Let’s create a ‘Turkish-Turkish Reconciliation Committee’

Yerkir/arm
10 June 05

Some time ago an attempt was made to settle the problems between
two states and nations through creation of a Turkish-Armenian
Reconciliation Committee. The attempt failed. There were many reasons
for its failure and a lot has been written on this issue.

The recent developments show that one of the reasons is that the
Turks have many problems with themselves while neither the Turkish
state nor the society has any clue of how to solve those problems.
The banning of the conference on the Armenian Genocide, criminal
punishment envisaged in Turkey’s new criminal code for recognition
of the Genocide and the division of the Turkish society whenever the
Turkish intellectuals and NGO’s make controversial statements on the
Armenian Genocide – these facts come to prove the above-mentioned
point. One gets an impression that the Turkish society urgently needs
a reconciliation process within itself.

Therefore, we can suggest to the Turkish political and social
leadership as well as the interested international organizations to
create a “Turkish-Turkish reconciliation committee”. The famous expert
David Phillips could be appointed the coordinator of the committee.

An authoritative research institute could be involved to support
the initiative with expertise and consulting. It would be very
interesting to read Mr. Phillips’s book telling about the results of
the committee’s activities.

We think the activities of the Turkish-Turkish reconciliation committee
will contribute to the establishment of regional stability, mutual
understanding and good neighborly relations between the two states. We
are ready to support this historical dialog and be the information
sponsor of this initiative.