TURKEY IRATE WITH CANADA
by Michelle Collins, mcollins@embassymag.ca

Embassy Magazine
-5-20-2009
May 20 2009
Canada

Recent commemorations of the killings have exacerbated plummeting
relations between Canada and Turkey.

Embassy File Photos Fuelling Anger: Members of the Armenian diaspora
commemorate the 1915 mass killings of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians during one of several events on Parliament Hill last
month. The Harper government’s recognition of the killings as
a genocide has incited Turkey and Ambassador Rafet Akgunay. The
question of whether to define the killings in 1915 of hundreds of
thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire a genocide is seen as
an incredibly heated and explosive issue. Relations between Armenia
and Turkey remain tempestuous and, worldwide, the diasporas of both
heritages have become fixated on defining its historical context.

Five years ago, Canada’s Parliament recognized the killings as
a genocide, to the relief of a great many Armenians and grave
disappointment to the Turks. However, the Paul Martin government
refused to adopt the contentious position as government policy.

So when the Conservatives came to power in 2006, it surprised many–in
particular Turkey–that Prime Minister Stephen Harper chose to reverse
Mr. Martin’s decision. In protest, Turkey temporarily recalled its
ambassador to Canada, and the Turkish Embassy has since been seeking
to sway the pendulum back.

But a series of events and statements over the past month have
brought Canada’s relations with Turkey to a new low and prompted
charges Canada is alone in its unbending recognition of the genocide,
and making a grave mistake.

In recent years, Turkish officials have made direct appeals to
the Canadian government, meeting with ministers and the prime
minister to express concerns over the government’s statements on the
issue. Quietly, assurances were given that Turkey’s position would
be respected and the annual "principled" recognition of the Armenian
genocide would be a more subtle affair.

But last month saw two grand receptions on Parliament Hill
commemorating the genocide. The events were attended by the likes of
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, Science Minister Gary Goodyear,
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and his predecessor Stephane Dion.

In addition, and particularly shocking to the Turks, was an
uncharacteristic, strongly-worded statement made by Rick Dykstra,
parliamentary secretary to Immigration Minister Kenney, in the House
of Commons on April 24 in which he referred to the Armenian genocide
from 1915 to 1923.

"Canadians of all backgrounds will join in commemorating the lives of
those lost between 1915 and 1923," Mr. Dykstra said in the House. "This
day, 94 years ago, marks the beginning of the brutal and systematic
destruction of the Armenian people by the authorities of the Ottoman
Empire. In this first modern genocide, approximately one and a half
million Armenians perished."

Until Mr. Dykstra’s statement, the only dates recognized by Canada
were 1915 and 1916. The Turks say that extending the claim of genocide
another eight years into history implicates the modern-day state
of Turkey, founded in 1923, and its founders, and they have taken
direct offense.

Speaking with Embassy last week, Mr. Dykstra stood by his statement,
saying that the dates were agreed to by Armenia, but that it was not
his intention to implicate Turkey.

"I, in fact, didn’t refer to Turkey, I referred to the Ottoman Empire,"
he said.

A message from the prime minister to the Armenian community on April
21 referred to the "loss of life during the demise of the Ottoman
Empire in 1915, and in particular the horrific suffering endured by
the Armenian people."

He said the acknowledgement is not to "cast blame into the distant
past, but to guide us towards a better future."

Frayed Nerves

But the many high-level commemorations this year, including
Mr. Dykstra’s statement, have ignited already frayed nerves. Canada’s
position has been noted in Ankara, and the Turkish government is
expected to make a statement directly aimed at Canada in the next
week or so.

Turkish Ambassador Rafet Akgunay, who was briefly recalled for
consultation after the two commemorative receptions, told Embassy
on Friday that it is "only Canada" who remains so uncompromising on
the matter.

"We do not agree with Canada’s position on the Turkish-Armenian
controversy, which at the end of the day is a subject for legitimate
scholarly debate, and the Canadian government knows our concerns on
that," said Yonet Tezel, first counsellor at the Turkish Embassy in
Ottawa. "We would hope Canada would show the example of what it’s
traditionally known for; arbiter, honest broker, etcetera."

A BBC survey last year showed Canada’s image in Turkey had plummeted as
negative views of the country more than doubled since the year before,
which many attributed to Mr. Harper’s endorsement of the Armenians’
claim of genocide.

The Turkish-Canadian community has also reacted, and Lale Eskicioglu,
president of the Canadian Turkish Council, said many have taken to
writing letters to the prime minister, Mr. Dykstra and others.

"Should we then expect foreign countries to pass judgments about
Canadian history?" Ms. Eskicioglu asked. "This is ethnic politics at
its worst."

In both official and social circles, the Harper government’s policy
has fuelled speculation they are trying to appeal to Armenian voters,
which number about 50,000. Mr. Kenney is known to be a regular and
popular guest at Armenian events, and many point to the Conservative
Party’s multicultural outreach to various ethnic groups over the past
two years, trying to lure immigrant voters away from the Liberal Party.

Turkish officials say they are further baffled by the Canadian
government’s near-silence in response to the launch of normalization
talks between Turkey and Armenia on April 23. The diplomatic effort,
mediated by Switzerland, has been commended by Western governments,
including the U.S. and the EU. However, it has been rejected and
fiercely criticized by most Armenian diasporas.

‘Stunt’ Diplomacy

Many in the Armenian community say that the sudden "over reaction"
from Turkish officials this year is little more than a stunt–in
particular recalling the ambassador–and that while important, the
furor over the dates is inconsequential.

"We just believe they clearly over-reacted and it was our impression
that the message was intended for another country," said Arman Akopian,
charge d’affaires at the Armenian Embassy in Ottawa. "Usually we say
1915 because 90 per cent of the victims were killed in that year; 1923
is something that scholars prefer to use, but we don’t pay that much
attention to the dates because that’s not the important part of it."

Mr. Akopian noted that Parliament has recognized the genocide every
year since 2004, and said two events were held on the Hill this year
to mark the fifth anniversary of the Canadian commemoration.

"Usually there is something at the Parliament," Mr. Akopian said. "I
don’t know why the Turks [have] over-reacted."

Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee
of Canada, said the concerns about the dates are a "political trap,"
and he said it is not uncommon for Armenia to refer to the same dates,
1915 to 1923, during which the deportation of tens of thousands of
Armenians by Turkey continued.

He said the uproar from Turkish officials and the community is "a
political ploy" and that the historical and diplomatic issues should
not be mixed.

"If modern Turkey is upset being labelled with a genocide label
or the genocide perpetrator, why do they not come and disassociate
themselves with the Ottoman Empire, and why do they try to justify the
genocide and are giving excuses and defending the Ottoman Empire,"
Mr. Babikian said. "I don’t know why suddenly…five years after
the House of Commons recognized the genocide, three years after the
government makes it a policy, suddenly they recall the ambassador
back. I mean, every year the prime minister made the same statement,
and nothing happened."

Mr. Babikian points to the fact the Turkish Embassy has recently
hired a public relations firm, Fleishman-Hillard. He said he suspects
the PR firm is advising the Turkish Embassy to make waves around the
issue to better advance their interests.

"It looks like this is their strategy; suddenly they are picking on
Rick Dykstra. It’s stupid and it’s strange to pick up after all these
years," Mr. Babikian said.

The Turkish Embassy, however, disputes the accusation and said the
firm is to help network with governments and businesses in other
Canadian provinces.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress