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TURKEY DESIRES TO DEPRIVE THE ARMENIANS OF EVEN THE RIGHT TO DREAM
Lragir.am
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/society22776.html
28/07/2011
The Turks are openly speaking today of the restoration of the
Ottoman Empire. Of course, they wish to do so with a different sort
of packaging; however, it is essentially not a different thing. And
this is not simply a case of mere discussions, but there is in fact
a clear state policy that is being planned and implemented. If Lenin
once referred to the Russian Empire as a "prison of peoples", then the
Ottoman Empire can certainly be called an "abattoir of peoples". The
discussions are about restoring that very slaughterhouse. There has
been no other state in the world - at least for the past five hundred
years - where people of minority ethnicities or religions have been
subject to such diverse forms of discrimination, ruthless massacres,
and, ultimately, unprecedented genocide, all at the level of the
state and national legislation. Can you imagine what would occur if
the Germans spoke of restoring the Third Reich or its influence? And
we remained and are remaining silent when it comes to similar calls
by the Turks, instead of protesting against it at every available
political opportunity as a people and state that has been subject
to genocide and national dispossession by that very empire and its
successor state. Perhaps our expectation is that the Turks will repay
our reticence with gratitude: a blissful naïvete, which can only be
borne by one who does not know the Turks. Is it not clear enough
already that the restoration of the Ottoman Empire, regardless of
how such a thing would manifest itself, would imply the end of the
Republic of Armenia?
A few days ago, in response to a simple question by a school student
on future borders of Armenia, Serge Sargsyan gave quite a mild, very
general, and, I would even say an evasive answer. What is more, he
essentially said that he himself had no intention of presenting any
demands to Turkey, as he considered the work of his own generation at
an end. He did not say that, as President of the Republic of Armenia,
he will do all in his power to end the illegal occupation by Turkey
of the rightful territories - I repeat, those rightful territories,
and not some abstract Armenian lands - of the Republic of Armenia.
This incident would probably have gone unnoticed if there were not such
a clamour raised by Turkey in turn. And what is Turkey's intention in
this case? I believe it is yet another attempt at receiving assurances
from Armenia (that have already been once laid out in those protocols),
that Armenia has no demands from Turkey, that is, yet another act
of humiliating Armenia in international circles through the means of
denial. Turkey's conduct today is also informed by the secret of the
infamous Armenia-Turkey protocols. Many ask, why would Turkey have
pursued having those protocols signed, if it was already known that
they would not be ratified? But what kind of a question is that, if
they did not serve to publicly humiliate the Armenian state? Turkey
showcased to the world that the Armenians are ready to go to almost
any length - to deny everything - in order to establish relations.
This as a practical matter. And as far as the more far-reaching
matters go, the intentions of Turkey are much more dangerous. The
Turks desire to deprive the Armenians of even the right to dream. The
Turks have deprived us of almost everything, and now they wish to
imprison our spirits and shackle our minds. If a nation lets go of
its capacity to dream, then it is rendered into a consumer-driven
marketplace. Dreaming, even dreaming of things that seem impossible,
is the salt of the spirit of a nation, which preserves the nation
from decay.
Ara Papian, Head of the Modus Vivendi Centre
Lragir.am
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/society22776.html
28/07/2011
The Turks are openly speaking today of the restoration of the
Ottoman Empire. Of course, they wish to do so with a different sort
of packaging; however, it is essentially not a different thing. And
this is not simply a case of mere discussions, but there is in fact
a clear state policy that is being planned and implemented. If Lenin
once referred to the Russian Empire as a "prison of peoples", then the
Ottoman Empire can certainly be called an "abattoir of peoples". The
discussions are about restoring that very slaughterhouse. There has
been no other state in the world - at least for the past five hundred
years - where people of minority ethnicities or religions have been
subject to such diverse forms of discrimination, ruthless massacres,
and, ultimately, unprecedented genocide, all at the level of the
state and national legislation. Can you imagine what would occur if
the Germans spoke of restoring the Third Reich or its influence? And
we remained and are remaining silent when it comes to similar calls
by the Turks, instead of protesting against it at every available
political opportunity as a people and state that has been subject
to genocide and national dispossession by that very empire and its
successor state. Perhaps our expectation is that the Turks will repay
our reticence with gratitude: a blissful naïvete, which can only be
borne by one who does not know the Turks. Is it not clear enough
already that the restoration of the Ottoman Empire, regardless of
how such a thing would manifest itself, would imply the end of the
Republic of Armenia?
A few days ago, in response to a simple question by a school student
on future borders of Armenia, Serge Sargsyan gave quite a mild, very
general, and, I would even say an evasive answer. What is more, he
essentially said that he himself had no intention of presenting any
demands to Turkey, as he considered the work of his own generation at
an end. He did not say that, as President of the Republic of Armenia,
he will do all in his power to end the illegal occupation by Turkey
of the rightful territories - I repeat, those rightful territories,
and not some abstract Armenian lands - of the Republic of Armenia.
This incident would probably have gone unnoticed if there were not such
a clamour raised by Turkey in turn. And what is Turkey's intention in
this case? I believe it is yet another attempt at receiving assurances
from Armenia (that have already been once laid out in those protocols),
that Armenia has no demands from Turkey, that is, yet another act
of humiliating Armenia in international circles through the means of
denial. Turkey's conduct today is also informed by the secret of the
infamous Armenia-Turkey protocols. Many ask, why would Turkey have
pursued having those protocols signed, if it was already known that
they would not be ratified? But what kind of a question is that, if
they did not serve to publicly humiliate the Armenian state? Turkey
showcased to the world that the Armenians are ready to go to almost
any length - to deny everything - in order to establish relations.
This as a practical matter. And as far as the more far-reaching
matters go, the intentions of Turkey are much more dangerous. The
Turks desire to deprive the Armenians of even the right to dream. The
Turks have deprived us of almost everything, and now they wish to
imprison our spirits and shackle our minds. If a nation lets go of
its capacity to dream, then it is rendered into a consumer-driven
marketplace. Dreaming, even dreaming of things that seem impossible,
is the salt of the spirit of a nation, which preserves the nation
from decay.
Ara Papian, Head of the Modus Vivendi Centre