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Today's Zaman, Turkey
July 31 2011
Think before you speak
by Amanda Paul
Last week an Armenian schoolchild asked Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan whether the return of western Armenia along with Mount Ararat
to Armenia would be possible in the future.
The president's reply, (which I have taken from the Armenian
government's website) was as follows: `It depends on you and your
generation. I believe my generation has fulfilled the task in front of
us; when it was necessary in the beginning of the 1990s to defend part
of our fatherland - Karabakh - from the enemy, we did it. I am not
saying this to embarrass anyone: My point is that each generation has
its responsibilities, and they have to be carried out, with honor. We
are a nation that always rises from the ashes like a phoenix - again
and again.'
To say the least, Ankara was not over the moon about this statement.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry released a written statement condemning
Sarksyan's remarks, labeling them as proof that Sarksyan has no
intention of working for peace. In addition, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an has demanded an apology from Sarksyan; otherwise
`Armenia will have to face the consequences.' Given the response from
the Armenian side, the comments for example from Deputy Armenian
Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, `The hysteria stirred up by
Turkey is of an ostentatious, artificial character,' I think ErdoÄ?an
may be waiting some time for his apology. However, no matter how the
Armenians try to dismiss or play down the comments of Sarksyan, they
were without doubt provocative and unnecessary. At a time when Armenia
and Turkey are trying to build bridges, and the international
community is rallying to achieve progress on the decades old conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Azerbaijani territory of
Nagorno-Karabkah, such remarks are extremely unconstructive.
It is particularly negative in light of the efforts being made by
civil society and others from the two countries to increase
people-to-people contacts and find ways to further dialogue and
understand each other. Indeed, last week Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu took part in a brainstorming session with an Armenian
civil society group, looking at what sort of initiatives could be
carried out to achieve more positive ties between the two neighbors,
which currently have no diplomatic relations and a closed border;
Turkey closed the border with Armenia in the early 1990s following
Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani lands during the Karabakh war.
This region tragically remains a hostage to history for which many
parties are to blame, and it is up to each one to take steps to face
up to the roles they have played rather than provoking others, in
particular youth, into further adopting the very thing we should be
trying to remove, an ideology of hate. While we cannot change the
past, we need to take constructive steps to bring about a brighter
future for the peoples of the region. Rather than filling the minds of
young children with this sort of irresponsible nonsense, it would have
been far wiser to send that message. While Armenian's may enjoy the
breathtaking views of Mount Ararat, today it is part of Turkey and
will remain that way. As Turkey is also having to face up to issues
that were taboo in the past, albeit slowly, it is also the
responsibility of others in the same region to do the same if one day
peace and security is going to win over instability and hatred.
Furthermore, all this took place while the prime minister was on a
business trip to Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, with all the attention
placed on Sarksyan, Turkish-Azerbaijani business perhaps did not get
the attention it may otherwise have done. However, unless I missed
something, it would seem that nothing new came out of the visit.
Azerbaijan continues to dance around the issue of offering Turkey a
free visa regime because of Iran, while the two countries seem to be
having something of a standoff over finalizing and signing gas and
transit agreements, a situation that risks delaying the sale of gas
from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz II field, which is due to happen on Oct
1. However, it offered the opportunity for Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev to wade into the topic of President Sarksyan during a press
conference with the Polish president. Caught up in this trade of
insults, the Polish president, who is visiting the region as part of
the EU's Polish presidency, at least had the common sense not to say
anything at all. However, no doubt it also gave him a taste of the
colorful and rather intransigent politics of the region.
So what started as probably an off-the-cuff reply to a little boy's
question has turned into a ping-pong game of insults between the three
nations. Politicians should really think before they speak. After all
isn't it the responsibility of statesmen to prepare their societies,
and in particular young people, for a peaceful future rather than keep
them mired in their troubled past?
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-252151-think-before-you-speak.html
July 31 2011
Think before you speak
by Amanda Paul
Last week an Armenian schoolchild asked Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan whether the return of western Armenia along with Mount Ararat
to Armenia would be possible in the future.
The president's reply, (which I have taken from the Armenian
government's website) was as follows: `It depends on you and your
generation. I believe my generation has fulfilled the task in front of
us; when it was necessary in the beginning of the 1990s to defend part
of our fatherland - Karabakh - from the enemy, we did it. I am not
saying this to embarrass anyone: My point is that each generation has
its responsibilities, and they have to be carried out, with honor. We
are a nation that always rises from the ashes like a phoenix - again
and again.'
To say the least, Ankara was not over the moon about this statement.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry released a written statement condemning
Sarksyan's remarks, labeling them as proof that Sarksyan has no
intention of working for peace. In addition, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an has demanded an apology from Sarksyan; otherwise
`Armenia will have to face the consequences.' Given the response from
the Armenian side, the comments for example from Deputy Armenian
Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, `The hysteria stirred up by
Turkey is of an ostentatious, artificial character,' I think ErdoÄ?an
may be waiting some time for his apology. However, no matter how the
Armenians try to dismiss or play down the comments of Sarksyan, they
were without doubt provocative and unnecessary. At a time when Armenia
and Turkey are trying to build bridges, and the international
community is rallying to achieve progress on the decades old conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Azerbaijani territory of
Nagorno-Karabkah, such remarks are extremely unconstructive.
It is particularly negative in light of the efforts being made by
civil society and others from the two countries to increase
people-to-people contacts and find ways to further dialogue and
understand each other. Indeed, last week Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu took part in a brainstorming session with an Armenian
civil society group, looking at what sort of initiatives could be
carried out to achieve more positive ties between the two neighbors,
which currently have no diplomatic relations and a closed border;
Turkey closed the border with Armenia in the early 1990s following
Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani lands during the Karabakh war.
This region tragically remains a hostage to history for which many
parties are to blame, and it is up to each one to take steps to face
up to the roles they have played rather than provoking others, in
particular youth, into further adopting the very thing we should be
trying to remove, an ideology of hate. While we cannot change the
past, we need to take constructive steps to bring about a brighter
future for the peoples of the region. Rather than filling the minds of
young children with this sort of irresponsible nonsense, it would have
been far wiser to send that message. While Armenian's may enjoy the
breathtaking views of Mount Ararat, today it is part of Turkey and
will remain that way. As Turkey is also having to face up to issues
that were taboo in the past, albeit slowly, it is also the
responsibility of others in the same region to do the same if one day
peace and security is going to win over instability and hatred.
Furthermore, all this took place while the prime minister was on a
business trip to Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, with all the attention
placed on Sarksyan, Turkish-Azerbaijani business perhaps did not get
the attention it may otherwise have done. However, unless I missed
something, it would seem that nothing new came out of the visit.
Azerbaijan continues to dance around the issue of offering Turkey a
free visa regime because of Iran, while the two countries seem to be
having something of a standoff over finalizing and signing gas and
transit agreements, a situation that risks delaying the sale of gas
from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz II field, which is due to happen on Oct
1. However, it offered the opportunity for Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev to wade into the topic of President Sarksyan during a press
conference with the Polish president. Caught up in this trade of
insults, the Polish president, who is visiting the region as part of
the EU's Polish presidency, at least had the common sense not to say
anything at all. However, no doubt it also gave him a taste of the
colorful and rather intransigent politics of the region.
So what started as probably an off-the-cuff reply to a little boy's
question has turned into a ping-pong game of insults between the three
nations. Politicians should really think before they speak. After all
isn't it the responsibility of statesmen to prepare their societies,
and in particular young people, for a peaceful future rather than keep
them mired in their troubled past?
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-252151-think-before-you-speak.html