Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 4 2009

The role of civil initiatives in the Armenian opening

Friday, September 4, 2009
GÄ°LA BENMAYOR

The long-awaited historical step for the normalization of relations
between Turkey and Armenia has finally been taken.

Given the reactions from both parties against the agreement made
between Yerevan and Ankara under the mediation of Switzerland, it can
be said that the `normalization process’ will not be easy. The
opposition in Armenia has risen.

We have seen from the news stories on TV that the demonstrators
crowding the streets led by the Tashnak Party had come up to the point
of calling for the resignation of President Serge Sarkisian.

The European Armenian Federation is also angry. So are some of the
leading organizations of the Armenian diaspora.

According to the Tashnak Party, the agreement between Ankara and
Yerevan is the victory of Turkish diplomacy. Devlet Bahçeli,
leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, defines that
`diplomatic victory’ as a `diplomatic freak.’

According to Bahçeli, Turkey has yielded to the unlawful
demands of Armenians. In the end, opponents from both sides have
entered into a competition of `blaming’ their governments. In fact,
they are no different from each other.

The importance of channels of dialogue

If only there were more people in Armenia who sincerely support
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian’s words, `We cannot be enemies with
Turkey forever.’

If only there was an opposition party in Turkey that has worked more
on such an important issue like the `Armenian opening’ and found a
solution to it. This morning I had an e-mail from Canan
Arıtman, Ä°zmir deputy of the Republican People’s Party,
or CHP, who referred to President Abdullah Gül’s `Armenian
roots’ a few months ago.

She wrote, `My advice to the AKP [Justice and Development Party]
government is that they do not bring the protocol of betrayal against
Turkey and Azerbaijan to Parliament.’

It is clear that both the MHP and the CHP will try hard to obstruct
the approval of the protocol by Parliament. At this point, I believe
the civil initiative has to undertake an important role. There is no
doubt that the normalization process will accelerate as long as the
channels of dialogue between Turkey and Armenia increase.

Can’t we say that this historical step taken by Armenia and Turkey is,
partially, the sprouting of seeds planted by some civil initiatives
over the years?

Hrant Dink’s belief

For instance, I have been following the work done by the
Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council, or TABDC, founded in
1997, for a long time. The TABDC, chaired by Kaan Soyak on the Turkish
side and Arsen Gazaryan on the Armenian side, has been working
painstakingly for years in order to develop relations between Armenia
and Turkey.

I guess I first heard about the activities of the TABDC in the early
2000s when an Armenian dance group had begun to perform at the
Atatürk Cultural Center, or AKM, in Istanbul. I met Gazaryan
through this occasion.

The TABDC is active in numerous fields, ranging from tours held for
Armenians in the United States to promote Turkey to efforts toward
increasing the trade volume between two countries. My first visit to
Armenia, however, was bound with another civil organization.

In 2003 we went to Yerevan as part of a visit of Turkish-Armenian
Women Communication Group, established by the Marmara Group
Foundation. We had contacts with several women’s organizations.

As far as I know, the Turkish-Armenian Women Communication Group is
not active any more, but it surely played a role in planting the seeds
of peace. Hrant Dink used to believe that both societies should create
a mutual language of dialogue. It is surely possible for the countries
to learn how to build the dialogue through nongovernmental
organizations, art, music or dance.