Today’s Zaman
14.04.2007
Ankara to renew diplomatic action on Armenia

Turkey, long under international pressure to recognize the so-called
Armenian genocide claimed to have been committed by the Ottoman Turks during
World War I, is prepared to take a diplomatic initiative in the coming days
or weeks to force some influential countries, such as the US, Britain and
Russia, to take concrete action to enable Armenia to accept a Turkish
proposal put forward almost two years ago for the establishment of a joint
commission of historians that will investigate the genocide allegations in
depth.
Turkey’s possible initiative comes as European Union term president Germany
reportedly has prepared a draft resolution that will penalize those in EU
countries who even describe the Armenian genocide as a deportation, as well
as, on the other side of the Atlantic, the possibility of an Armenian
genocide resolution to be adopted by the Democrat-controlled US Congress.
Turkish diplomats did state that the adoption of such a resolution by the US
Congress has become less likely now as the Democrats have become more aware
of the harm such a resolution could inflict on Turkish-US relations. Turkey
closely cooperates with its NATO ally the US in the war on terror, mainly in
Afghanistan, but also in Iraq, as the US has been using the Incirlik airbase
in southern Turkey as a cargo hub for the transport of its non-lethal goods.
US oil needs have also been considerably met via Turkey.
Almost 19 countries in the world, from Uruguay to Armenia, have already
recognized the so-called Armenian genocide they believe was committed by
Ottoman Turks, while a majority of US states recognize the genocide
allegations. Turkey’s possible diplomatic initiative to ensure the convening
of the joint commission with Armenia comes against this background.
Prime Minister Erdogan declared in 2005 that Turkish archives with no
exception would be opened to the historians of both Turkey and Armenia as
well as to academics, to examine whether the World War I killing of
Armenians could be described as genocide. His offer to set up a joint
commission of historians has not yet been answered positively by Armenia,
allegedly under the strong influence of the hard-line Armenian diaspora.
A Turkish government source speaking to Today’s Zaman stated that it has
been hard to understand why the influential states of the world have been
doing nothing to convince Armenia to agree to the joint commission, which
could also be open to the historians of third party countries. Behind this
indifference might lie the concern that real and serious evidence to support
genocide allegations will not be found, the same sources stressed.
Thus, nowadays, Ankara has concentrated on efforts to take an initiative,
the details of which government sources declined to go into at this stage,
to force influential powers to convince Armenia to agree on the activation
of the joint commission.
Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gül also
recently urged the joint commission to convene in an editorial published in
The Washington Times on March 28.
Gül stated in his editorial: "With regard to the Armenian allegation
describing the tragedy that befell them as genocide, the question, from the
point of view of international law, is whether the Ottoman government
systematically pursued a calculated act of state policy for their
destruction in whole or in part. The answer to this question can only be
established by scholars who have the ability to evaluate the period
objectively, working with the full range of available primary sources. Hence
Turkey made a proposal to Armenia in 2005 to establish a joint commission of
historians to find out once and for all what really happened, and how it
took place."
Taking the matter to court is unlikely at the moment
Despite earlier expectations that Ankara might open its borders with its
northwestern neighbor Armenia or decide to take the matter to the
International Court of Justice (ICJ), neither appear to be standing as
priority for Ankara at the moment with emphasis being given on the convening
of the joint commission of historians.
Government sources told Today’s Zaman that Turkish legal experts have
currently been studying the legal aspect of the issues as well as the
February decision of the ICJ on Serbia. The court examining the case brought
by Bosnia and Herzegovina against Serbia, in its controversial decision of
Feb. 26 this year, cleared Serbia of genocide in Bosnia while acknowledging
the Serbian killing of Bosnians, at Srebrenica in particular in 1995 when
over 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were massacred. Thus, Turkish legal
experts have also been examining, among other things, whether the ICJ
decision on Serbia could bring Turkey closer to clearing it of Armenian
genocide allegations.