Recognition without restoration of rights is equal to denial
By Khazhak Mkrtchian Hayrenik, Boston

Yerkir/arm
April 15, 2005

Recently, especially in these days when the 90th anniversary is being
remembered, it is apparent that there is an unprecedented flow of
statements regarding the Armenian Genocide.

The flow could be attributed in part to the Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day, but it would be naïve to explain it solely by
that. During those ninety years, there were the 50th and the 70th
anniversaries but no such massive flow took place then.

Never before, there has been such flow on the Turkish and international
levels either. It is true that Armenians have been working more
efficiently to pursuit the Armenian Cause, and the international
interest has been growing.

It is also true that Armenia’s independence and the fact that the
Armenian Genocide has become an issue of the Armenian government’s
foreign policy in the recent years have also contributed, but it is
equally true that the Armenian Genocide has become a playing card
in the inter-state relations in the new international and regional
line-up. Something that should not be viewed as necessarily negative
as long as the restoration of the Armenian people’s rights could be
turned into a belief in the crossroads of international relations.

The political side of the Armenian Genocide issue sticks out especially
in the US-Europe-Turkey triangle. Turkey indeed is a significant
power in the Middle Eastern and Caucasus policies of both the US
and Europe. Europe, however, is more tied to Turkey because of the
latter’s aspiration to join the EU.

Both the US and the EU have adopted policies of direct and indirect
pressure upon Turkey in their relations with this country, and the
Armenian Genocide issue is often raised during that process. What is
noticeable, however, is that those pressures are not strong enough
to demand from Turkey the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
reparations, and restoration of the Armenian people’s rights.

Turkey too realizes this. In its political relations, Turkey is
feeling the weight of the Armenian Genocide and is trying to get rid
of it. This is where the US and Turkish approaches encounter under
the silent principle of “Recognition without reparation.”

It is obvious that the US political circles are not only speaking
of this formula but are also pushing it by any means they can,
and unfortunately are trying to convince the Armenians to accept
it. It should be noted that this idea triggers more than one concern
in Turkey. The first concern is that recognition would logically
lead to reparation demands by Armenians because anyone realizes that
recognition without reparation and restoration of the Armenian people’s
rights means nothing.

Turks also know that the process of international pressuring is
endless, so the foreign powers would only raise the level of pressuring
after Turkey recognizes the Genocide, and this time they would raise
the issue of reparation This chain of concerns has no limits. .
Therefore, Turkey is simply buying time, hoping that eventually it
could make the “Recognition without reparation” acceptable. This is
where the role of the Armenians and their political organizations
becomes crucial. Armenians should attach equal importance to both
the recognition and reparation.

–Boundary_(ID_kyn5dBr8j77JRlT1uwMEWA)–