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Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #750
Sept 4 2014
Armenia Sends Official to ErdoÄ?an Inauguration
Move seen as tentative step towards reviving diplomatic process.
By Yekaterina Poghosyan - Caucasus
The last time Armenia and Turkey started working towards a better
relationship, the attempt foundered. Now the two countries might be
about to give it another go.
Armenian foreign minister Eduard Nalbandyan went to Ankara on August
28 to attend the presidential inauguration of Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an,
previously Turkey's prime minister.
Nalbandyan's presence gave rise to talk that the reconciliation
process might be about to restart.
There are huge divides to be bridged. Above all, Armenians accuse the
modern Turkish state of ignoring a genocide of Armenians carried out
by the Ottoman authorities in 1915. Turkey acknowledges that killings
took place, but rejects the use of the term `genocide'.
In more recent history, Turkey closed its border with post-Soviet
Armenia in 1993 because of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. The Turks
remain close allies of Azerbaijan, with which Armenia is still not at
peace.
Despite this difficult history, Ankara and Yerevan made a real effort
to seek a rapprochement some years ago. In September 2008, President
Abdullah Gül paid an unprecedented visit to Armenia for a football
match between the two national sides. In October the following year,
after a lengthy talks process, the two countries' foreign ministers
signed accords in Zürich on restoring relations and reopening the
border. The process was led by Nalbandyan and Turkish foreign minister
Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu.
Neither country's parliament ratified the agreements, however, and the
whole process ground to a halt. In April 2010, Armenian president
Serzh Sargsyan formally stopped the ratification process, accusing
Turkey of trying to insert new conditions, and the process ` known as
`football diplomacy' because of Gül's original trip ` came to an end.
When DavutoÄ?lu visited Yerevan in December 2013 ` officially for a
Black Sea regional meeting ` expectations were raised, but little came
out of his meeting with Nalbandyan. (See No Signs of Turkey-Armenia
Thaw.)
DavutoÄ?lu's appointment as prime minister to replace ErdoÄ?an as prime
minister is seen as no bad thing among those Armenians hoping for a
resumption in talks. He and Nalbandyan know each other, and both
presided over the last set of complex negotiations.
According to Sergei Minasyan, deputy director of the Caucasus
Institute, Nalbandyan's visit was an opportunities to renew those ties
and also to show that `despite all the difficulties in relations with
Ankara, it [Armenia] is not prepared to isolate itself.'
Whoever is in charge, though, will be hard pressed to reconcile the
two states on the genocide question.
In Ankara, Nalbandyan had a brief conversation with ErdoÄ?an after the
inauguration ceremony and handed over a formal invitation to visit
Armenia in April 2015 to attend ceremonies for the 100th anniversary
of 1915.
It is hard to say whether this will happen. For Armenians, the point
is to get the Turks to acknowledge that genocide took place.
Ahead of the 2014 commemoration, ErdoÄ?an issued a carefully-worded
statement noting that `Armenians remember the suffering experienced in
that period, just like every other citizen of the Ottoman Empire¦. The
events of the First World War are our shared pain.' This fell well
short of what Yerevan wanted, and presidential chief of staff Vigen
Sargsyan called it as `just another, though perhaps more refined,
attempt to deny and conceal the fact of the Armenian genocide'.
`More is required from Turkey ` to acknowledge and unequivocally
condemn the crimes committed during this period,' he said. (See also
Armenians Call on Turks to Say "Genocide".)
Commentators in Yerevan believe Turkey is under pressure to come up
with a better formula ahead of the 100-year commemoration.
`Turkey, like Armenia, takes a fairly serious view of the 100th
anniversary of the genocide,' Minasyan said. `It's clear that it's
important for Turkey to take certain measures so as to avoid being the
focus of news, political, emotional and moral pressure on the 100th
anniversary.'
The invitation to ErdoÄ?an was intended to give the Turkish leadership
`an opportunity to somehow come to terms with history and try to turn
a new page in its relationship with Armenia and with the Armenian
diaspora,' Minasyan added.
As it embarked on a delicate diplomatic process, the Armenian
government came under fire from the nationalist Dashnaktsutyun which
denounced Nalbandyan's presence at the Turkish leader's inauguration,
ErdoÄ?an and his `anti-Armenian statements', and the long-dead Zürich
accrords.
`Dashnaktsutyun repeatedly stated that Armenia must refuse to sign
these [2009] protocols. Instead, the authorities are trying to
reanimate them despite Turkey's hostile attitude,' party official Giro
Manoyan told the Ð?1+ news site.
Under attack, the ruling Republican Party defended the government's actions.
According to party spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov, `By handing over the
invitation in Ankara, Armenia has proved that it will fight against
denial of the Armenian genocide, and shown that we expect the
international community and Turkey to come to terms with reality. If
he [ErdoÄ?an] comes to Armenia, it will mean he acknowledges the fact
that a crime was committed.'
Yekaterina Poghosyan is a reporter for the Mediamax news agency.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/armenia-sends-official-erdo%C4%9F-inauguration
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #750
Sept 4 2014
Armenia Sends Official to ErdoÄ?an Inauguration
Move seen as tentative step towards reviving diplomatic process.
By Yekaterina Poghosyan - Caucasus
The last time Armenia and Turkey started working towards a better
relationship, the attempt foundered. Now the two countries might be
about to give it another go.
Armenian foreign minister Eduard Nalbandyan went to Ankara on August
28 to attend the presidential inauguration of Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an,
previously Turkey's prime minister.
Nalbandyan's presence gave rise to talk that the reconciliation
process might be about to restart.
There are huge divides to be bridged. Above all, Armenians accuse the
modern Turkish state of ignoring a genocide of Armenians carried out
by the Ottoman authorities in 1915. Turkey acknowledges that killings
took place, but rejects the use of the term `genocide'.
In more recent history, Turkey closed its border with post-Soviet
Armenia in 1993 because of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. The Turks
remain close allies of Azerbaijan, with which Armenia is still not at
peace.
Despite this difficult history, Ankara and Yerevan made a real effort
to seek a rapprochement some years ago. In September 2008, President
Abdullah Gül paid an unprecedented visit to Armenia for a football
match between the two national sides. In October the following year,
after a lengthy talks process, the two countries' foreign ministers
signed accords in Zürich on restoring relations and reopening the
border. The process was led by Nalbandyan and Turkish foreign minister
Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu.
Neither country's parliament ratified the agreements, however, and the
whole process ground to a halt. In April 2010, Armenian president
Serzh Sargsyan formally stopped the ratification process, accusing
Turkey of trying to insert new conditions, and the process ` known as
`football diplomacy' because of Gül's original trip ` came to an end.
When DavutoÄ?lu visited Yerevan in December 2013 ` officially for a
Black Sea regional meeting ` expectations were raised, but little came
out of his meeting with Nalbandyan. (See No Signs of Turkey-Armenia
Thaw.)
DavutoÄ?lu's appointment as prime minister to replace ErdoÄ?an as prime
minister is seen as no bad thing among those Armenians hoping for a
resumption in talks. He and Nalbandyan know each other, and both
presided over the last set of complex negotiations.
According to Sergei Minasyan, deputy director of the Caucasus
Institute, Nalbandyan's visit was an opportunities to renew those ties
and also to show that `despite all the difficulties in relations with
Ankara, it [Armenia] is not prepared to isolate itself.'
Whoever is in charge, though, will be hard pressed to reconcile the
two states on the genocide question.
In Ankara, Nalbandyan had a brief conversation with ErdoÄ?an after the
inauguration ceremony and handed over a formal invitation to visit
Armenia in April 2015 to attend ceremonies for the 100th anniversary
of 1915.
It is hard to say whether this will happen. For Armenians, the point
is to get the Turks to acknowledge that genocide took place.
Ahead of the 2014 commemoration, ErdoÄ?an issued a carefully-worded
statement noting that `Armenians remember the suffering experienced in
that period, just like every other citizen of the Ottoman Empire¦. The
events of the First World War are our shared pain.' This fell well
short of what Yerevan wanted, and presidential chief of staff Vigen
Sargsyan called it as `just another, though perhaps more refined,
attempt to deny and conceal the fact of the Armenian genocide'.
`More is required from Turkey ` to acknowledge and unequivocally
condemn the crimes committed during this period,' he said. (See also
Armenians Call on Turks to Say "Genocide".)
Commentators in Yerevan believe Turkey is under pressure to come up
with a better formula ahead of the 100-year commemoration.
`Turkey, like Armenia, takes a fairly serious view of the 100th
anniversary of the genocide,' Minasyan said. `It's clear that it's
important for Turkey to take certain measures so as to avoid being the
focus of news, political, emotional and moral pressure on the 100th
anniversary.'
The invitation to ErdoÄ?an was intended to give the Turkish leadership
`an opportunity to somehow come to terms with history and try to turn
a new page in its relationship with Armenia and with the Armenian
diaspora,' Minasyan added.
As it embarked on a delicate diplomatic process, the Armenian
government came under fire from the nationalist Dashnaktsutyun which
denounced Nalbandyan's presence at the Turkish leader's inauguration,
ErdoÄ?an and his `anti-Armenian statements', and the long-dead Zürich
accrords.
`Dashnaktsutyun repeatedly stated that Armenia must refuse to sign
these [2009] protocols. Instead, the authorities are trying to
reanimate them despite Turkey's hostile attitude,' party official Giro
Manoyan told the Ð?1+ news site.
Under attack, the ruling Republican Party defended the government's actions.
According to party spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov, `By handing over the
invitation in Ankara, Armenia has proved that it will fight against
denial of the Armenian genocide, and shown that we expect the
international community and Turkey to come to terms with reality. If
he [ErdoÄ?an] comes to Armenia, it will mean he acknowledges the fact
that a crime was committed.'
Yekaterina Poghosyan is a reporter for the Mediamax news agency.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/armenia-sends-official-erdo%C4%9F-inauguration