KALININGRAD, KURIL ISLAND, KARS
NAIRA HAYRUMYAN

rahos||politics&pid=15065
14:43:05 – 03/09/2009

The protocols on beginning the Armenian-Turkish consultations and
on establishment of bilateral relations, whether by accident, or
specifically, were released on the day of the beginning of the Second
World War. It is known that the current borders between states are
mostly the result of this war and states build their relations on the
agreements concluded on the basis of the surrender of Nazi Germany
and the Yalta meeting of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill.

More than 60 years have already past but territorial disputes are
still ongoing between countries. The most striking of them is the
one for the Kuril Islands. Japan still considers to have the right to
claim the Kuril Islands and even recently, after 60 years, it adopted
a law declaring the Kuril Islands an integral part of Japan.

On the day of the release of the Armenian-Turkish protocols, the
world shook from the ringing of bells of Katyn, a village in Poland,
where the victims of the Nazi-Soviet collusion were 10 thousand
Poles. Vladimir Putin again had to apologize for Stalin’s perfidy. The
Reich Chancellor Angela Merkel also had to apologize.

Germany paid dearly for fascism not counting the billions of
indemnities, which it pays up to this day, Germany has lost
Koenigsberg, the present Kaliningrad region of Russia. The point to
cede Koenigsberg was recorded in the pact of surrender and now Germany
does not even think to raise the issue of the return of their lands,
despite the fact that the pact of surrender is signed by already non-
existing Soviet Union.

However, after the Second World War, despite the pressure, defeated
Japan never signed a peace treaty which had the point to cede the
Kuril Islands to Russia. And Russia, in fact, keeps the islands only
by force.

A similar situation exists in the Armenian-Turkish relations. If
Armenia recognizes the current border with Turkey, it will lose forever
not only hope to return its western provinces but it will also lose all
interest for the world community. No one will need Armenia any longer,
which means that it will be thrown to the dustbin of the history.

Commenting on the Armenian-Turkish protocols, the traditional
Armenian parties and the opposition say that the establishment of the
historic commission may eliminate the international recognition of
the genocide. However, the fact that the recognition of the genocide
will make sense for Turkey because in case of a total recognition,
Armenia will have the right to impose territorial claims is not taken
into account. This factor is not used against Turkey by Armenia,
but it raises Armenia’s geopolitical importance.

Turkey fears of territorial claims. And if Armenia testifies by
documents that it has no territorial claims and it recognizes the
current borders, there is no doubt that Turkey itself the next day
will recognize the genocide and maybe even ask for forgiveness and
the issue will be resolved. Just like the issue of Kaliningrad and
Eastern Poland, excluded from the Western world in result of the
Second World War.