TURKISH INTELLECTUALS REFLECT ON OBAMA’S VISIT, ARMENIAN ISSUE
By Khatchig Mouradian

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April 8, 2009

Turkish intellectuals-from progressives to hardliners-I interviewed
on the eve of President Obama’s visit to Turkey believe that
the U.S. administration will firmly support the dialogue between
Turkey-Armenia, but will not recognize the Armenian Genocide. Many
progressives, however, expect Obama to pressure Turkey to allow free
discussion of the Armenian issue.

According to The Economist Turkey correspondent Amberin Zaman, "The
Obama visit will reset the parameters of Turkey-U.S. relations that
were reduced-under eight years of the Bush administration-to a cynical
focus on the security relationship driven by the U.S. occupation of
Iraq and Turkey’s strategic role as a the main hub for logistical
supplies flowing to US troops based there." She adds, "This policy
came at the expense of human rights. With its own record blemished
by atrocities committed in Iraq, U.S. criticism of Turkey’s human
rights record carries no moral weight. This will and must change
with Obama. This means closer scrutiny of Turkey’s treatment of its
ethnic and religious minorities and scrapping laws that, among others,
criminalize free discussion of the horrors inflicted on a once vibrant
community of Ottoman Armenians who lived across Turkey."

In turn, historian Halil Berktay expects from the Obama administration
"positive, affirmative support for steps oriented to a Turkey-Armenia
reconciliation; approval of and rewards for a unilateral opening
of the Turkish-Armenian border; as well as any other trust-building
measures." He also expects that Obama will not say "anything explicit
on U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide," but will, instead,
"advise that this is best solved by Turks and Armenians; advise that
total freedom of speech and scholarship inside Turkey (and Armenia)
is crucial in that regard; also advise, as gently as possible, that at
the end of the day, countries are better off recognizing and admitting
bad things in their past rather than burying or denying them (but
that such recognition should not be forced on them from the outside)."

Journalist and scholar Ayse Hur thinks that Obama will refrain
from acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. "For the sake of
the great strategic goals of the U.S., he will not use the word
‘genocide.’ Instead, he will insist on opening the Armenian-Turkish
border and establishing good neighborly relations."

Human rights activist and journalist Baskin Oran believes that
"Armenia-Turkey relations will be normalized (embassies and borders
opened) [even] without Obama’s visit." It is possible, however,
that Obama’s visit will strengthen the Turkish government’s hand
"against the nationalist opposition," he adds.

Kemal Cicek from the Turkish Historical Society-the guardian of
Turkey’s official thesis on the fate of the Armenians in 1915-says,
"The U.S. policy will not be different at all. The U.S. administration
will keep the balance between the two countries [Armenia and Turkey],
but will not please the Armenian diaspora by using the ‘g’ word in
his presidential statement on April 24. Moreover, we are expecting
that the U.S. President will support Turkey’s proposal to establish
a joint historical commission for studying the events of 1915-1916."

According to human rights activist and journalist Ayse Gunaysu, Obama
should not encourage Turkey "to continue its policies of denying
the Armenian Genocide and injuring the memories of the victims and
their grandchildren all over the world." She added, "The Turkish
authorities and also business organizations and other private or
public institutions are making calls to President Obama not to pressure
Turkey for the recognition of Armenian Genocide. They don’t represent
me and they don’t represent many people who think like me. I am a Turk
and I do believe that Turkey should officially recognize the Genocide."

Gunaysu concludes, "We often hear from such official and semi-official
entities that accusation of Genocide is an insult and an injury to
the Turkish people. I am a Turk and I feel insulted and injured by
the denial of the Genocide.