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Al-Monitor
April 25 2014
Can Erdogan overcome Azeri obstacle in ties with Armenia?
Author: Semih IdizPosted April 25, 2014
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's groundbreaking message
of condolence for Ottoman Armenians killed in 1915 ' details of which
are provided by Cengiz Candar in his April 24 post for Al-Monitor '
was instantly castigated by hard-line Armenians as a shallow attempt
by Ankara to "repackage its genocide denials."
Summary?' Print Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in the dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh is blocking improved ties between Turkey and Armenia.
Author Semih IdizPosted April 25, 2014
The message was not welcomed by nationalist quarters in Turkey either.
`Prime Minister Erdogan has long since been promoted to the position
of being a window of hope for the genocide gang that is openly acting
against Turkey and the Turkish nation,' said Devlet Bahceli, the
leader of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), in his angry reply to
Erdogan.
Armenians maintain that 1.5 million of their brethren were murdered by
Ottoman Turks in a genocide that began on April 24, 1915. Turks
vehemently deny this, maintaining that millions of Muslims, including
Turks, and not just rebellious Armenians, were killed in the
slaughterhouse of Anatolia during World War I.
Washington, however, welcomed Erdogan's `historic public
acknowledgement of the suffering that Armenians experienced in 1915."
The State Department expressed its belief that `this is a positive
indication that there can be a full, frank and just acknowledgement of
the facts, which we hope will advance the cause of reconciliation
between Turks and Armenians.'
Over Twitter, US Secretary of State John Kerry said of the April 24
Armenian commemoration: `Thoughts and prayers with Armenians today. PM
Erdogan's striking statement affirms global principles.'
There is no shortage of analysts ' Turkish, Armenian or otherwise '
who contend that Erdogan's statement is merely aimed at appeasing
Washington in the lead-up to the centenary of what most Americans also
believe to be a genocide perpetrated by Turks, and to prevent the US
Congress from adopting anti-Turkish resolutions for the occasion.
The acrimonious debate between Turks and Armenians, which has often
had a negative influence on Ankara's ties with West, rages on between
these two deeply estranged nations.
This topic has also prevented normal ties from being established
between Turkey and neighboring Armenia, despite goodwill gestures by
various citizens' groups on both sides, including businessmen,
academics, journalists, artists and writers.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said they had received very positive
messages from Armenians after Erdogan's message. `The reactions from
the Armenian diaspora are extraordinarily positive. We received very
nice messages,' said Davutoglu, as reported by Hurriyet.
Not all Armenian diaspora organizations appeared to support Erdogan's
statement. Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian
National Committee of America, said Erdogan was attempting "in vain,
to escape responsibility for the Armenian Genocide, by somehow
downgrading this still unpunished international crime to the level of
a simple, unresolved bilateral conflict."
Ara Toranian, the head of France's Federation of Armenian
Organizations, was milder in his response. The daily Hurriyet quoted
him as saying that Erdogan's remarks resulted in an `emotional shock,'
and that he had doubts regarding Erdogan's sincerity.
Toranian said that while Erdogan's remarks were important, they
expected positive follow-up gestures. `For example, there is mention
of dialogue with Armenia. The first gesture could be the opening of
borders,' he said.
Embedded in Toranian's remark is a basic complication facing Ankara in
terms of normalizing ties with Yerevan. Even if Turkey and Armenia
find the means to overcome the obstructionism of hard-line Turks and
Armenians, Ankara must still contend with the seemingly insurmountable
hurdle of Azerbaijan.
Press reports suggesting that Ankara is exploring ways to build on
Erdogan's message and improve ties with Yerevan were bound to raise
eyebrows in Baku. Azerbaijan considers Armenia a bitter enemy, having
gone to war with it over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh after the two
countries gained independence from Moscow in the early 1990s.
The predominantly Armenian enclave, known as Artsakh to Armenians, was
lost in 1994 to Armenian forces. Armenia's current president, Serzh
Sargsyan, is from the enclave. A fragile cease-fire exists between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Baku has sworn to regain Nagorno-Karabakh by military force if
necessary. The peace talks, spearheaded by the so-called Minsk Group,
formed under the auspices of the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe, have provided little progress.
Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's
independence in December 1991, but diplomatic relations were never
established because of the disputes over genocide and
Nagorno-Karabakh, the latter of which is sensitive for Turks given
their close ethnic ties to Azeris.
Although Turkey opened its border to Armenia shortly after Armenia
gained independence, Turkey closed it again in 1993 because of the
Armenian-Azeri dispute. It remains closed today. In May 2009, Erdogan
personally vowed in Azerbaijan's parliament that the border would not
be opened until the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute was resolved. Erdogan's
commitment followed the emergence of tensions between Ankara and Baku
after the 2009 announcement that the two years of Swiss-mediated
reconciliation talks between Turkey and Armenia had resulted in the
drawing up of two protocols for normalizing ties.
Baku went ballistic following the publication of reports that the
Turkish-Armenian border would be opened as a part of this process.
Baku sent parliamentary deputies to Ankara to mobilize Turkish
nationalist sentiments to agitate the Erdogan government.
Keeping the border closed has become a strategic objective for
Azerbaijan as it aims to keep Armenia landlocked and isolated. Erdogan
could not risk alienating Turkish nationalists ' those within his own
Justice and Development Party (AKP) included ' and traveled to Baku to
provide the necessary assurances.
`When was the Turkish-Armenian border gate closed? It was closed when
Nagorno-Karabakh came totally under Armenian occupation. Therefore,
these gates will remain closed until this situation changes, or when
we agree with our Azeri brothers on this. We will not take any steps
until then,' Erdogan told Azeri deputies on May 14, 2009.
Erdogan's remarks undermined the protocols initialed by Foreign
Minister Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian in
October 2009 in Zurich under the eyes of the US secretary of state and
the foreign ministers of Russia, France and Switzerland. The protocols
received a further blow when Yerevan sent them to the country's
constitutional court before submitting them to be ratified by
parliament. Ankara said the court's ruling, even though it recommended
a parliamentary endorsement of the protocols, "contained contradictory
elements to the letter and the spirit of the protocols."
Armenia's constitutional court said in effect that even if a
commission of historians were to be established between the two
countries to study the events of 1915, Armenia would not give up on
its claim that those events represented genocide. Ankara subsequently
held back from sending the protocols to parliament for ratification
and Yerevan followed by withholding its ratification process.
President Sargsyan said in an April 2010 television address that they
were suspending the ratification process.
The stalemate between Turkey and Armenia continues as the centenary of
1915 approaches. Regardless of what his Turkish and Armenian
detractors may say, Erdogan has taken a bold first step with his
condolence statement.
It's unclear how this stalemate will be broken, even if bilateral
problems between Ankara and Yerevan are resolved, because of Erdogan's
concrete commitment to Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Given the hold Baku has over nationalist sentiment in Turkey, there is
only so far Erdogan can go with Yerevan unless Armenia and Azerbaijan
establish peace. This does not appear to be a likely prospect anytime
soon.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/turkey-armenia-ties-azerbaijan-objections-genocide-tensions.html
April 25 2014
Can Erdogan overcome Azeri obstacle in ties with Armenia?
Author: Semih IdizPosted April 25, 2014
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's groundbreaking message
of condolence for Ottoman Armenians killed in 1915 ' details of which
are provided by Cengiz Candar in his April 24 post for Al-Monitor '
was instantly castigated by hard-line Armenians as a shallow attempt
by Ankara to "repackage its genocide denials."
Summary?' Print Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in the dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh is blocking improved ties between Turkey and Armenia.
Author Semih IdizPosted April 25, 2014
The message was not welcomed by nationalist quarters in Turkey either.
`Prime Minister Erdogan has long since been promoted to the position
of being a window of hope for the genocide gang that is openly acting
against Turkey and the Turkish nation,' said Devlet Bahceli, the
leader of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), in his angry reply to
Erdogan.
Armenians maintain that 1.5 million of their brethren were murdered by
Ottoman Turks in a genocide that began on April 24, 1915. Turks
vehemently deny this, maintaining that millions of Muslims, including
Turks, and not just rebellious Armenians, were killed in the
slaughterhouse of Anatolia during World War I.
Washington, however, welcomed Erdogan's `historic public
acknowledgement of the suffering that Armenians experienced in 1915."
The State Department expressed its belief that `this is a positive
indication that there can be a full, frank and just acknowledgement of
the facts, which we hope will advance the cause of reconciliation
between Turks and Armenians.'
Over Twitter, US Secretary of State John Kerry said of the April 24
Armenian commemoration: `Thoughts and prayers with Armenians today. PM
Erdogan's striking statement affirms global principles.'
There is no shortage of analysts ' Turkish, Armenian or otherwise '
who contend that Erdogan's statement is merely aimed at appeasing
Washington in the lead-up to the centenary of what most Americans also
believe to be a genocide perpetrated by Turks, and to prevent the US
Congress from adopting anti-Turkish resolutions for the occasion.
The acrimonious debate between Turks and Armenians, which has often
had a negative influence on Ankara's ties with West, rages on between
these two deeply estranged nations.
This topic has also prevented normal ties from being established
between Turkey and neighboring Armenia, despite goodwill gestures by
various citizens' groups on both sides, including businessmen,
academics, journalists, artists and writers.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said they had received very positive
messages from Armenians after Erdogan's message. `The reactions from
the Armenian diaspora are extraordinarily positive. We received very
nice messages,' said Davutoglu, as reported by Hurriyet.
Not all Armenian diaspora organizations appeared to support Erdogan's
statement. Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian
National Committee of America, said Erdogan was attempting "in vain,
to escape responsibility for the Armenian Genocide, by somehow
downgrading this still unpunished international crime to the level of
a simple, unresolved bilateral conflict."
Ara Toranian, the head of France's Federation of Armenian
Organizations, was milder in his response. The daily Hurriyet quoted
him as saying that Erdogan's remarks resulted in an `emotional shock,'
and that he had doubts regarding Erdogan's sincerity.
Toranian said that while Erdogan's remarks were important, they
expected positive follow-up gestures. `For example, there is mention
of dialogue with Armenia. The first gesture could be the opening of
borders,' he said.
Embedded in Toranian's remark is a basic complication facing Ankara in
terms of normalizing ties with Yerevan. Even if Turkey and Armenia
find the means to overcome the obstructionism of hard-line Turks and
Armenians, Ankara must still contend with the seemingly insurmountable
hurdle of Azerbaijan.
Press reports suggesting that Ankara is exploring ways to build on
Erdogan's message and improve ties with Yerevan were bound to raise
eyebrows in Baku. Azerbaijan considers Armenia a bitter enemy, having
gone to war with it over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh after the two
countries gained independence from Moscow in the early 1990s.
The predominantly Armenian enclave, known as Artsakh to Armenians, was
lost in 1994 to Armenian forces. Armenia's current president, Serzh
Sargsyan, is from the enclave. A fragile cease-fire exists between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Baku has sworn to regain Nagorno-Karabakh by military force if
necessary. The peace talks, spearheaded by the so-called Minsk Group,
formed under the auspices of the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe, have provided little progress.
Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's
independence in December 1991, but diplomatic relations were never
established because of the disputes over genocide and
Nagorno-Karabakh, the latter of which is sensitive for Turks given
their close ethnic ties to Azeris.
Although Turkey opened its border to Armenia shortly after Armenia
gained independence, Turkey closed it again in 1993 because of the
Armenian-Azeri dispute. It remains closed today. In May 2009, Erdogan
personally vowed in Azerbaijan's parliament that the border would not
be opened until the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute was resolved. Erdogan's
commitment followed the emergence of tensions between Ankara and Baku
after the 2009 announcement that the two years of Swiss-mediated
reconciliation talks between Turkey and Armenia had resulted in the
drawing up of two protocols for normalizing ties.
Baku went ballistic following the publication of reports that the
Turkish-Armenian border would be opened as a part of this process.
Baku sent parliamentary deputies to Ankara to mobilize Turkish
nationalist sentiments to agitate the Erdogan government.
Keeping the border closed has become a strategic objective for
Azerbaijan as it aims to keep Armenia landlocked and isolated. Erdogan
could not risk alienating Turkish nationalists ' those within his own
Justice and Development Party (AKP) included ' and traveled to Baku to
provide the necessary assurances.
`When was the Turkish-Armenian border gate closed? It was closed when
Nagorno-Karabakh came totally under Armenian occupation. Therefore,
these gates will remain closed until this situation changes, or when
we agree with our Azeri brothers on this. We will not take any steps
until then,' Erdogan told Azeri deputies on May 14, 2009.
Erdogan's remarks undermined the protocols initialed by Foreign
Minister Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian in
October 2009 in Zurich under the eyes of the US secretary of state and
the foreign ministers of Russia, France and Switzerland. The protocols
received a further blow when Yerevan sent them to the country's
constitutional court before submitting them to be ratified by
parliament. Ankara said the court's ruling, even though it recommended
a parliamentary endorsement of the protocols, "contained contradictory
elements to the letter and the spirit of the protocols."
Armenia's constitutional court said in effect that even if a
commission of historians were to be established between the two
countries to study the events of 1915, Armenia would not give up on
its claim that those events represented genocide. Ankara subsequently
held back from sending the protocols to parliament for ratification
and Yerevan followed by withholding its ratification process.
President Sargsyan said in an April 2010 television address that they
were suspending the ratification process.
The stalemate between Turkey and Armenia continues as the centenary of
1915 approaches. Regardless of what his Turkish and Armenian
detractors may say, Erdogan has taken a bold first step with his
condolence statement.
It's unclear how this stalemate will be broken, even if bilateral
problems between Ankara and Yerevan are resolved, because of Erdogan's
concrete commitment to Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Given the hold Baku has over nationalist sentiment in Turkey, there is
only so far Erdogan can go with Yerevan unless Armenia and Azerbaijan
establish peace. This does not appear to be a likely prospect anytime
soon.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/turkey-armenia-ties-azerbaijan-objections-genocide-tensions.html