AZG Armenian Daily #241, 28/12/2007

Armenia-Turkey

EX-AMBASSADOR LUTEM RESPONDS TO HEARINGS IN RA
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

December 19-20 the Parliamentary Commission for
Foreign Relations held hearings on the challenges and
perspectives of Armenia-Turkey relations. The speeches
of the head of the Commission Armen Rustamian, RA
National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torosian,
Vice-Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian and EU Special
Representative Peter Semneby confirmed the importance
of such discussion.

The Armenian Studies Institute of the Eurasian
Strategic Research Center, Ankara, did not remain
indifferent towards the discussion at the Armenian
Parliament. The relevant article of Ex-Ambassador Omer
Engin Lutem, head of the Armenian Studies Institute,
was published in the daily bulleting of the institute
on December 24. Lutem’s article is rather remarkable
not only in sense of explanation of Tukey’s approach
to the matter, but also explanations of Turkey’s
refusal to take part in the hearings at the Armenian
Parliament.

Below is represented the translation of Lutem’s
article.

"The Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign
Relations of the National Assembly of the Republic of
Armenia, Armen Rustamian, sent me an invitation via
e-mail to attend the parliamentary hearings organized
under the heading "Armenian-Turkish Relations:
Problems and Perspectives" held on 19-20 December.
Although they do not engender immediate results, such
hearings are essentially useful as they are conducive
to aiding the parties involved gauge each other’s
viewpoints. For this reason, I would have liked to
have been able to take part in the said discussions.
Unfortunately, I had to inform Rustamian that I would
not be able to attend due to prior engagements.

As gathered from the press, 20 or so Turks were
invited to attend the hearings. Among them were
personalities such as Taner Akcam, Fatma Muge Gokcek
and Halil Berktay who fully espouse and have taken it
upon themselves to win others over to Armenian views;
people such as Orhan Pamuk and Baskin Oran who adhere
to views that fall fairly in line with the Armenian
stance; and individuals such as Can Paker who approach
the subject matter from the perspective of the
European Union. Apart from myself, in order to voice
the "Turkish standpoint", Turkish Historical Society
President Yusuf Halacoglu, and International Strategic
Research Institute Director Sedat Laciner were invited
to attend. Most likely Patriarch Mutafian was called
upon to participate in order to represent Turkey’s
Armenian community. As these hearings were organized
by the National Assembly of Armenia, it would only
have been appropriate if members of the Turkish Grand
National Assembly were invited to attend as well.
However, on this point, nothing surfaced in the press.

All Turks invited notified how they would not be able
to attend the hearings. No doubt this is a result of
the hearings corresponding with a religious holiday
and a result of the invitations having been made so
late, and hence due to those in question having prior
engagements. Without touching upon this organizational
flaw, Armen Rustamian alleged that those invited did
not participate because the Turkish government was
opposed to the hearings. No doubt, the person in
question does not know Turkey very well. In present
day Turkey, there is no official authority, which can
or would make such a demand, let alone a suggestion to
this end. No official spoke to me about these
parliamentary hearings and I am sure this follows suit
for those others who were invited from Turkey. If this
were the case, this surely would be covered by the
press.

Consequently, in the absence of the invited Turks,
save for Peter Semneby, special representative of the
EU for South Caucasus, it appears that only Armenians
(including Foregin Minister Oskanian) spoke during the
hearings. Apart from a few strong criticisms, it seems
that nothing new was voiced.

As cited above, the importance of such hearings rests
in generating greater understanding concerning the
views and standpoints of the parties concerned. Looked
at from this perspective, it would be worthwhile if
the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s concerned
commissions were to organize a similar meeting in the
coming months."