Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ISTANBUL: DavutoÄlu's gesture raises hopes for track-two diplomacy w

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ISTANBUL: DavutoÄlu's gesture raises hopes for track-two diplomacy w

    Today's Zaman , Turkey
    July 24 2011

    DavutoÄ?lu's gesture raises hopes for track-two diplomacy with Armenia

    24 July 2011, Sunday / EMINE KART, Ä°STANBUL

    `Armenians are our diaspora.' This was probably the most impressive
    remark that remained in the hearts and minds of representatives of
    Armenian civil society organizations (CSO) who met with Turkish
    Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu earlier this week.

    The Foreign Ministry was the venue for a remarkable meeting on Monday,
    where DavutoÄ?lu and his undersecretary, Ambassador Feridun
    SinirlioÄ?lu, hosted the Armenian group quietly and unobtrusively.

    The representatives of the five CSOs were in Ankara on the occasion of
    a workshop held by the Ankara-based Economic Policy Research
    Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV). The idea to request a briefing from
    Turkish diplomats occurred spontaneously. The request was conveyed to
    the ministry. According to Burcu Gültekin Punsmann, a senior foreign
    policy analyst from TEPAV who coordinated the workshop and was
    involved in conveying the request to the ministry, within half a day,
    they were told they would meet with diplomats from the related
    department and the undersecretary.

    Punsmann told Sunday's Zaman that they neither expected a positive
    answer in a short time like this nor being received at this level.

    In total, the group spent three-and-a-half hours at the ministry, of
    which one-and-a-half hours was with DavutoÄ?lu, who first asked the
    group about the length of their stay in Ankara. When he learned that
    the group was in Ankara for only two days, he turned to the TEPAV
    staff and asked, `Is this the way you show Turkish hospitality?'

    Explaining this note from the meeting, Punsmann said, `We want to take
    this as a green light that shows that such contacts will continue.'

    `The societies are already close to each other although the border is
    closed. The more interaction is increased, the less the physical
    obstacles will be remembered. Thanks to this interaction, we will find
    a remedy to this historical burden on our shoulders. The meeting was a
    nice gesture, and it boosted our morale,' Punsmann said.

    The analyst explained she felt that the group was visibly impressed
    when DavutoÄ?lu said, `Armenians are our diaspora.'

    `With Greece, for example, none of the major bilateral problems have
    yet been resolved but we have made a huge progress in relations. It
    shows that these kinds of obstacles can be overcome when there is
    mutual will. We share the same geography with Armenia, and Turkey is
    an embracing country. They were hesitant when they first entered the
    ministry, but they were relaxed while leaving,' Punsmann said.

    The meetings at the Foreign Ministry come after a senior Armenian
    official last month called on Ankara to revive currently stalled
    efforts to normalize bilateral relations between the two estranged
    neighbors, while arguing that the improvement of relations between
    Armenia and Turkey would also serve as an impetus for improving
    relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and also for peace in the
    region.

    `As neighbors, we should know each other through frequent visits,'
    Artak Davtyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of
    Armenia, told a group of journalists visiting the country in late
    June, while underlining the importance of the activities by CSOs to
    gradually normalize relations between the two countries since the
    official process was stalled.

    More hopes mean more expectations

    The group that met with DavutoÄ?lu comprised Tevan Poghosyan of the
    International Center for Human Development, Aghavni Karakhanian of the
    Institute for Civil Society and Regional Development, Richard A.
    Giragosian of the Regional Studies Center, Mikayel Hovhannisyan of the
    Eurasia Partnership Foundation and Arthur Ghazaryan of the Union of
    Manufacturers' and Businessmen of Armenia.

    `What impressed me the most in the meeting with the Turkish foreign
    minister was the atmosphere of the meeting; he is both a professional
    and an intellectual, which for us meant that the meeting was a frank
    and open exchange of views; and I was impressed by the time he
    afforded us as a group of civil society representatives from Armenia,'
    Giragosian told Sunday's Zaman when asked about his impression
    regarding DavutoÄ?lu's meeting with the group.

    `And even on the issues where we disagreed, the Turkish foreign
    minister and his staff were always respectful and willing to listen to
    our views, even regarding our criticism of the current situating of
    closed borders and concerning the Turkish state campaign of genocide
    denial. This is important, although it would be much easier to move
    forward now with concrete action by the Turkish side, as all
    expectations are now squarely on Turkey, and we are waiting for Ankara
    to return to this process of engaging Armenia and addressing the need
    to establish diplomatic relations, open the border and take other
    steps toward normalizing relations. I was, of course, personally
    impressed by the foreign minister's knowledge and vision for the
    region, which also gives hope that there is only one way forward for
    both countries. But the meeting tended to also demonstrate the
    asymmetry of the current relationship between Turkey and Armenia,'
    Giragosian added.

    When asked whether he left Ankara more hopeful than he had been, he
    replied: `In general, I always try to remain optimistic and,
    especially in terms of this process of engagement, it is important to
    note how far both sides have come, and how much has been achieved to
    date. Thus, I can say that I left Ankara `more hopeful,' but this also
    means that I now have expectations for more.'

    Pain and `political hatred'

    For DavutoÄ?lu, this meeting apparently offered a unique opportunity to
    explain his concept of `just memory' personally to opinion leaders of
    the estranged neighboring country.

    On many occasions in the past DavutoÄ?lu has said that procedures
    envisioned by protocols signed in October 2009 between Armenia and
    Turkey to establish diplomatic ties and reopen their border will
    eventually help achieve `a just memory' concerning the tragedy in
    Anatolia during World War I.

    `1915 is the year of the so-called genocide for them,' DavutoÄ?lu said
    at the time. `For us, we say `pain.' We are ready to discuss. The same
    year, we had Gallipoli,' he said.

    The 1915 Battle of Gallipoli was won by the defending Ottoman army
    against a joint British and French campaign and laid the groundwork
    for the Turkish War of Independence and the foundation of the Turkish
    Republic eight years later under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

    During the meeting with the Armenian group, DavutoÄ?lu said one of his
    grandfathers died at Gallipoli, underscoring the emotion that many
    Turks feel about that campaign. He recalled that he and Australian
    Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd together visited Gallipoli earlier this
    year to attend ceremonies marking the 96th anniversary of the
    Gallipoli Campaign and that one of Rudd's ancestors had died in
    Gallipoli, too.

    `In the town of Konya where I was born, no Armenians have ever lived,
    but the door of our house was made by an Armenian master, and we grew
    up with my late father's constant expressions of admiration and
    respect for that master. And while in Gallipoli, we didn't yell at
    each other with Mr. Rudd. We just greeted each other with respect.
    This is how societies make peace with each other,' DavutoÄ?lu was
    quoted as telling the group by a Turkish official who attended the
    meeting.

    Turkey wants a reconciliation process that also involves the Armenian
    diaspora living in Europe and the United States, DavutoÄ?lu said,
    adding, `We consider them as Turkey's diaspora, too.'

    Last but not least quotes come from Giragosian.

    `The Armenian diaspora, as descendants of the Armenian Genocide, need
    to have more of a voice and a role within the broader process of
    normalization, as stakeholders in the future of Turkish-Armenian
    relations,' Giragosian told Sunday's Zaman.

    `And yes, such meetings also help to pave the way for track-two
    diplomacy, but there needs to be more of a commitment to track-one,
    state-level engagement as well. For example, there is an important
    need for the political will to make such engagement sustainable, and
    at the same time, all parties need to be sincere and remain committed
    to this process; normalization should not be used for political
    `cover' or a justification to avoid tackling and talking about the
    core issues, most notably in honestly dealing with the genocide, for
    example,' he cautioned.

    http://www.todayszaman.com/news-251454-davutoglus-gesture-raises-hopes-for-track-two-diplomacy-with-armenia.html

Working...
X