POISON IN ARMENIAN BLOOD AND MAKING POLITICS THROUGH DINK’S DEATH
Sedat Laciner
Translated By Hasan Selim Ozertem (USAK)
Journal of Turkish Weekly
March 5 2007
Unfortunately, Turkish-Armenian relations are being controlled by the
discussions about Turks and Armenians who died nearly a century ago
instead of being related with the living people of the two societies.
In time, the past has become more important and Armenian issue has
been turned into an ‘Armenian Issue Industry’. Many people from the
Armenian Diaspora owe their reputation and authority to this problem
and gain income from the conflict between Turks and Armenians.
Armenia, which was established in 1991, unfortunately has contracted
this disease. Currently, no one can ask questions to Kocharyan about
the economy, democratization, the Karabakh issue or any other current
or vital Armenian problems, but ‘genocide’. Whenever he is in trouble,
Mr. Kocharyan always repeats the Armenian claims against Turkey; not
only when he is in the country but also when he is in abroad. Before
anybody to be able to ask questions about the Azeri territories
under Armenian occupation for more than a decade, he says that
"Turks massacred us in 1915 and now they may do the very same thing
again." When they ask about the democratization and the economic
growth of the country his answer is ready again "We are besieged by
the Turks that is why our country cannot develop."
Lately, the hottest issue among the radicals in Armenia and the
Armenian Diaspora is Hrant Dink’s murder. Dink was an Istanbul Armenian
and an intellectual. For several times, I had the opportunity to
meet him face to face and the ones who know the matter deeply will
admit how superficial it would be to relate Dink’s death with the
Armenian issue. This is a job of the gangs, who call themselves
‘deep state’ and are against the democratization and the EU process
in Turkey. Besides, most of the victims of the assassinations are of
the Turkish origin. As a matter of fact that Dink is the only Armenian
victim in political murders in the Republican history.
Another regrettable dimension is that those, who Hrant Dink had fought
against all of his life, is trying to make politics through Dink’s
death. The some of the radicals in Armenian diaspora try to abuse
his death to deepen the Turkish-Armenian problem although Dink made
all possible efforts to close both peoples when he was alive.
The Diaspora blamed Dink of being a betrayer and a servant of Turkey.
In 2004, on the last week of November an international meeting was
held in Marseille, in France. In this meeting, the tension increased
between Turkey’s Armenians and the radicals of the Armenian Diaspora.
Being humiliated by the Armenian Diaspora, Etyen Mahcupyan and Hrant
Dink blamed the radicals in the Diaspora of making politics through
the corpses and not wanting a resolution in Armenian issue. Mahcupyan
and Dink advocated that Turkey’s EU membership would be a key factor
for the resolution of the Armenian issue and they claimed that the
Diaspora had not changed and was afraid of any step that would be
taken by Turkey.[1] Mahcupyan summarizes the meeting as follows:
"I said that "You are resisting against Turkey trying to become a
member of the EU; which means that in fact, you are resisting against
the Armenian genocide to be recognized." They got angry. I continued
as "You would be relieved if no Armenians had left in Turkey since it
would only be your voice to be heard. You still prefer to make politics
through the corpse. However, the politics should be made through the
live people." And I added that "The Armenians in Turkey are aware of
everything." Up to now, it was impossible to hear the voice of Turkey’s
Armenians in international meetings. Due to this fact, it was being
perceived that there was a monolithic, a total Armenian opinion. In
this meeting, the rigid and sick attitude of the Armenian Diaspora
was revealed once again. Since the resistance of the Diaspora on
Turkey’s membership to the EU not only contradicts with the interests
of Armenia but also against the interests of Armenians in Turkey."[2]
Dink, being one of Turkish Armenians and the chief editor of the AGOS
weekly newspaper, attended to the meeting and blamed the Armenian
Diaspora of failing to change[3];
"Change is something that draws everyone behind it and becomes
determinative. In fact, this is the most important blessing of the
humankind. The ones, who say that some people cannot change – which
Diaspora claims that Turkey has not change – are in a big mistake.
However, the world and Turkey is changing and the Diaspora should
participate in this and support Turkey’s change and democratization
process. Today, the Diaspora should ask itself what is the meaning
of the carried on campaigns against Turkey’s EU membership by the
Armenian Diaspora in Europe, particularly by the Diaspora in France.
Because this membership process definitely changes Turkey and if
the "Armenian Genocide" problem to be resolved, this would be in
the framework of this process. Accordingly, blocking this process,
in a way means blocking the resolution and preventing Turkish people
to question their history and to see the truths. The Diaspora should
primarily think about the future of the Armenian world. And the future
of this world is closely related with the security and the future
of Armenia. The aimed objective should particularly be this and the
Diaspora should reorganize all of its demands in this context. Thus,
nowadays it is the common sense that the Diaspora needs the most."
His criticisms on Diaspora do not stop here. Mr. Dink stated that
the Diaspora had built the Armenian identity on Turkish hostility and
he defined this situation as "the poison in the Armenian blood". In
accordance with Dink’s opinion, Armenians by building their identity
on Turkish opposition was only poisoning themselves and neglecting
the most important parts of the Armenian identity. He was insisting
that Armenian identity should have been built on Armenia and the
Turkish hostility "should be replaced with the noble ties that
would be established with Armenia". In fact, he promoted the whole
relations with Armenia only for the possibility of evolution of a
new approach. While being accused as a betrayer Dink took the risk
of being not-wanted-man not only in Turkey but also among Armenians.
Dink was accusing the Diaspora of "making politics through the corpse"
in Marseille Conference. Unfortunately, the Diaspora insists on this
habit and now they are making politics through the Dink’s corpse.
By the way, it should be noted that the ‘Armenian Issue Industry’
on the Armenian side creates a similar industry here in Turkey and
this would result in the problems to become permanent and never to
be resolved.
5 March 2007
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[1] Sefa Kaplan, ‘Rahatýz Diye Uzulmeyin’, (Do Not Be Disturbed Because
We are in Comfort), Hurriyet, 30 Kasým 2004; ‘Diasporaya Saðduyu
Daveti’, (Common Sense Call for the Diaspora), Agos, 26 Kasým 2004.
[2] Sefa Kaplan, ‘Rahatýz Diye Uzulmeyin’ (Do Not Be Disturbed Because
We are in Comfort), Hurriyet, 30 Kasým 2004.
[3] ‘Diasporaya Saðduyu Daveti’ (Common Sense Call for the Diaspora)
, Agos, 26 Kasým 2004.
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