ARMENIA: ‘EVERY ARMENIAN KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR ANCESTORS’
Harry Tamrazian
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
April 23 2007
On April 24, Armenians around the world will commemorate the 92nd
anniversary of the mass killings and deportations of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks. Armenians refer to this chapter in their history as
genocide — a term the Turks firmly reject. The issue has strained
relations and closed the border between the two countries. RFE/RL’s
Armenian Service director Harry Tamrazian gives his perspectives on
the issue. The views are his own and do not represent those of RFE/RL.
"To be Armenian and not know what happened in 1915 is unimaginable.
Every Armenian, wherever they are in the world, knows what happened
to their ancestors at the beginning of the 20th century. And every
Armenian knows that almost the entire Armenian population in Turkey
was lost because of an extremist, ethnocentric policy carried out by
the government of the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
The issue will not go away. Armenians will not give up or compromise
on their tragedy, which they firmly believe was a genocide.
For the Armenian government, the fact that Turkey refuses to
acknowledge the extent of the mass killings is disturbing. They still
consider Turkey to be the biggest security threat for the country.
Yerevan believes that that threat could be eliminated if Ankara
recognizes the Armenian genocide.
There have been hopeful signs in Turkey in recent months. More and
more Turkish intellectuals and academics have come forward to publicly
challenge their government’s stance on the issue, some calling for
open debate. Turkish writer and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk has been
one of the most prominent and outspoken. He has said that over 1
million Armenians were killed in Turkey and no one wants to talk
about it. He was charged by the Turkish authorities for insulting
Turkishness under Article 301 of the penal code, but the charges were
subsequently dropped.
Many hoped that things would change after the killing of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Thousands of Turks took to
the streets to express their anger, chanting ‘We are all Hrant Dink,
we are all Armenians.’ Many saw the outpouring of emotion as a sign
that the reconciliation process had begun. But the Turkish government
has not capitalized on that historic moment. Article 301, which makes
it illegal to criticize Turkishness or the Turkish government, still
remains on the books.
Opening up the Armenian-Turkish border could be the most positive
and effective step toward reconciliation. Unfortunately Ankara still
refuses to consider the move, despite pressure from Washington and
Brussels. The border remains untouched, a relic of the Cold War.
Armenians still hope that one day Turkey will recognize their
tragedy. This year in Paris, Armenians and Turks jointly commemorated
the anniversary of the genocide. More than two dozens French-Armenians
and French-Turks laid flowers on the monument of the great Armenian
composer Komitas, who, for many, has come to symbolize the suffering
endured by the Armenians."