Turkey and Armenia

Even we wish you well

Oct 6th 2005 | YEREVAN
>From The Economist print edition

Armenians back Turkey’s hopes for a European future

IF THERE was a country in the world that wished the Turks ill, you might
think it would be Armenia, where most citizens say their people suffered
genocide at the hand of the Ottomans in 1915-and wish Turkey would admit
this. But in fact, Armenians cautiously welcome their neighbour’s
Euro-success.

Armenia’s problems with the Turks are not just historical. Since 1993,
the Ankara authorities have sealed the Turkish-Armenian border, in
solidarity with their kin in Azerbaijan, part of whose territory is
occupied by Armenians.

But people in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, assume that joining Europe
will make Turkey change its ways: both its view of history, and its
treatment of its neighbours. And the city’s weary residents feel they
need a break from tough regional realities. An isolated Armenia has had
to find partners wherever it can. From Moscow to Los Angeles, the
diaspora sends remittances; America’s government also gives aid-$75m
this year. But for ordinary people, life is hard.

The economy has grown on paper but produces little. In what was once a
medium-sized Soviet city, the centre is full of craters where mass
housing has been torn down to make flats for rich exiles. In the words
of a foreign-ministry adviser, “there is no alternative to getting on
with our neighbours.”

Arsen Ghazaryan, who co-chairs an association of Turkish and Armenian
businessmen, is frustrated by the blockade. Braving the cost of transit
through Georgia or Iran, he says, Turkish businessmen do around $100m
worth of trade with Armenia annually. Every summer, thousands of
Armenians catch the rays on Turkish beaches. But Mr Ghazaryan thinks of
what might be: with its deep ports and vibrant internal market, he sees
Turkey as a natural partner.

In their attitude to Turkey, there are differences between local and
overseas Armenians. While Armenia’s government hails Turkey’s
breakthrough, many in the diaspora called it an undeserved reward for an
unrepentant nation. “It’s easy to be principled in the diaspora,”
retorts a young woman in Yerevan. “They don’t have to live between
Turkey and Azerbaijan.”