TURKISH PARTICIPANT’S SPEECH OVER ISSUE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CAUSES MUCH ANGER AMONG TURKISH DELEGATION MEMBERS AT EU-TURKEY FORUM

Noyan Tapan

Dec 8, 2008

SOPOT, DECEMBER 8, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. The European
Union – Turkey forum took place on December 5-6 in the city of Sopot,
Poland. Head of RA NA ARFD faction Vahan Hovhannisian, Chairman of the
Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe and the Armenian community
of Slovakia Ashot Grigorian, Ambassador of Armenia to Poland Ashot
Galoyan, and political scientist Hovhannes Nikoghosian took part in
the forum.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by A. Grigorian, many deputies of
the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, as well as former Foreign
Ministers represented Turkey at the forum. EU was also represented
at a high level.

As A. Grigorian classed it, judging by the speeches it can be said that
Turkey presents the issue of its membership to EU in the following way:

– EU should dream about Turkey’s becoming its member, EU’s interest
should be much bigger.

– the Turkish society can get disappointed and give up its willingness
to join EU.

According to A. Grigorian, the whole forum proceeded by that spirit
before the reports of the Armenian delegates on the panel Turkey’s
role in South-Eastern Europe and Near East, V. Hovhannisian presenting
the Armenian-Turkish relations and A. Grigorian on the subject South
Caucasian Confederation.

Hovhannisian’s report clearly mentioned the great necessity of
expected steps by the Turkish government in the issue of recognition
of the Armenian Genocide. At the same time he clarified the exclusive
necessity of establishing diplomatic relations without preconditions,
as well as development of those relations only providing recognition
of the Genocide.

A. Grigorian, presenting the current problems of the South Caucasus,
proposed an exclusively new way: to create a strategic center on South
Caucasus’ problems under EU’s roof and with its financing, and the
cornerstone of its activity should be ensuring economic growth of all
state units of South Caucasus within the framework of EU investment
programs, their political unification within the framework of the
confederation and accelerated unification with EU. It was proposed
choosing an interim way of being included in EU (associate member
or status of a privileged partner). A decision was also made to
hold panels Problems of the South Caucasus at the Armenian side’s
suggestion (in 2009 within the framework of the European Economic
Forum and EU-Russia Forum).

Hovhannes Nikoghosian, in his turn, emphasized the circumstance that
Turkish side’s proposal to create a commission of Armenian-Turkish
historians to discuss the issue of Armenian Genocide is absolutely
inadmissible. After Armenian delegation’s speech panel conductor,
Turkish deputy Mustafa Ozturk without registration gave the floor to
another Turkish deputy (former Ambassador) Mustafa Shukru Elekdag,
who with an extremely emotional speech tried to deny the fact of the
Armenian Genocide and accused Armenia of being ungrateful: according to
him, Armenia does not appreciate Turkey’s unbiassed attitude (meaning
Turkey’s willingness to play conciliator’s role in the Artsakh issue).

According to A. Grigorian, on forum’s general background, where
Turkey was presented as a great benefactor of its neighboring peoples
and Europe from the time of Ottoman Empire, Armenian delegation’s
and Turkish deputies’ argument made an exclusive impression: the
forum participants’ opinions separated. According to A. Grigorian,
"perhaps that was the reason that during the break following that
panel a serious clash between participants being prominent Turkish
deputies, former Ambassadors and Foreign Ministers and Mustafa Ozturk
took place before the eyes of the Armenian delegation: they blamed
and swore the latter for giving the floor to Shukru Elekdag without a
registration. The impression was that the Turks would prefer leaving
us unanswered than straining the attention of audience with such
an emotional speech to issues so undesirable for them." Indeed,
according to A.

Grigorian, "thanks to that speech Armenian delegation’s statements were
exactly emphasized and perceived: just the way it had been planned."