Tweet
OBAMA NOT EXPECTED TO USE G-WORD, AVOIDING CRISIS WITH TURKEY
Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 22 2013
US President Barack Obama is not likely to use "genocide" in a speech
marking the anniversary of the 1915 Armenian mass killings at the
hands of Ottoman Empire, analysts say.
"If he uses the word [genocide], it would be a big surprise," said
BarıÅ~_ Ozdal, an expert in the Armenian question and lecturer at
the international relations department of Bursa's Uludag University.
"The US strategic interests require it not to use that word, looking to
the developments in the region. The Syrian crisis is ongoing. And, on
the other hand, Turkey has an increasing geopolitical and geostrategic
importance. So, the US' regional interest renders such a possibility
unlikely," Ozdal claimed.
As a presidential candidate, Obama repeatedly vowed to recognize
the Armenian genocide once in office, voicing his commitment to
commemorating and ending genocide.
Since 2009, the Armenian diaspora in the US has waited for the
president to honor his promise. Obama's repeated failure to use the
word "genocide" in his Armenian Remembrance Day message has created
deep disappointment in the community.
The US has not officially recognized the Armenians' claim that there
was genocide in eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923. Before Obama's
presidency, US leaders blocked attempts to pass resolutions recognizing
the World War I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.
Mehmet Yegin, a Turkey-US relations expert at the Ankara-based
International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), also mentioned
that Obama would not change his standard definitions regarding the
1915 events, saying that he would avoid using the issue as a foreign
policy tool.
"Obama is using a standard language in his speech [regarding the
Armenian genocide]. As opposed to precedent, he does not use statistics
in speech like '1.5 million Armenians have died.' Also the Armenian
lobbies have gotten used to his wording," Yegin commented.
Yegin also said that Obama would never use the events as a foreign
policy tool, unlike some of his political predecessors.
"For example, the former President George Bush mentioned the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Also, he was giving messages to Armenians
for a closer cooperation with the US, instead of Russia," he explained.
In previous years, Obama found himself between a rock and a hard
place while trying to satisfy both Turkish and Armenian claims over
the events of 1915 to 1923.
Describing the events in his previous speeches as "Meds Yeghern",
which means "Great Calamity" in Armenian, Obama has not only drawn
a rebuff from both Turkey, who described the US president's wording
as one-sided, but also from the Armenian population, given that he
failed to label the events as genocide.
However, Ozdal claimed that for Obama to use the Armenian term is a
disadvantage for Turkey in the long-term.
"Using the Armenian phrase would negate the Turkish thesis on the
question, because that phrase has started to procure acceptance as
'genocide' in the terminology of international relations," Ozdal
proposed.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-313416-obama-not-expected-to-use-g-word-avoiding-crisis-with-turkey.html
From: Baghdasarian
Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 22 2013
US President Barack Obama is not likely to use "genocide" in a speech
marking the anniversary of the 1915 Armenian mass killings at the
hands of Ottoman Empire, analysts say.
"If he uses the word [genocide], it would be a big surprise," said
BarıÅ~_ Ozdal, an expert in the Armenian question and lecturer at
the international relations department of Bursa's Uludag University.
"The US strategic interests require it not to use that word, looking to
the developments in the region. The Syrian crisis is ongoing. And, on
the other hand, Turkey has an increasing geopolitical and geostrategic
importance. So, the US' regional interest renders such a possibility
unlikely," Ozdal claimed.
As a presidential candidate, Obama repeatedly vowed to recognize
the Armenian genocide once in office, voicing his commitment to
commemorating and ending genocide.
Since 2009, the Armenian diaspora in the US has waited for the
president to honor his promise. Obama's repeated failure to use the
word "genocide" in his Armenian Remembrance Day message has created
deep disappointment in the community.
The US has not officially recognized the Armenians' claim that there
was genocide in eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923. Before Obama's
presidency, US leaders blocked attempts to pass resolutions recognizing
the World War I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.
Mehmet Yegin, a Turkey-US relations expert at the Ankara-based
International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), also mentioned
that Obama would not change his standard definitions regarding the
1915 events, saying that he would avoid using the issue as a foreign
policy tool.
"Obama is using a standard language in his speech [regarding the
Armenian genocide]. As opposed to precedent, he does not use statistics
in speech like '1.5 million Armenians have died.' Also the Armenian
lobbies have gotten used to his wording," Yegin commented.
Yegin also said that Obama would never use the events as a foreign
policy tool, unlike some of his political predecessors.
"For example, the former President George Bush mentioned the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Also, he was giving messages to Armenians
for a closer cooperation with the US, instead of Russia," he explained.
In previous years, Obama found himself between a rock and a hard
place while trying to satisfy both Turkish and Armenian claims over
the events of 1915 to 1923.
Describing the events in his previous speeches as "Meds Yeghern",
which means "Great Calamity" in Armenian, Obama has not only drawn
a rebuff from both Turkey, who described the US president's wording
as one-sided, but also from the Armenian population, given that he
failed to label the events as genocide.
However, Ozdal claimed that for Obama to use the Armenian term is a
disadvantage for Turkey in the long-term.
"Using the Armenian phrase would negate the Turkish thesis on the
question, because that phrase has started to procure acceptance as
'genocide' in the terminology of international relations," Ozdal
proposed.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-313416-obama-not-expected-to-use-g-word-avoiding-crisis-with-turkey.html
From: Baghdasarian