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Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 11 2012
Armenia turns away from politics of genocide, begins to embrace realpolitik
by Mehmet Fatih Ã-ztarsu*
11 March 2012 /
The recent cancellation of a genocide bill that had occupied the
French national agenda for around three months sparked not only
negative reactions from Armenia but also talk that the outcome was the
result of the French state bowing to pressure from Turkey.
At the same time, though, Armenia is also asserting that the whole
experience has been not a loss but a very good example, and that
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in fact a leader who stands behind
his promises.
According to Armenian political authorities and experts, the step
taken by France with regards to the 1915 events was very effective in
making its mark and also led the larger global public to begin
perceiving the `Armenian Genocide' as a great crime against humanity,
much the same way the Holocaust is perceived. But while Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has noted that, for Yerevan, it is
enough to simply see the French people staking out their position on
the side of human rights, Dashnak Party spokesperson Giro Manoyan has
asserted that France wound up bowing to Turkish pressure and said that
efforts would be again be exerted towards this end.
And thus not only the events of 1915 but also the Armenian-Azeri
clashes on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union have been
reintroduced to the agenda, with the aim to elicit reverberations from
these events on the international platform. One day after the Khojaly
march in Ä°stanbul on Feb. 26, perceived by many as an effort to
isolate Armenia within the larger region, there was the `Sumgayıt
march' in Yerevan. As part of this there were a series of
commemorations for the Armenians killed in clashes that occurred in
February 1988 in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgayıt, and the Armenian
parliament, signaling that it will not allow this tragic event to be
erased from the public conscience anywhere, stood for a moment of
silence for the people killed in Sumgayıt. At the same time, an effort
has been made to label the events in Sumgayıt as `genocide,' with the
message being given that there was a purposeful attempt in Azerbaijan
to completely eliminate the Armenians living there. Propaganda
countering claims about the Khojaly massacre, as well as the
introduction of the 1988 events in Sumgayıt, are important signals
regarding new items that are being introduced into Armenia's political
agenda.
Choice of alliance and changing foreign policy
At the same time, though, and in addition to these newest
developments, the atmosphere in Yerevan is one of self-criticism
increasing simultaneously with assertions that there are risks to
paying too much heed to `promises from foreigners.' Analysts, noting
the heavy price paid by Armenia for trusting Ottoman leaders in 1908,
Soviet leaders in 1920 and local outsiders in 1991, note that in
Yerevan's approaches to historical issues, the Armenian capital should
treat it as being completely normal when other states do not keep
their promises. The same analysts note that it would be much more
helpful if the genocide issue were removed from being a mainstream
political matter. Yerevan would at the same time lean towards focusing
on regional alliances and Western integration, they say. To wit, some
of the fast-paced change and developments in the region may in fact
force Armenia to take sides soon. In addition, some of the policies of
forming alliances with the West which picked up pace during the
leadership of Serzh Sarksyan signal that Armenia will be acting based
on a politics of balance.
Armenia, which has already declared that it would remain neutral in
any action taken against Iran, is continuing its own search for new
political alliances and cooperation, sparked by worries over the
closure of its southern border with Iran. Within this framework, its
relations with the European Union, which have also sped up recently,
are quite vital. In fact, Deputy Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian
has already expressed the view that all government departments are
ready for new partnerships and alliances with the EU and that he
believes if talks regarding to still to-be-developed relationship with
the EU are long-lasting, it will be good for Armenia.
The joint military exercises carried out by the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) in September 2012 and hosted by Armenia is
just one of the fast developments in the region, like the military
exercises played out in the Southern Caucuses by Russian forces,
aiming to show their force in the region in the face of a possible
strike against Iran. Some of the more striking aspects of fast-paced
Armenian foreign policy these days are the accord Yerevan reached with
NATO on certain partnership topics as well as a declaration by the
Ministry of Defense that it perceives Armenian-NATO cooperation as
vital to the country. One topic that is receiving heavy debate these
days is also the strategic cooperation seen between Azerbaijan and
Israel, a development causing discomfort in Armenia. In fact, even
though such cooperation is not at the top of the agenda right now for
Yerevan, it is an important topic that Armenia would like to address
in the long term.
In the coming period, the genocide card looks likely to be used
constantly against Turkey by countries outside of France, and active
propaganda with regards to April 24, the memorial day for the 1915
mass killings of Armenians, looks set to continue. At the same time,
developments on the Turkey-Azerbaijan/Azerbaijan-Israel axis will
continue to trigger the more and more fast-paced flirtations between
Armenia and the EU and NATO. As Armenian experts have already noted,
lacking experienced politicians like Edward Shevardnadze and Haydar
Aliyev, Yerevan will finally -- even though it might be late in doing
so -- make up for its deficiencies and get around to creating a new
foreign policy concept in the South Caucasus region.
*Mehmet Fatih Ã-ztarsu is a strategic outlook expert with the Yerevan
European Regional Academy.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-273951-armenia-turns-away-from-politics-of-genocide-begins-to-embrace-realpolitik-by-mehmet-fatih-oztarsu*.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
March 11 2012
Armenia turns away from politics of genocide, begins to embrace realpolitik
by Mehmet Fatih Ã-ztarsu*
11 March 2012 /
The recent cancellation of a genocide bill that had occupied the
French national agenda for around three months sparked not only
negative reactions from Armenia but also talk that the outcome was the
result of the French state bowing to pressure from Turkey.
At the same time, though, Armenia is also asserting that the whole
experience has been not a loss but a very good example, and that
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in fact a leader who stands behind
his promises.
According to Armenian political authorities and experts, the step
taken by France with regards to the 1915 events was very effective in
making its mark and also led the larger global public to begin
perceiving the `Armenian Genocide' as a great crime against humanity,
much the same way the Holocaust is perceived. But while Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has noted that, for Yerevan, it is
enough to simply see the French people staking out their position on
the side of human rights, Dashnak Party spokesperson Giro Manoyan has
asserted that France wound up bowing to Turkish pressure and said that
efforts would be again be exerted towards this end.
And thus not only the events of 1915 but also the Armenian-Azeri
clashes on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union have been
reintroduced to the agenda, with the aim to elicit reverberations from
these events on the international platform. One day after the Khojaly
march in Ä°stanbul on Feb. 26, perceived by many as an effort to
isolate Armenia within the larger region, there was the `Sumgayıt
march' in Yerevan. As part of this there were a series of
commemorations for the Armenians killed in clashes that occurred in
February 1988 in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgayıt, and the Armenian
parliament, signaling that it will not allow this tragic event to be
erased from the public conscience anywhere, stood for a moment of
silence for the people killed in Sumgayıt. At the same time, an effort
has been made to label the events in Sumgayıt as `genocide,' with the
message being given that there was a purposeful attempt in Azerbaijan
to completely eliminate the Armenians living there. Propaganda
countering claims about the Khojaly massacre, as well as the
introduction of the 1988 events in Sumgayıt, are important signals
regarding new items that are being introduced into Armenia's political
agenda.
Choice of alliance and changing foreign policy
At the same time, though, and in addition to these newest
developments, the atmosphere in Yerevan is one of self-criticism
increasing simultaneously with assertions that there are risks to
paying too much heed to `promises from foreigners.' Analysts, noting
the heavy price paid by Armenia for trusting Ottoman leaders in 1908,
Soviet leaders in 1920 and local outsiders in 1991, note that in
Yerevan's approaches to historical issues, the Armenian capital should
treat it as being completely normal when other states do not keep
their promises. The same analysts note that it would be much more
helpful if the genocide issue were removed from being a mainstream
political matter. Yerevan would at the same time lean towards focusing
on regional alliances and Western integration, they say. To wit, some
of the fast-paced change and developments in the region may in fact
force Armenia to take sides soon. In addition, some of the policies of
forming alliances with the West which picked up pace during the
leadership of Serzh Sarksyan signal that Armenia will be acting based
on a politics of balance.
Armenia, which has already declared that it would remain neutral in
any action taken against Iran, is continuing its own search for new
political alliances and cooperation, sparked by worries over the
closure of its southern border with Iran. Within this framework, its
relations with the European Union, which have also sped up recently,
are quite vital. In fact, Deputy Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian
has already expressed the view that all government departments are
ready for new partnerships and alliances with the EU and that he
believes if talks regarding to still to-be-developed relationship with
the EU are long-lasting, it will be good for Armenia.
The joint military exercises carried out by the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) in September 2012 and hosted by Armenia is
just one of the fast developments in the region, like the military
exercises played out in the Southern Caucuses by Russian forces,
aiming to show their force in the region in the face of a possible
strike against Iran. Some of the more striking aspects of fast-paced
Armenian foreign policy these days are the accord Yerevan reached with
NATO on certain partnership topics as well as a declaration by the
Ministry of Defense that it perceives Armenian-NATO cooperation as
vital to the country. One topic that is receiving heavy debate these
days is also the strategic cooperation seen between Azerbaijan and
Israel, a development causing discomfort in Armenia. In fact, even
though such cooperation is not at the top of the agenda right now for
Yerevan, it is an important topic that Armenia would like to address
in the long term.
In the coming period, the genocide card looks likely to be used
constantly against Turkey by countries outside of France, and active
propaganda with regards to April 24, the memorial day for the 1915
mass killings of Armenians, looks set to continue. At the same time,
developments on the Turkey-Azerbaijan/Azerbaijan-Israel axis will
continue to trigger the more and more fast-paced flirtations between
Armenia and the EU and NATO. As Armenian experts have already noted,
lacking experienced politicians like Edward Shevardnadze and Haydar
Aliyev, Yerevan will finally -- even though it might be late in doing
so -- make up for its deficiencies and get around to creating a new
foreign policy concept in the South Caucasus region.
*Mehmet Fatih Ã-ztarsu is a strategic outlook expert with the Yerevan
European Regional Academy.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-273951-armenia-turns-away-from-politics-of-genocide-begins-to-embrace-realpolitik-by-mehmet-fatih-oztarsu*.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress