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PRIME MINISTER'S ARMENIAN ADVISOR
Daily Sabah, Turkey
Nov 12 2014
Etyen Mahcupyan 12 November 2014, Wednesday
A common view is shared among the Armenian diaspora and the
intellectuals of the Armenian community nowadays: "It is a tactical
move for Turkey's prime minister to appoint an Armenian as his chief
advisor with the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents approaching.
Moreover, it is obviously a move for the denial of the Armenian
genocide." Like many other aggrieved minority communities, a vast
majority of Armenians feel assured that the world revolves around
their own issues. This view is also common among the Kurds. They
think all the initiatives of the government are directly related to
them, regardless of what the government does. And they interpret the
government's actions accordingly. Consequently, Davutoglu's assigning
of me as the chief advisor has drawn the attention of many Armenians
to my Armenian identity. What really matters for them is not the
advisor's political tendencies, but the fact that an Armenian was
appointed. One is naturally obliged to ask this question when looking
from this perspective: Why did the prime minister choose an Armenian?
Then you have to answer it as part of the definitions of Armenian
identity. In this way, you inevitably make a remark that manipulates
Armenian identity. And most of the Armenian intellectuals in Turkey
are desperately wallowing around this vicious circle. As soon as you
define the others based on what you have been subjected to, you can
assume that all the deeds of the others are done for or against you.
Giving prominence to the identity of an Armenian advisor also has
another interesting outcome: If this advisor was really chosen for his
Armenian identity, then he is supposed to act like an Armenian and his
deeds will be evaluated from a criteria that accords with his Armenian
identity. Those with this perspective are not even aware that they have
a somewhat racist perspective since expecting me to unconditionally
act like an Armenian is not, in principle, different from a negative
implementation conducted against me since I am Armenian.
The fact is, one does not become more or less Armenian just because
he is appointed as the chief advisor. Moreover, when my case is
considered, it cannot be said that you are against a proper Armenian.
In this case, we are talking about a man who has never considered
himself as part of the community in social terms, and a man who has
never stood out as an Armenian, with his identity defining him. The
matter comprises of contributing to the creation of a shared wisdom
and influencing the government that, as much as possible, is working
among a major reform process and is in a tangle of serious issues
that are waiting to be resolved.
Being an Armenian only refers to a trivial sphere within the overall
mission. If we attempt to list the issues Turkey needs to resolve, the
Armenian "issue" or "genocide" is only in the middle of the list. And
my duty as chief advisor is giving advice to promote democratization
while paying the required amount of attention to each subject.
Expecting me to pay more attention to that issue than it really
deserves in terms of the current and future conditions of Turkey
might lead to disappointments.
In the meeting where Davutoglu offered me this position, the word
"Armenian" was not mentioned once and the prime minister did not
imply that he would charge me with a specific duty. On the contrary,
he focused on the general picture and needs of Turkey. For some,
it might be hard to accept but this is the reality: There are many
people in Turkey who are not trapped within their ethnic or religious
identities and sometimes life can bring some of them together.
http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/etyen-mahcupyan/2014/11/12/prime-ministers-armenian-advisor
From: A. Papazian
Daily Sabah, Turkey
Nov 12 2014
Etyen Mahcupyan 12 November 2014, Wednesday
A common view is shared among the Armenian diaspora and the
intellectuals of the Armenian community nowadays: "It is a tactical
move for Turkey's prime minister to appoint an Armenian as his chief
advisor with the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents approaching.
Moreover, it is obviously a move for the denial of the Armenian
genocide." Like many other aggrieved minority communities, a vast
majority of Armenians feel assured that the world revolves around
their own issues. This view is also common among the Kurds. They
think all the initiatives of the government are directly related to
them, regardless of what the government does. And they interpret the
government's actions accordingly. Consequently, Davutoglu's assigning
of me as the chief advisor has drawn the attention of many Armenians
to my Armenian identity. What really matters for them is not the
advisor's political tendencies, but the fact that an Armenian was
appointed. One is naturally obliged to ask this question when looking
from this perspective: Why did the prime minister choose an Armenian?
Then you have to answer it as part of the definitions of Armenian
identity. In this way, you inevitably make a remark that manipulates
Armenian identity. And most of the Armenian intellectuals in Turkey
are desperately wallowing around this vicious circle. As soon as you
define the others based on what you have been subjected to, you can
assume that all the deeds of the others are done for or against you.
Giving prominence to the identity of an Armenian advisor also has
another interesting outcome: If this advisor was really chosen for his
Armenian identity, then he is supposed to act like an Armenian and his
deeds will be evaluated from a criteria that accords with his Armenian
identity. Those with this perspective are not even aware that they have
a somewhat racist perspective since expecting me to unconditionally
act like an Armenian is not, in principle, different from a negative
implementation conducted against me since I am Armenian.
The fact is, one does not become more or less Armenian just because
he is appointed as the chief advisor. Moreover, when my case is
considered, it cannot be said that you are against a proper Armenian.
In this case, we are talking about a man who has never considered
himself as part of the community in social terms, and a man who has
never stood out as an Armenian, with his identity defining him. The
matter comprises of contributing to the creation of a shared wisdom
and influencing the government that, as much as possible, is working
among a major reform process and is in a tangle of serious issues
that are waiting to be resolved.
Being an Armenian only refers to a trivial sphere within the overall
mission. If we attempt to list the issues Turkey needs to resolve, the
Armenian "issue" or "genocide" is only in the middle of the list. And
my duty as chief advisor is giving advice to promote democratization
while paying the required amount of attention to each subject.
Expecting me to pay more attention to that issue than it really
deserves in terms of the current and future conditions of Turkey
might lead to disappointments.
In the meeting where Davutoglu offered me this position, the word
"Armenian" was not mentioned once and the prime minister did not
imply that he would charge me with a specific duty. On the contrary,
he focused on the general picture and needs of Turkey. For some,
it might be hard to accept but this is the reality: There are many
people in Turkey who are not trapped within their ethnic or religious
identities and sometimes life can bring some of them together.
http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/etyen-mahcupyan/2014/11/12/prime-ministers-armenian-advisor
From: A. Papazian