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VOTE 2012: POLITICAL FORCES STATE POSITIONS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS IN PARLIAMENTARY RACE
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
26.04.12 | 14:04
On April 24 Armenians around the world marked the 97th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. The closer the centennial of
this heinous crime is, the more there is talk about the likelihood of
the United States, and then the United Nations formally recognizing
the massacres and deportations of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians
as genocide on April 24, 2015, and forcing Turkey to pay. Experts
say that the price to be paid may be varied - from reparations to a
territorial fragmentation of Turkey.
In this context, the position of Armenia becomes particularly
important. So far, Armenia has not made any formal territorial claims
against Turkey, but has not recognized its current border with it.
Political forces in Armenia that are going to hold seats in
parliament in 2012-2017 have already expressed their positions on
the Armenian-Turkish relations.
Speaking at the congress of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
last month, its leader, President Serzh Sargsyan commented on his
2008 initiative to improve relations with Turkey, which originally
had two ways of development. He said that the initiative has not
gone according to the first that was acceptable to Armenia and the
international community and the Armenian-Turkish border still remains
closed. However, the way the things went, according to him, was also
important, because: first it strengthened the international process
for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide; and secondly, let the
world see that the only obstacle to the establishment of relations
between Armenia and Turkey is in Ankara.
Armenia's former foreign minister, now number second candidate on the
Prosperous Armenia Party's list of election candidates Vartan Oskanian
thinks that the initiative for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations has actually led to nothing. "We made concessions, but the
border was never opened." On the issue of the Genocide the U.S.
administration's position has never been so pro-Turkish," he says.
Still, he does not offer real ways for further policies in this issue.
Armenia's first president, leader of the opposition Armenian National
Congress Levon Ter-Petrosyan says that it was the biggest diplomatic
blunder of the country that in 1998 then president Robert Kocharyan
raised the issue of the international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide at the United Nations.
Ter-Petrosyan stated at the rally of April 20 that Kocharyan,
speaking from the UN tribune, urged the international community to
recognize the 1915 genocide "in order to earn dividends". Meanwhile,
as he emphasized, Armenia should have requested that the UN examine
the question of genocide and make a report in accordance with the
protocol. It is after that step, claimed Ter-Petrosyan, that Turkey
took advantage of the situation and demanded the establishment of a
commission of historians to study these events. However, he did not
say, either, what Armenia should do.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) stands at more
radical positions. It demands that no documents be signed that would
question the legitimacy of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Arbitrary
Verdict of 1920 that included a number of provinces of Western Armenia
into the territory of the Republic of Armenia. It holds that the
interests of the Armenian people should be observed maximally in the
relations with Turkey and the signature of the Armenian side should
be recalled from the Turkish-Armenian protocols.
The Heritage party, while supporting the normalization of relations
with Turkey, considers inadmissible any preconditions in the
Turkish-Armenian protocols.
The party deems necessary raising the issue of the Armenian Genocide
at the international arena, as well as developing steps towards the
recognition of the rights of generations of Western Armenians to
repatriation and promoting cooperation with the Diaspora.
While there is a lot of criticism in this matter, it is not clear
what exactly the parties suggest for 2015 - to make Turkey admit the
genocide at any price and demand territorial concessions, or postpone
the claims and work for the opening of the border with Turkey.
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
26.04.12 | 14:04
On April 24 Armenians around the world marked the 97th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. The closer the centennial of
this heinous crime is, the more there is talk about the likelihood of
the United States, and then the United Nations formally recognizing
the massacres and deportations of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians
as genocide on April 24, 2015, and forcing Turkey to pay. Experts
say that the price to be paid may be varied - from reparations to a
territorial fragmentation of Turkey.
In this context, the position of Armenia becomes particularly
important. So far, Armenia has not made any formal territorial claims
against Turkey, but has not recognized its current border with it.
Political forces in Armenia that are going to hold seats in
parliament in 2012-2017 have already expressed their positions on
the Armenian-Turkish relations.
Speaking at the congress of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
last month, its leader, President Serzh Sargsyan commented on his
2008 initiative to improve relations with Turkey, which originally
had two ways of development. He said that the initiative has not
gone according to the first that was acceptable to Armenia and the
international community and the Armenian-Turkish border still remains
closed. However, the way the things went, according to him, was also
important, because: first it strengthened the international process
for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide; and secondly, let the
world see that the only obstacle to the establishment of relations
between Armenia and Turkey is in Ankara.
Armenia's former foreign minister, now number second candidate on the
Prosperous Armenia Party's list of election candidates Vartan Oskanian
thinks that the initiative for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations has actually led to nothing. "We made concessions, but the
border was never opened." On the issue of the Genocide the U.S.
administration's position has never been so pro-Turkish," he says.
Still, he does not offer real ways for further policies in this issue.
Armenia's first president, leader of the opposition Armenian National
Congress Levon Ter-Petrosyan says that it was the biggest diplomatic
blunder of the country that in 1998 then president Robert Kocharyan
raised the issue of the international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide at the United Nations.
Ter-Petrosyan stated at the rally of April 20 that Kocharyan,
speaking from the UN tribune, urged the international community to
recognize the 1915 genocide "in order to earn dividends". Meanwhile,
as he emphasized, Armenia should have requested that the UN examine
the question of genocide and make a report in accordance with the
protocol. It is after that step, claimed Ter-Petrosyan, that Turkey
took advantage of the situation and demanded the establishment of a
commission of historians to study these events. However, he did not
say, either, what Armenia should do.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) stands at more
radical positions. It demands that no documents be signed that would
question the legitimacy of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Arbitrary
Verdict of 1920 that included a number of provinces of Western Armenia
into the territory of the Republic of Armenia. It holds that the
interests of the Armenian people should be observed maximally in the
relations with Turkey and the signature of the Armenian side should
be recalled from the Turkish-Armenian protocols.
The Heritage party, while supporting the normalization of relations
with Turkey, considers inadmissible any preconditions in the
Turkish-Armenian protocols.
The party deems necessary raising the issue of the Armenian Genocide
at the international arena, as well as developing steps towards the
recognition of the rights of generations of Western Armenians to
repatriation and promoting cooperation with the Diaspora.
While there is a lot of criticism in this matter, it is not clear
what exactly the parties suggest for 2015 - to make Turkey admit the
genocide at any price and demand territorial concessions, or postpone
the claims and work for the opening of the border with Turkey.