TILL THE NEXT TIME
Recep Guvelioglu

The New Anatolian, Turkey
May 22 2006

The French Parliament has decided to hold the leverage in its hand
by delaying a decision on criminalizing denial of the so-called
Armenian genocide. Depending on many factors, it may be re-debated
this November. That means until this case is completely closed, Turkey
has to bow its head to whatever our French friends (!) demand from us.

November isn’t the exact date. When Paris decides that it’s the time,
they will discuss it again.

Typical blackmail.

If you lack sufficient political and economical strength, you’re
subject to this kind of blackmail all the time. On the other hand,
even if you’re economically strong, in some cases you still should
defend yourself logically, with words everyone can understand.

Since we have no money and no logic, we will always be in trouble,
just like sitting on a nail.

I’m sure that after the French Parliament’s delay of the bill,
we aren’t going to deal with the Armenian claims until the next
bill appears.

Let me remind my readers of a couple of things.

The Armenian genocide claims aren’t a purely historical matter.

They’re a completely political issue. Presenting material supporting
your case isn’t enough. You also need political determination,
persistence, tactics and a good presentation of your thesis. It
requires contingency plans, good conduct, etc. What I mean is that
this matter has two faces: the first is the study of history, while
the other consists of political and PR activities.

There’s another, equally important point.

It isn’t solely the job of the Foreign Ministry to deal with the
so-called Armenian genocide claims. Research, preparation and
organization should also be carried out in support of diplomatic
efforts. Collective work should be undertaken from the prime
ministerial and even the presidential offices right down to census
bureaus of the most remote towns. I don’t want to mention the state
archives, since I’ve figured out that they will never finish their
job. Armenia’s keeping its archives off-limits shouldn’t be used as
an excuse for us.

Dividing the issue into two separate categories, historical points
and political points, doesn’t mean we should undervalue either. Work
on both of them should be carried out side by side.

The last point I’d like mention in this article is about the Armenian
and Western worlds’ projects about this.

It is 2006. In 2015 it will be the centennial of what they call the
Armenian genocide. By that time some of the countries in the world, if
not all of them other than Turkey and Azerbaijan, will have recognized
the so-called genocide.

The pressure will mount, and the blackmail will be even worse than
it is today.

What will Turkey do?

If nine years from now our mentality is the same as it is today,
not caring what happens in the future, then as usual we’ll leave the
problem for future generations to deal with.

Special note: My two-part article last week entitled “Lesser-known
facts about the Armenian genocide claims” got a lot of attention. I
received many e-mails. Thanks to everyone who sent them. I’d like to
mention an Armenian reader in Canada who called me “a hard-headed
Turk.” I thank him as well, because at least he didn’t call me an
“empty-headed Turk.”