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IS TURKEY SINCERE IN ITS 'EFFORTS' TO FIND A JUST SOLUTION TO THE ARMENIAN QUESTION?
By Appo Jabarian
Executive Publisher/Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine
May 23, 2012
For decades, hardly a month went by without Turks worrying about
what new actions would the Armenian Diaspora take. No year went by
without Turkish officials acknowledging the nightmare "caused by the
Armenian Diaspora."
In late 2010, at a time when he was searching for ways to render the
Armenian Diaspora "powerless" through the infamous Protocols with
Armenia, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lamented that some
of the Diaspora's actions were like "the sword of Damocles hanging
above our heads."
Mr. Davutoglu's comments were followed by Turkey's Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan being dealt with an official embarrassment in
Lebanon when the Lebanese Armenians mounted a remarkable protest
against him. Like much of the world, Lebanon has been home to
hundreds of thousands of Armenians who harbor deep animosity toward
Turkey over the 1915-1923 Armenian Genocide and the resulting massive
dispossessions and illegal occupation of their ancestral homeland in
Western Armenia and Cilicia.
During Erdogan's visit, several hundred Lebanese Armenians clashed
with army troops during a protest in Beirut. They tore up Erdogan's
billboard-size giant posters in the capital's Martyrs' Square to
denounce his presence.
In early 2010, Erdogan was 'greeted' with similar 'stately'
embarrassment in Argentina when he abruptly cancelled the Argentina
leg of his tour of Latin America because city officials in Buenos
Aires called off an event inaugurating a monument to the 'revered'
founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Despite the fact that on numerous occasions, Erdogan called on
the First Forum of the World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diasporas
Organizations to "counter the intensifying attacks from the
Armenian Diaspora," no tangible results were achieved in subduing or
overpowering the descendants of the Armenian martyrs and survivors.
Now, some eighteen months later, taking valuable time out his busy
schedule, FM Davutoglu has once again opted "to initiate a personal
'dialog' with the Diaspora on Armenian-Turkish issues. Earlier this
month, Davutoglu met with Armenian-Americans, as follow up to the
meetings he held in Washington last March. During their conversation in
May, the Armenian interlocutors frankly advised the Turkish Foreign
Minister that Ankara must address Armenian demands for genocide
recognition and restitution before any 'reconciliation' could be
achieved. The Turkish side reportedly indicated a willingness to
discuss these thorny issues with Diasporan representatives. Despite
the seeming openness of Foreign Minister Davutoglu, Armenians have
well-founded reasons to mistrust such overtures, given Turkey's
decades-long denial of the Armenian Genocide and its antagonistic
policies toward the Diaspora, Armenia and Artsakh. Armenians also
suspect that Turkish officials may exploit meetings with the Diaspora
to score propaganda points with world public opinion," reported Harut
Sassounian, Publisher of The California Courier.
Is it possible that Ankara has learnt that honesty is the best policy;
and that political courage is a lasting virtue? Are these values
driving Turkey's policy of 'overtures' to the Armenian Diaspora?
During his presidency, in an effort to eliminate Turkey's festering
problems with world Armenians, Turkish Pres. Turgut Ozal seemed
receptive to the idea of addressing the Armenian issue in a more open
and fair manner.
According to a recent article in Turkish daily 'Today's Zaman,'
"behind closed doors, Pres. Ozal defended the idea of holding
negotiations with Armenians to settle a dispute that has had great
potential to deal a serious blow to Turkish interests in international
politics. Ozal's close friends and former aides spoke to the newspaper
about the politics of the day. In 1980's Armenia was still part of the
Soviet Union and Ozal defended the idea of holding negotiations with
the powerful Armenian Diaspora. His close friends and advisers say
that if Ozal were alive today, the problem of the Armenian Genocide
might have already been solved."
Pres. Ozal's "aim was to solve the [Armenian] problem before it
got too late and through few concessions after reaching a deal with
the Armenians. ... Ozal sought to learn what Armenians wanted from
Turkey. ...
In 1984 he ordered his advisors to work on possible scenarios about
the economic and political price Turkey would have to pay if Turkey
compromises with the Armenian Diaspora, an early Turkish acceptance
of the term 'Genocide.' Another scenario was also prepared. This
plan sought to gauge the political cost of a Turkish acceptance of
genocide within 20 to 30 years if Turkey is forced to accept it one
day," Vehbi Dincerler, 71, a former education minister and a state
minister in Ozal's Cabinet, said to "Today's Zaman."
Ozal was right. The decades following his predictions, the list and
the magnitude of Armenian political victories in much of the world
proved to be fairly impressive. Turkey was dealt with one political
defeat after another.
In all fairness to a growing segment of Turkish society, many lucid
and courageous voices from Turkey have been speaking out against
the long-standing official Turkish policy of cover-up and deception
regarding the Armenian Genocide and the legitimate Armenian demands
for restitution.
Righteous Turks have acknowledged the Genocide at the cost of
risking their freedom and lives. I would like to name a few of them:
Award-winning Turkish Publisher Ragip and his son Deniz Zarakolu;
Turkish writers/ journalists: Elif Safak, Ayse Gunaysu, Ahmet Insel,
Baskin Oran, Cengiz Aktar, Ali Bayramoglu, Erol Ozkoray, Kemal Yalcin,
Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, Dogan Akhanli, Sait Cetinoglu, Ahmet Altan;
Turkish scholars: Ayse Nur Zarakolu, Omer Asan, and Taner Akcam.
In a March 6, 2010 article titled "Genocide," popular Turkish writer
Ahmet Altan had written in Taraf Turkish newspaper: "When a commission
of the US Congress votes for 'genocide,' we are 'humiliated'. Do you
know what humiliation is? Humiliation is millions of people holding
their breaths for the outcome of a few votes in somebody else's
parliament. That is humiliation. ... Turkey is humiliated because
it itself cannot shed light on its own history, has to delegate this
matter into other hands, is frightened like hell from its own past,
has to squirm like mad in order to cover up truths." Mr. Altan then
lambasted Turkish officialdom's nearly century-old policy of denial.
Turkish officials can only blame their defunct policies of denial
for causing the escalation of anti-Turkish international backlash.
Back in early 2010, I had written: "Maybe it's high time for Ankara
to consider adopting Mr. Altan's approach, because time will prove
him as being genuinely patriotic and pragmatic. His clear thinking
regarding the dark pages of Turkish history can certainly illuminate
an atoned Turkey's pathway to a bright future."
Are Turkish Pres. Gul, PM Erdogan, and FM Davutoglu sincere in their
efforts to echo Mr. Altan's and other courageous Turks' wisdom? Are
Messrs. Gul, Erdogan, and Davutoglu genuinely vying to emulate the
late Turkish Pres. Ozal?
Sooner or later their true intentions will be revealed.
In the meantime, in my humble opinion, prudence and vigilance on the
part of all Armenians are the orders of the day.
By Appo Jabarian
Executive Publisher/Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine
May 23, 2012
For decades, hardly a month went by without Turks worrying about
what new actions would the Armenian Diaspora take. No year went by
without Turkish officials acknowledging the nightmare "caused by the
Armenian Diaspora."
In late 2010, at a time when he was searching for ways to render the
Armenian Diaspora "powerless" through the infamous Protocols with
Armenia, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lamented that some
of the Diaspora's actions were like "the sword of Damocles hanging
above our heads."
Mr. Davutoglu's comments were followed by Turkey's Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan being dealt with an official embarrassment in
Lebanon when the Lebanese Armenians mounted a remarkable protest
against him. Like much of the world, Lebanon has been home to
hundreds of thousands of Armenians who harbor deep animosity toward
Turkey over the 1915-1923 Armenian Genocide and the resulting massive
dispossessions and illegal occupation of their ancestral homeland in
Western Armenia and Cilicia.
During Erdogan's visit, several hundred Lebanese Armenians clashed
with army troops during a protest in Beirut. They tore up Erdogan's
billboard-size giant posters in the capital's Martyrs' Square to
denounce his presence.
In early 2010, Erdogan was 'greeted' with similar 'stately'
embarrassment in Argentina when he abruptly cancelled the Argentina
leg of his tour of Latin America because city officials in Buenos
Aires called off an event inaugurating a monument to the 'revered'
founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Despite the fact that on numerous occasions, Erdogan called on
the First Forum of the World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diasporas
Organizations to "counter the intensifying attacks from the
Armenian Diaspora," no tangible results were achieved in subduing or
overpowering the descendants of the Armenian martyrs and survivors.
Now, some eighteen months later, taking valuable time out his busy
schedule, FM Davutoglu has once again opted "to initiate a personal
'dialog' with the Diaspora on Armenian-Turkish issues. Earlier this
month, Davutoglu met with Armenian-Americans, as follow up to the
meetings he held in Washington last March. During their conversation in
May, the Armenian interlocutors frankly advised the Turkish Foreign
Minister that Ankara must address Armenian demands for genocide
recognition and restitution before any 'reconciliation' could be
achieved. The Turkish side reportedly indicated a willingness to
discuss these thorny issues with Diasporan representatives. Despite
the seeming openness of Foreign Minister Davutoglu, Armenians have
well-founded reasons to mistrust such overtures, given Turkey's
decades-long denial of the Armenian Genocide and its antagonistic
policies toward the Diaspora, Armenia and Artsakh. Armenians also
suspect that Turkish officials may exploit meetings with the Diaspora
to score propaganda points with world public opinion," reported Harut
Sassounian, Publisher of The California Courier.
Is it possible that Ankara has learnt that honesty is the best policy;
and that political courage is a lasting virtue? Are these values
driving Turkey's policy of 'overtures' to the Armenian Diaspora?
During his presidency, in an effort to eliminate Turkey's festering
problems with world Armenians, Turkish Pres. Turgut Ozal seemed
receptive to the idea of addressing the Armenian issue in a more open
and fair manner.
According to a recent article in Turkish daily 'Today's Zaman,'
"behind closed doors, Pres. Ozal defended the idea of holding
negotiations with Armenians to settle a dispute that has had great
potential to deal a serious blow to Turkish interests in international
politics. Ozal's close friends and former aides spoke to the newspaper
about the politics of the day. In 1980's Armenia was still part of the
Soviet Union and Ozal defended the idea of holding negotiations with
the powerful Armenian Diaspora. His close friends and advisers say
that if Ozal were alive today, the problem of the Armenian Genocide
might have already been solved."
Pres. Ozal's "aim was to solve the [Armenian] problem before it
got too late and through few concessions after reaching a deal with
the Armenians. ... Ozal sought to learn what Armenians wanted from
Turkey. ...
In 1984 he ordered his advisors to work on possible scenarios about
the economic and political price Turkey would have to pay if Turkey
compromises with the Armenian Diaspora, an early Turkish acceptance
of the term 'Genocide.' Another scenario was also prepared. This
plan sought to gauge the political cost of a Turkish acceptance of
genocide within 20 to 30 years if Turkey is forced to accept it one
day," Vehbi Dincerler, 71, a former education minister and a state
minister in Ozal's Cabinet, said to "Today's Zaman."
Ozal was right. The decades following his predictions, the list and
the magnitude of Armenian political victories in much of the world
proved to be fairly impressive. Turkey was dealt with one political
defeat after another.
In all fairness to a growing segment of Turkish society, many lucid
and courageous voices from Turkey have been speaking out against
the long-standing official Turkish policy of cover-up and deception
regarding the Armenian Genocide and the legitimate Armenian demands
for restitution.
Righteous Turks have acknowledged the Genocide at the cost of
risking their freedom and lives. I would like to name a few of them:
Award-winning Turkish Publisher Ragip and his son Deniz Zarakolu;
Turkish writers/ journalists: Elif Safak, Ayse Gunaysu, Ahmet Insel,
Baskin Oran, Cengiz Aktar, Ali Bayramoglu, Erol Ozkoray, Kemal Yalcin,
Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, Dogan Akhanli, Sait Cetinoglu, Ahmet Altan;
Turkish scholars: Ayse Nur Zarakolu, Omer Asan, and Taner Akcam.
In a March 6, 2010 article titled "Genocide," popular Turkish writer
Ahmet Altan had written in Taraf Turkish newspaper: "When a commission
of the US Congress votes for 'genocide,' we are 'humiliated'. Do you
know what humiliation is? Humiliation is millions of people holding
their breaths for the outcome of a few votes in somebody else's
parliament. That is humiliation. ... Turkey is humiliated because
it itself cannot shed light on its own history, has to delegate this
matter into other hands, is frightened like hell from its own past,
has to squirm like mad in order to cover up truths." Mr. Altan then
lambasted Turkish officialdom's nearly century-old policy of denial.
Turkish officials can only blame their defunct policies of denial
for causing the escalation of anti-Turkish international backlash.
Back in early 2010, I had written: "Maybe it's high time for Ankara
to consider adopting Mr. Altan's approach, because time will prove
him as being genuinely patriotic and pragmatic. His clear thinking
regarding the dark pages of Turkish history can certainly illuminate
an atoned Turkey's pathway to a bright future."
Are Turkish Pres. Gul, PM Erdogan, and FM Davutoglu sincere in their
efforts to echo Mr. Altan's and other courageous Turks' wisdom? Are
Messrs. Gul, Erdogan, and Davutoglu genuinely vying to emulate the
late Turkish Pres. Ozal?
Sooner or later their true intentions will be revealed.
In the meantime, in my humble opinion, prudence and vigilance on the
part of all Armenians are the orders of the day.