FOR ARMENIA IT IS MORE PREFERABLE TO DEAL WITH THE SECULAR TURKEY RATHER THAN WITH THE ISLAMIC ONE
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.05.2007 GMT+04:00
The Trabzon’s example, which has become the center of attention of
almost all radical Islamic groupings, may attract other provinces
as well.
On July 22 special parliamentary elections are planned to be held
in Turkey. The elections may be crucial in the modern history of
the country; the 70 year-old secular life of the country may come
to an end and the country may revert to its Islamic origins. This
may noticeably limit the power the General Staff possesses, which
according to the Constitution may bring the government down, in case
"it puts the country’s national security under risk".
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In his time Mustafa Kemal Ataturk introduced this
article in the Constitution for he, being a military man and "Union and
Progress" party member before that, knew well how uncontrollable the
civil government may be. The Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Genocides
may serve as vivid examples of the above mentioned. It is not that
the founder of the Turkish Republic treated badly those not being of
Turkish origin; just he thought that Turkey was the Turks’ country,
all the others had only a right to survive.
However, for Armenia it is more preferable to deal with the secular
Turkey rather than with the Islamic one. The Islamists, who at
present act only time after time, may indeed begin some serious actions
against the Christian population of the country. The Trabzon’s example,
which has become the center of attention of almost all radical Islamic
groupings, may attract other provinces as well. The whole world already
knows what outcome it may have for the Armenians, Greeks and for the
few Catholic missioners.
The election campaign in Turkey has already launched and there have
already been some surprises. Verkin Arioba who has Armenian origins
is going to struggle for Turkish parliamentarian mandate in the. She
has turned to the ruling "Justice and Development" party with the
corresponding announcement and at the moment is expecting a final
decision about including her name in the electoral list. As the
Turkish Daily News announces in case Verkin Arioba is included in
the electoral list she will become the first candidate for a deputy
sit in the Turkish Parliament having Armenian origins since 1980. As
Arioba announced, in case she is elected she will continue working
on the resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Turkey, as
well as county’s integration into EU. Answering the questions about
the Armenian Genocide, Verkin Arioba announced, "It is a historical
issue. Discussing this issue every day will have a rather harmful
effect on its development. Let’s look ahead, and not back. Verkin
Arioba’s father is descendent from the Kasabian family, and was one
of the first businessmen in Turkey. Verkin Arioba announced that her
family hasn’t lost anyone during "the resettlement of 1915-1919". "I
lost relatives during the war for independence, but not during the
resettlement," she said. "Being an Armenian I will be able to protect
Turkey’s right in EU more efficiently. The fact that I have Armenian
origins is a great advantage for me in elections," stated Arioba. She
has rather realistic chances if we take into account that after Hrant
Dink’s murder Turkey has announced more then once that Armenians are
well treated in Turkey. Perhaps the 12 points that Turkey gave to
Armenia at the "Eurovision Song Contest" is just one more "evidence"
that speaks for the above mentioned. Meanwhile it is also considered a
political step. "We are neighbors and must be friends too. This must
show what important role music, friendship and art play," announced
Turkish music critic Sezen Cumhur Onal. He assures that the Turkish
votes given to the Armenian singer at the "Eurovision Song Contest"
pursued political interests.
Keeping close to our main point, it should be mentioned that Verkin
Arioba is famous for her criticism about Nobel Prize laureate Orhan
Pamuk and the editor-in-chief of "Agos" Hrant Dink, killed on January
19, 2007 in Istanbul. If the way to the Parliament demands rejection
of one’s own origins, then everything is all right. If there is any
pressure displayed, then Hrant Dink was right saying, "In Istanbul
we live like Armenians for 364 days, and only one day a year, that
is on April 24, we must forget that we are Armenian." According to
the editor-in-chief of "Zhamanak" Ara Kochunyan, being Armenian in
Istanbul is not easy. "This is connected with self-consciousness. Each
of us is a citizen of the Turkish Republic with the Armenian origins
and many of us belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church.
And we like jugglers must not let any of these three balls down;
one of which will always be in the air, and the other two, in our
hands. An Armenian in Istanbul is trying to stay as calm as possible,
not to get any extra attention and be discriminated, yet there are
many different ways of oppressing national minorities in Turkey. The
Turkish Republic is founded on the bases of multinational empire and
often speaks of itself as of an assignee of the Empire. What I want
to mention is, that today the country is secular, but there is the
conception of "non-Islamic citizens of the country", Kochunyan says.
It is very difficult to work one’s way up to the Parliament in such
conditions, but it is not impossible. Simply Turkey will have one
more trump card to display in front of EU, and as usual that trump
card will be provided by Armenia…
"PanARMENIAN.Net" analytical department