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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
April 24 2014
Deconstructing Turkish PM's statement on Armenian tragedy
by BARÇIN YÄ°NANÇ
`The statement was certainly as dramatic and impressive as it was
unexpected,' Richard Giragosian told me, speaking about Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an's message on the Armenian tragedy.
The director of a Yerevan-based think tank, Giragosian was in Istanbul
to also take part in a commemoration that will take place in Istanbul.
As he rightly pointed out, there have been several historic firsts
during the decade-long rule of the Justice and Development Party
(AKP).
Holding commemorations by civilians in Turkey on April 24 only started
a few years ago and not only does the number of participants rise each
year, but so does the number of cities in which these activities are
taking place.
According to Giragosian, this statement came as a surprise because
ErdoÄ?an was perceived to be the person who killed the 2009
normalization initiative with Armenia, rushing to Baku without waiting
for the ink to dry in the protocols signed with Yerevan.
Here in Turkey, I don't think we were that surprised. That's not to
say it was expected. The fact is that we have now become acquainted
with the element of surprise in ErdoÄ?an. After all, he was the one
instructing the head of intelligence to start talks with the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at a time when he was using a very
aggressive rhetoric on the Kurdish issue.
While the Armenian diaspora will probably not be impressed by the
message, it adds new `firsts' in the process of breaking the taboos
about the World War I mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the
Ottomans.
One of the firsts is that it is the first time a Turkish PM has issued
a statement about the `issue.' It is not a statement issued as a
counter reaction to the statements made all over the world. In a way,
it has perhaps started a tradition whereby we might have a statement
each year on the eve of April 24.
Of course it does not name the `issue.' But Turkey now officially
recognizes the `pain' of the Armenians. And obviously, the statement
talks about the pains suffered by all at that time, since it wants to
refrain from singling out the Armenians. This is the result of an
effort to show that Armenians were not targeted just because they were
Armenians, but that they got a share of the suffering at the time.
Still, by saying `certainly, neither constructing hierarchies of pain
nor comparing and contrasting suffering carries any meaning for those
who experienced this pain themselves,' Turkey accepts the fact that it
is no consolation for Armenians that others have suffered too. After
all, as was said in the statement: `As a Turkish proverb goes, `fire
burns the place where it falls.''
The statement goes on saying, `It is a duty of humanity to acknowledge
that Armenians remember the suffering experienced in that period, just
like every other citizen of the Ottoman Empire.' This is, in a way,
another first, as it legitimizes the commemoration activities both in
Turkey and throughout the world.
By issuing an official statement and accepting the commemoration
efforts as normal; Turkey for the first time officially recognizes
April 24, as the day of remembrance.
So if I were to recap: Independent of any previous statement made by
Turkish officials here and there, the official statement issued by the
PM with this specific timing means Turkey officially recognizes, for
the first time, the suffering of the Armenians, as well as April 24 as
the day of remembrance.
While the statement implies that Turkey is ready to listen with
tolerance to all discourse, even that of genocide, it sends a warning
to the Armenian diaspora about their planned activities for next year
when it says `using the events of 1915 as an excuse for hostility
against Turkey and turning this issue into a matter of political
conflict is inadmissible.'
Finally, the most important sentence in the statement comes at the
end: `The Armenians who lost their lives in the context of the early
20th century, rest in peace and we convey our condolences to their
grandchildren.'
Trust me, if issuing a statement becomes a state tradition, we will
have many more daring messages in the future.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/deconstructing-turkish-pms-statement-on-armenian-tragedy.aspx?pageID=449&nID=65482&NewsCatID=412
April 24 2014
Deconstructing Turkish PM's statement on Armenian tragedy
by BARÇIN YÄ°NANÇ
`The statement was certainly as dramatic and impressive as it was
unexpected,' Richard Giragosian told me, speaking about Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an's message on the Armenian tragedy.
The director of a Yerevan-based think tank, Giragosian was in Istanbul
to also take part in a commemoration that will take place in Istanbul.
As he rightly pointed out, there have been several historic firsts
during the decade-long rule of the Justice and Development Party
(AKP).
Holding commemorations by civilians in Turkey on April 24 only started
a few years ago and not only does the number of participants rise each
year, but so does the number of cities in which these activities are
taking place.
According to Giragosian, this statement came as a surprise because
ErdoÄ?an was perceived to be the person who killed the 2009
normalization initiative with Armenia, rushing to Baku without waiting
for the ink to dry in the protocols signed with Yerevan.
Here in Turkey, I don't think we were that surprised. That's not to
say it was expected. The fact is that we have now become acquainted
with the element of surprise in ErdoÄ?an. After all, he was the one
instructing the head of intelligence to start talks with the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at a time when he was using a very
aggressive rhetoric on the Kurdish issue.
While the Armenian diaspora will probably not be impressed by the
message, it adds new `firsts' in the process of breaking the taboos
about the World War I mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the
Ottomans.
One of the firsts is that it is the first time a Turkish PM has issued
a statement about the `issue.' It is not a statement issued as a
counter reaction to the statements made all over the world. In a way,
it has perhaps started a tradition whereby we might have a statement
each year on the eve of April 24.
Of course it does not name the `issue.' But Turkey now officially
recognizes the `pain' of the Armenians. And obviously, the statement
talks about the pains suffered by all at that time, since it wants to
refrain from singling out the Armenians. This is the result of an
effort to show that Armenians were not targeted just because they were
Armenians, but that they got a share of the suffering at the time.
Still, by saying `certainly, neither constructing hierarchies of pain
nor comparing and contrasting suffering carries any meaning for those
who experienced this pain themselves,' Turkey accepts the fact that it
is no consolation for Armenians that others have suffered too. After
all, as was said in the statement: `As a Turkish proverb goes, `fire
burns the place where it falls.''
The statement goes on saying, `It is a duty of humanity to acknowledge
that Armenians remember the suffering experienced in that period, just
like every other citizen of the Ottoman Empire.' This is, in a way,
another first, as it legitimizes the commemoration activities both in
Turkey and throughout the world.
By issuing an official statement and accepting the commemoration
efforts as normal; Turkey for the first time officially recognizes
April 24, as the day of remembrance.
So if I were to recap: Independent of any previous statement made by
Turkish officials here and there, the official statement issued by the
PM with this specific timing means Turkey officially recognizes, for
the first time, the suffering of the Armenians, as well as April 24 as
the day of remembrance.
While the statement implies that Turkey is ready to listen with
tolerance to all discourse, even that of genocide, it sends a warning
to the Armenian diaspora about their planned activities for next year
when it says `using the events of 1915 as an excuse for hostility
against Turkey and turning this issue into a matter of political
conflict is inadmissible.'
Finally, the most important sentence in the statement comes at the
end: `The Armenians who lost their lives in the context of the early
20th century, rest in peace and we convey our condolences to their
grandchildren.'
Trust me, if issuing a statement becomes a state tradition, we will
have many more daring messages in the future.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/deconstructing-turkish-pms-statement-on-armenian-tragedy.aspx?pageID=449&nID=65482&NewsCatID=412