduate state
scholarships may be provided to students who are Armenian citizens.
Such moves may ensure a rapprochement between the Armenian people
and Turkey and the Turkish people.
Indeed, Armenians and their intellectuals are tired of the
authoritarian and repressive rule in Yerevan. Armenians' desire
for democracy and well-being is increasingly getting stronger. The
Armenian people seek to get closer to Turkey without denying their
past. The normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia is not
an economic but a political project. Turks, Armenians and Azerbaijanis,
who had been living in peace over the last millennium, should not
allow their recent problems to overshadow their common future.
From: Baghdasarian
Today's Zaman
Dec 26 2011
Turkey
Existing policies give us no hope for progress in solving the chronic
problems between Turkey and the Armenian diaspora and Armenia. In this
context, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu gave hints about
Ankara's new perspective concerning the Armenian diaspora. Speaking
at the 4th Annual Ambassadors Conference held in Ankara on Dec. 23,
Davutoglu kicked off a new era in which each individual who migrates
abroad from Anatolia will be considered part of the Turkish diaspora.
Yerevan is not in the least inclined to recognize Turkey's territorial
integrity. Nor is it willing to review its "genocide" theses. Also,
it shows no intention to withdraw from the Azerbaijani territories it
has occupied. On the contrary, it tries to distract Baku, which does
not intend to resort to the military option, with endless talks and,
in the meantime, absorb the Azerbaijani territories.
Armenia is also not inclined to develop a new initiative regarding
Turkey. Meetings between Turkish and Armenian aquaculture-related civil
society organizations or photos depicting them together with smiling
faces are of no use. Yerevan's bureaucratic oligarchy, inherited from
the Soviet era, continues to survive. Yerevan's nomenclature needs the
"fear of Turks" in order to keep the Armenian people under pressure.
This applies also to the Armenian diaspora, which needs "anti-Turkish"
sentiments to create a different past and a different identity that
would make it possible for them to live as a Christian community
without being assimilated by other Christian societies in Europe,
and in Latin and North America.
And Ankara is tired of extending a hand of friendship to Yerevan
with no avail. Therefore, Turkey will not open the border crossings
to Armenia unless the latter withdraws its troops from Azerbaijani
territories under Armenian occupation.
Moreover, Turkey and Azerbaijan have failed to develop a common
Armenian policy. Despite the fact that some 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territories are under Armenian occupation, that the border crossings
between Turkey and Armenia remains closed, that Armenia accuses
Turkey of committing genocide, that Armenia does not respect Turkey's
territorial integrity, that Turkey faces terrorist attacks from
Armenians, that every year a new parliament passes a bill recognizing
Armenian claims, that the Armenian diaspora conducts activities hostile
to Turkey and Azerbaijan, despite all that, the two countries have
been unable to come up with a joint Armenian policy. They have failed
to establish a common fund. They have been unable to set up a common
strategy center. They have not been able to hold joint conferences
or meetings and they could not encourage joint studies.
Under these circumstances, how can we expect a new rapprochement
between Ankara and Yerevan and the Armenian diaspora?
New policies should not start with an emphasis on recent tragic
developments between Turks and Armenians, but should emphasize the
thousands of years of close and friendly ties between the two nations.
They should be maintained with ties of kinship. In this scope,
Armenians working in Turkey as well as the Armenian diaspora in
South and North America, Europe and the Russian Federation as well
as Armenian citizens should be issued residence permits and, if they
want, Turkish citizenship. The children of Armenians working in Turkey
may be admitted to Turkish schools. Undergraduate and graduate state
scholarships may be provided to students who are Armenian citizens.
Such moves may ensure a rapprochement between the Armenian people
and Turkey and the Turkish people.
Indeed, Armenians and their intellectuals are tired of the
authoritarian and repressive rule in Yerevan. Armenians' desire
for democracy and well-being is increasingly getting stronger. The
Armenian people seek to get closer to Turkey without denying their
past. The normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia is not
an economic but a political project. Turks, Armenians and Azerbaijanis,
who had been living in peace over the last millennium, should not
allow their recent problems to overshadow their common future.
From: Baghdasarian