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2014 Important year in Genocide recognition campaign - Turkologist
13:16 * 07.01.15
The year 2014 marked an important divide in the Armenian nations'
decades-long campaign towards the recognition of Genocide, a
Turkologist has said, stressing the importance of the higher degree
of concentration on the question's legal aspect.
Ruben Melkonyan, who is a deputy dean at the Yerevan State
University's Department of Oriental Studies, made the remark as he
commented upon the Genocide issue's predominance on the 2015
international agenda and the directly interrelated developments around
the Armenia-Turkey relations and Armenia's blockade.
"We saw that the Turkish politics did not absolutely change in 2014;
what changed was only the packaging which represents that politics on
both the international arena and in Armenia," the expert told Tert.am,
pointing out to the Turkish propaganda's strong efforts towards
denying the Genocide and mitigating the ensuing negative consequences
as major developments of last year.
"For the first time ever in 2014, we became the eyewitness of a
condolence address by a Turkish premier, but only its title actually
reflected condolence as such, with all the rest being propaganda and
the repetition of Turkey's preconditions with a slightly different
wording," he said.
Melkonyan said he feels that Armenia is taking a tougher and tougher
stance on the Genocide recognition issue and the Armenia-Turkey
relations. As a glaring example, he cited Serzh Sargsyan's UN speech
where the Armenian leader plainly "sent" the 2009 Zurich protocols "to
hell".
"The Armenian society developed an essentially progressive
understanding to shift the moral aspect of the Armenian Genocide issue
to the legal domain," he noted.
The expert said he thinks that the above developments will continue in
2015 which marks the big tragedy's centennial.
"I predict a continuation of Turkey's aggressive policies and an
involvement of maximum number of partners in that. And I do not rule
out the possibility of different statements by Turkic-speaking states.
Also, Turkey's 'soft' propaganda will continue with different methods,
as they will try to feign certain processes very far from actual
developments," he added.
Melkonyan said he expects the international community's strong-worded
statements on the Genocide in 2015. "I further do not rule out a
recall or suspension of the Armenia-Turkey protocols by the Armenian
authorities, as they have become an end in themselves. The tough
rhetoric on the part of Armenia will continue. I also do not rule out
the recognition and condemnation of the fact of the Armenian Genocide
by several other states or authoritative organizations," he noted.
As for a possible opening of the Armenia-Turkey border, the expert
said he doesn't find such a scenario realistic in the present
circumstances.
"2015 is the year of commemorating our pan-national tragedy's
centennial, so the Turkish propaganda tricks will be more than visible
now. No Turkish moves towards opening the border or anything like that
will be accepted. So no need to exaggerate the developments in an
insignificant part of the Turkish society, ignoring the essentially
negative anti-Armenian mindset that dominates the major part of that
society," Melkonyan noted.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/01/07/ruben-melqonyan/1553122
13:16 * 07.01.15
The year 2014 marked an important divide in the Armenian nations'
decades-long campaign towards the recognition of Genocide, a
Turkologist has said, stressing the importance of the higher degree
of concentration on the question's legal aspect.
Ruben Melkonyan, who is a deputy dean at the Yerevan State
University's Department of Oriental Studies, made the remark as he
commented upon the Genocide issue's predominance on the 2015
international agenda and the directly interrelated developments around
the Armenia-Turkey relations and Armenia's blockade.
"We saw that the Turkish politics did not absolutely change in 2014;
what changed was only the packaging which represents that politics on
both the international arena and in Armenia," the expert told Tert.am,
pointing out to the Turkish propaganda's strong efforts towards
denying the Genocide and mitigating the ensuing negative consequences
as major developments of last year.
"For the first time ever in 2014, we became the eyewitness of a
condolence address by a Turkish premier, but only its title actually
reflected condolence as such, with all the rest being propaganda and
the repetition of Turkey's preconditions with a slightly different
wording," he said.
Melkonyan said he feels that Armenia is taking a tougher and tougher
stance on the Genocide recognition issue and the Armenia-Turkey
relations. As a glaring example, he cited Serzh Sargsyan's UN speech
where the Armenian leader plainly "sent" the 2009 Zurich protocols "to
hell".
"The Armenian society developed an essentially progressive
understanding to shift the moral aspect of the Armenian Genocide issue
to the legal domain," he noted.
The expert said he thinks that the above developments will continue in
2015 which marks the big tragedy's centennial.
"I predict a continuation of Turkey's aggressive policies and an
involvement of maximum number of partners in that. And I do not rule
out the possibility of different statements by Turkic-speaking states.
Also, Turkey's 'soft' propaganda will continue with different methods,
as they will try to feign certain processes very far from actual
developments," he added.
Melkonyan said he expects the international community's strong-worded
statements on the Genocide in 2015. "I further do not rule out a
recall or suspension of the Armenia-Turkey protocols by the Armenian
authorities, as they have become an end in themselves. The tough
rhetoric on the part of Armenia will continue. I also do not rule out
the recognition and condemnation of the fact of the Armenian Genocide
by several other states or authoritative organizations," he noted.
As for a possible opening of the Armenia-Turkey border, the expert
said he doesn't find such a scenario realistic in the present
circumstances.
"2015 is the year of commemorating our pan-national tragedy's
centennial, so the Turkish propaganda tricks will be more than visible
now. No Turkish moves towards opening the border or anything like that
will be accepted. So no need to exaggerate the developments in an
insignificant part of the Turkish society, ignoring the essentially
negative anti-Armenian mindset that dominates the major part of that
society," Melkonyan noted.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/01/07/ruben-melqonyan/1553122