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A DIFFERENT APRIL 24
Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 25 2014
Column by Etyen Mahcupyan
The anniversary of a string of events that began in 1915 with the
deportation and massacre of Armenian intellectuals and which later
turned into the deportation of an entire nation and a genocide,
was marked in a pretty different atmosphere this year.
In a very well-prepared statement, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan expressed his wish for the Armenians who lost their lives
in that period to rest in peace and offered his condolences to the
grandchildren of those dead Armenians. That was an unexpected step.
Even sources closest to the government only learned of the existence
of such a statement half an hour before it was released. But the
content of the statement was not surprising. Those who follow what
is actually going on in Turkey and who look at what is going on with
an objective eye, can easily see that the prime minister's message
is a manifestation of an ongoing social transformation. Turkey's new
conservative middle class is working to save itself from the ties of
the old regime and create a new future. A natural result of this effort
is people considering social pluralism as a source of richness and the
recapture of minds with a dream that recalls the Ottoman Empire. For
the past few years, pro-Islam families have been recalling a memory
they have long ignored. People now feel free to talk about Armenian
members of their families as well as incidents of deportation and
the killing of those family members. They also feel proud of their
Armenian ties. In other words, a majority of the people are ready to
carry the prime minister's message.
Erdogan's real success lies in his ability to go beyond the ordinary,
thanks to the strength he receives from society. Just as it did in
the Kurdish initiative and with an apology concerning the incidents
in Dersim, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has broken a vital
taboo of the old regime in the Armenian issue. The prime minister's
statement does not only go beyond the understanding of the Kemalist
state but it also dropped hints of the approach of a new regime. We see
that the 1915 incidents are being brought to humanitarian and moral
grounds for the first time. A sentence in the statement that reads,
"Comparing and contrasting suffering carries no meaning for those
who experienced this pain themselves," recognizes Armenians' right to
experience and express their pain in their own lives. And the statement
goes on to say, "It is a duty of humanity to commemorate and share
the memories of the pain," and also makes mention of "commemorating
victims altogether." I would like to underline that these sentences
are a conscious invitation for normalization.
A natural result of such a mindset is the ability to discuss all
concepts and claims, including genocide, in a free atmosphere. Turkey
has gone beyond this point in the past five years. Tens of columnists
use the word "massacre" in their writings and prosecutors do not make
fools of themselves by initiating investigations of those columnists.
In his statement, the prime minister took a step forward and stressed,
"The spirit of the age necessitates dialogue despite differences,
understanding by heeding others, evaluating means for compromise,
denouncing hatred, and praising respect and tolerance."
This message, which avoided the state's language and cliches,
spells more than a new era on the Armenian issue; it also stands
as a milestone for a change in the mindset and the regime. Erdogan,
while taking a step forward on the Armenian issue, actually hopes to
carry the Turkish Republic to a new point of no return. He stands by
the multicultural social existence of the past. When it is taken into
consideration along with the rights and freedoms granted to Kurds,
it is obvious that the prime minister's message marks a search for
a new joint identity and non-Muslims are considered part of this
joint identity.
It is an issue of a different debate as to what extent the prime
minister's message will satisfy Armenians in the world. But it is
beneficial to think that this message does not intend to merely throw
Armenians a bone, but rather that it reflects real and sincere thoughts
and it is part of plans for a new Turkey.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 25 2014
Column by Etyen Mahcupyan
The anniversary of a string of events that began in 1915 with the
deportation and massacre of Armenian intellectuals and which later
turned into the deportation of an entire nation and a genocide,
was marked in a pretty different atmosphere this year.
In a very well-prepared statement, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan expressed his wish for the Armenians who lost their lives
in that period to rest in peace and offered his condolences to the
grandchildren of those dead Armenians. That was an unexpected step.
Even sources closest to the government only learned of the existence
of such a statement half an hour before it was released. But the
content of the statement was not surprising. Those who follow what
is actually going on in Turkey and who look at what is going on with
an objective eye, can easily see that the prime minister's message
is a manifestation of an ongoing social transformation. Turkey's new
conservative middle class is working to save itself from the ties of
the old regime and create a new future. A natural result of this effort
is people considering social pluralism as a source of richness and the
recapture of minds with a dream that recalls the Ottoman Empire. For
the past few years, pro-Islam families have been recalling a memory
they have long ignored. People now feel free to talk about Armenian
members of their families as well as incidents of deportation and
the killing of those family members. They also feel proud of their
Armenian ties. In other words, a majority of the people are ready to
carry the prime minister's message.
Erdogan's real success lies in his ability to go beyond the ordinary,
thanks to the strength he receives from society. Just as it did in
the Kurdish initiative and with an apology concerning the incidents
in Dersim, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has broken a vital
taboo of the old regime in the Armenian issue. The prime minister's
statement does not only go beyond the understanding of the Kemalist
state but it also dropped hints of the approach of a new regime. We see
that the 1915 incidents are being brought to humanitarian and moral
grounds for the first time. A sentence in the statement that reads,
"Comparing and contrasting suffering carries no meaning for those
who experienced this pain themselves," recognizes Armenians' right to
experience and express their pain in their own lives. And the statement
goes on to say, "It is a duty of humanity to commemorate and share
the memories of the pain," and also makes mention of "commemorating
victims altogether." I would like to underline that these sentences
are a conscious invitation for normalization.
A natural result of such a mindset is the ability to discuss all
concepts and claims, including genocide, in a free atmosphere. Turkey
has gone beyond this point in the past five years. Tens of columnists
use the word "massacre" in their writings and prosecutors do not make
fools of themselves by initiating investigations of those columnists.
In his statement, the prime minister took a step forward and stressed,
"The spirit of the age necessitates dialogue despite differences,
understanding by heeding others, evaluating means for compromise,
denouncing hatred, and praising respect and tolerance."
This message, which avoided the state's language and cliches,
spells more than a new era on the Armenian issue; it also stands
as a milestone for a change in the mindset and the regime. Erdogan,
while taking a step forward on the Armenian issue, actually hopes to
carry the Turkish Republic to a new point of no return. He stands by
the multicultural social existence of the past. When it is taken into
consideration along with the rights and freedoms granted to Kurds,
it is obvious that the prime minister's message marks a search for
a new joint identity and non-Muslims are considered part of this
joint identity.
It is an issue of a different debate as to what extent the prime
minister's message will satisfy Armenians in the world. But it is
beneficial to think that this message does not intend to merely throw
Armenians a bone, but rather that it reflects real and sincere thoughts
and it is part of plans for a new Turkey.