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Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 18 2015
Battle of commemorations: War goes on 100 years after 1915
A family of Armenian deportees is seen in this undated handout photo
taken by Armin Wegner, a German 2nd Lieutenant stationed in the
Ottoman Empire. (Photo: Reuters)
April 18, 2015, Saturday/ 17:00:00/ ABDULLAH AYASUN / ISTANBUL
World War I is far from over, at least in this region.
The war to `end all wars' indeed ended peace, and left a lasting
geopolitical impact that still shapes the political drama and conflict
in the region.
As Turkey and Armenia each hurtle toward the commemoration of two key
historic events -- the Gallipoli Campaign and `Armenian Genocide,'
respectively -- that shaped their national destiny, the effects of
World War I can still be felt as part of a living memory rather than
an object of a distant past.
The Gallipoli Campaign for the Ottoman Turks was a battle of life and
death, survival and extinction, and it gave the much-needed
psychological boost to the Young Turks to again attempt to establish a
state out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
owes his lightening ascent to the pinnacle of power among the high
echelons of Turkish officers to his role in the most desperate moments
of the war. The victory, however, only gave a brief moment of
breathing space, and the empire marched toward its inevitable collapse
shortly after the end of World War I.
While for Turks, 1915 represents an epic story of heroism and
sacrifice in the muddy trenches of Gallipoli against the formidable
Allied Powers, which amassed hundreds of thousands of troops on the
tiny peninsula; for Armenians, the same year equates to untold depths
of catastrophe and human suffering, gripping tales of displacement and
dispossession that provided the character and definition of their
modern identity. In particular, for that reason, 1915 marks the
beginning of the story of Armenians' permanent exile with slim
prospects of returning to their homeland in Anatolia.
This year has particular relevance and meaning, as both sides are
braced to commemorate the fallen during their respective struggles on
the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign and the "Armenian
Genocide." The dominant symbolism has found expression in both
parties' emotion-filled characterizations of tales of the suffering
and heroism of Turks and Armenians. More than that, the centenary of
the commemoration has become a source of a new diplomatic war between
Turkey and Armenia, as both sides have launched a worldwide campaign,
inviting leaders and representatives of other countries to join their
contrasting needs for mourning.
What is more disturbing for the Armenian side is that Ankara, despite
its long-held tradition, chose April 24, a date which marks the
commemoration of the "Armenian Genocide," for its centennial
commemorations of the Gallipoli Campaign, rather than March 18, which
marks the Turkish victory against the Allied Powers in Gallipoli.
For Aline Ozinian, a Yerevan-based Armenian journalist and a regular
contributor to Today's Zaman and the Zaman daily, last year's
groundbreaking statement from the Turkish Prime Ministry conveying
condolences for the first time to grandchildren of the victims who
died in 1915, fueled renewed hopes that the Turkish side was finally
ready to confront the past and endorse reconciliation between the two
parties. But not long after that, optimism has already vanished,
leaving a sense of disappointment in the wake of Ankara's brittle
policies.
"The Turkish policy of denial was so amateurish that it wasn't
expected [by Armenians] that Turkey would designate April 24 for its
Gallipoli commemoration," Aline said indignantly. She thinks Turkey
has built a new rhetoric laden with agitation and defined as `common
suffering.' She said it tries to say that "1915 marks suffering on all
sides, Armenians could have suffered, they might have been killed; but
we [Turks] also suffered a lot during World War I, we also died.'
Ozinian said last year's attempt to understand the suffering by the
Armenian people while escaping historic responsibilities has turned
out to be nothing more than another face of Turkey's longstanding
denial policy.
The ensuing acrimonious debates over how to characterize and describe
the tragedy that Ottoman Armenians endured during the spring of 1915
still constitute the core of the diplomatic rift between Turkey and
Armenia. The disagreement over two broad interpretations of events has
given way to a perennial lobby war between Ankara and Yerevan, backed
by a strong Armenian diaspora scattered around the globe, to convince
other states to accept their respective narratives.
President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an and Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu have
put all their weight in the international arena behind a glorious
commemoration in Gallipoli on April 24, sending invitations to more
than 100 countries. This has led to resentment among Turkey's
Armenians, while motivating Yerevan to work harder to lure national
leaders to its own ceremonies marking the centennial commemoration of
Ottoman Armenians' great tragedy. While the number of countries set to
take part in the Gallipoli commemoration has become a matter of
prestige for ErdoÄ?an, it has also acted as a catalyst for Yerevan's
success, boosting its campaign designed to gain international
recognition of the "Armenian Genocide.'
Turkey's painstaking efforts yielded little, as one country after
another began to decline to be represented at a high-level at the
Gallipoli commemoration. After German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
German President Joachim Gauck indicated that they would not
participate in the event, Germany decided to send Markus Grübel, the
state secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defense, to join the
commemoration. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would go
to Yerevan for the centenary commemoration on April 24.
The clash over the date of the commemorations has put other countries
in an awkward position, as they feel the need to tread delicately when
choosing their preferences so as not to upset Ankara or Yerevan.
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_battle-of-commemorations-war-goes-on-100-years-after-1915_378329.html
April 18 2015
Battle of commemorations: War goes on 100 years after 1915
A family of Armenian deportees is seen in this undated handout photo
taken by Armin Wegner, a German 2nd Lieutenant stationed in the
Ottoman Empire. (Photo: Reuters)
April 18, 2015, Saturday/ 17:00:00/ ABDULLAH AYASUN / ISTANBUL
World War I is far from over, at least in this region.
The war to `end all wars' indeed ended peace, and left a lasting
geopolitical impact that still shapes the political drama and conflict
in the region.
As Turkey and Armenia each hurtle toward the commemoration of two key
historic events -- the Gallipoli Campaign and `Armenian Genocide,'
respectively -- that shaped their national destiny, the effects of
World War I can still be felt as part of a living memory rather than
an object of a distant past.
The Gallipoli Campaign for the Ottoman Turks was a battle of life and
death, survival and extinction, and it gave the much-needed
psychological boost to the Young Turks to again attempt to establish a
state out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
owes his lightening ascent to the pinnacle of power among the high
echelons of Turkish officers to his role in the most desperate moments
of the war. The victory, however, only gave a brief moment of
breathing space, and the empire marched toward its inevitable collapse
shortly after the end of World War I.
While for Turks, 1915 represents an epic story of heroism and
sacrifice in the muddy trenches of Gallipoli against the formidable
Allied Powers, which amassed hundreds of thousands of troops on the
tiny peninsula; for Armenians, the same year equates to untold depths
of catastrophe and human suffering, gripping tales of displacement and
dispossession that provided the character and definition of their
modern identity. In particular, for that reason, 1915 marks the
beginning of the story of Armenians' permanent exile with slim
prospects of returning to their homeland in Anatolia.
This year has particular relevance and meaning, as both sides are
braced to commemorate the fallen during their respective struggles on
the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign and the "Armenian
Genocide." The dominant symbolism has found expression in both
parties' emotion-filled characterizations of tales of the suffering
and heroism of Turks and Armenians. More than that, the centenary of
the commemoration has become a source of a new diplomatic war between
Turkey and Armenia, as both sides have launched a worldwide campaign,
inviting leaders and representatives of other countries to join their
contrasting needs for mourning.
What is more disturbing for the Armenian side is that Ankara, despite
its long-held tradition, chose April 24, a date which marks the
commemoration of the "Armenian Genocide," for its centennial
commemorations of the Gallipoli Campaign, rather than March 18, which
marks the Turkish victory against the Allied Powers in Gallipoli.
For Aline Ozinian, a Yerevan-based Armenian journalist and a regular
contributor to Today's Zaman and the Zaman daily, last year's
groundbreaking statement from the Turkish Prime Ministry conveying
condolences for the first time to grandchildren of the victims who
died in 1915, fueled renewed hopes that the Turkish side was finally
ready to confront the past and endorse reconciliation between the two
parties. But not long after that, optimism has already vanished,
leaving a sense of disappointment in the wake of Ankara's brittle
policies.
"The Turkish policy of denial was so amateurish that it wasn't
expected [by Armenians] that Turkey would designate April 24 for its
Gallipoli commemoration," Aline said indignantly. She thinks Turkey
has built a new rhetoric laden with agitation and defined as `common
suffering.' She said it tries to say that "1915 marks suffering on all
sides, Armenians could have suffered, they might have been killed; but
we [Turks] also suffered a lot during World War I, we also died.'
Ozinian said last year's attempt to understand the suffering by the
Armenian people while escaping historic responsibilities has turned
out to be nothing more than another face of Turkey's longstanding
denial policy.
The ensuing acrimonious debates over how to characterize and describe
the tragedy that Ottoman Armenians endured during the spring of 1915
still constitute the core of the diplomatic rift between Turkey and
Armenia. The disagreement over two broad interpretations of events has
given way to a perennial lobby war between Ankara and Yerevan, backed
by a strong Armenian diaspora scattered around the globe, to convince
other states to accept their respective narratives.
President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an and Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu have
put all their weight in the international arena behind a glorious
commemoration in Gallipoli on April 24, sending invitations to more
than 100 countries. This has led to resentment among Turkey's
Armenians, while motivating Yerevan to work harder to lure national
leaders to its own ceremonies marking the centennial commemoration of
Ottoman Armenians' great tragedy. While the number of countries set to
take part in the Gallipoli commemoration has become a matter of
prestige for ErdoÄ?an, it has also acted as a catalyst for Yerevan's
success, boosting its campaign designed to gain international
recognition of the "Armenian Genocide.'
Turkey's painstaking efforts yielded little, as one country after
another began to decline to be represented at a high-level at the
Gallipoli commemoration. After German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
German President Joachim Gauck indicated that they would not
participate in the event, Germany decided to send Markus Grübel, the
state secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defense, to join the
commemoration. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would go
to Yerevan for the centenary commemoration on April 24.
The clash over the date of the commemorations has put other countries
in an awkward position, as they feel the need to tread delicately when
choosing their preferences so as not to upset Ankara or Yerevan.
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_battle-of-commemorations-war-goes-on-100-years-after-1915_378329.html