WHEN TURKEY TRIES TO BUY THE MEMORY OF ARMENIANS
Vardan Grigoryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
26 Nov 08
Armenia

Time works in our favor

The official Ankara’s consistent attempts towards revising the complex
and multi-layer agenda of the Armenian-Turkish relations come to
finally reveal the in-depth reasons of Turkey’s haste.

With the purpose of reinstating its functions as the protector
of the interests of the West in the South Caucasus and Middle
Asia, Turkey has to speedily comply with the Western strategists’
"recommendations" requiring "responsibility", i.e. to dismantle the
closed Armenian-Turkish border, an issue over which Ankara was seeking
to reach concrete agreements in the context of the Russian-Turkish
relations. By "rendering different services" to the west in a speedily
changing situation, Turkey, inter alia, seeks to prevent the new US
administration from raising the issue of the Armenian Genocide. It
no longer needs new Armenian-Turkish discords, as it now subordinates
them to the process of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Even with regard to the Karabakh issue does Turkey have a "reserve
variant", i.e. "For pushing Russia and hence – Armenia, to new
concessions, Ankara will unite its efforts with Turkey in an attempt
to threaten the two countries with the implementation of the NABUKO
program, involving Turkmenistan in20the ‘big game’ once again. It is
also necessary to bear in mind that in case of Turkey’s assuming a
predominant role in the region, the issue of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
borders may lose its urgency for Ankara."

Furthermore, Ankara perfectly realizes the fact that the only active
lever that may help the West to raise Turkey’s role in future is
the prospect of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. So, to
avoid "pulling burning chestnuts out of the fire" for the western
strategists, Turkey is now trying to bring its relations with Armenia
in compliance with the European standards and in return, demands that
the Armenian party make a "trivial concession", i.e. set up a committee
of Armenian and Turkish historians studying the 1915 "incidents".

As reported by "Joumhuriet", a reputable Turkish newspaper, Turkey
is even ready to send an Ambassador to Yerevan in return, without
even establishing diplomatic ties with our country. Moreover, for
proving the seriousness of its intentions, Turkey also promises us
various "pies" for buying the surplus of our energy, organizing the
"Turkish Airlines" state company’s new flights in the directions
Yerevan-Istanbul and Yerevan-Antalia etc.

Thus, the simplification and clarification of Turkey’s previous
preconditions is the direct result of the country’s haste observed over
th e recent period. This fact brings Armenia and the Armenian diplomacy
face to face with a new dilemma which cannot but be characterized as
a choice between tactical tricks and strategic perspectives.

The fact that Armenia is ready to achieve the establishment of
bilateral diplomatic ties and the opening of the border without
any preconditions – an idea reiterated by Foreign Minister
Ed. Nalbandyan in Istanbul, is the only prescription for overcoming
such dilemma. Turkey cannot persuade the whole world that by opening
the border with Armenia and establishing diplomatic ties it is doing
our country a "favor" and therefore has the right to demand that the
Armenians "lose their memory" in return. It is impossible to sell the
memory of any nation, whereas negative memories can be replaced with
positive ones only a as a result of a long process of reconciliation
and compensation.

Moreover, Turkey’s sudden "yielding posture and generosity" arouses
the need of examining the causes of such behavior. Is Ankara so
naïve that it doesn’t even realize the consequences of refusing
to act as the defender of Azerbaijan, its brother country? We
believe, the Turks realize that perfectly well, therefore, they are
simultaneously preparing the Turkish-Azerbaijani program aimed at
extorting concessions from Russia with regard to the Karabakh issue,
by threatening the country to reanimate the NABUKKO program. With
the purpose of discussing the implementation of the program, the
Presidents of the two countries will meet in the capital city of
Turkmenistan at the end of November.

In fact, with its current proposal on setting up a committee of
Armenian and Turkish historians, Turkey is trying to shut the mouths
of the US legislators, and by making threats to involve Turkmenistan
in the NABUKKO program, it is trying to extort concessions from Moscow.

In case of expressing the slightest hesitations in the process of
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the official Yerevan may
face the threat of losing our country’s strategic attraction and in
return for the illusionary possibility integrating to the Turkish
economy. Because apart from posing a thereat to the process of the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, such prospect will
also make our country less attractive for Russia, as it will cease
to be viewed as a counterbalance to the Azerbaijani-Turkish program.

We believe the only conclusion to be drawn from the results of Foreign
Minster E. Nalbandyan’s visit to Turkey is that time has now started
working in our favor, so there is no need to artificially set the clock
hands ahead. Neither should we be concerned about Turkey’s current
attempts of "poking its nose" in the NABUKKO program once again,
because after launching the pipeline exporting 31 cubic meters of
gas to Europe annually, Moscow will definitely respond to Ankara’s
"second surprise".

The abrupt activeness of Turkey’s regional policy comes to reveal the
discrepancy between the goals of the country on the one hand and its
real chances and weak points on the other, a fact that also works in
our favor.

And now, it’s time for us to "linger".

–Boundary_(ID_dbtAmg0+f2qOhz fBREe8MA)–