Setting down the parameters

-09-24-setting-down-the-parameters
Published: Thursday September 24, 2009

One of the major concerns about the agreement on bilateral relations
negotiated between Armenia and Turkey is that it envisions an
intergovernmental commission with a sub-commission "on the historical
dimension."

The concern is that the sub-commission will be asked directly or
indirectly to determine whether the events of 1915-17 or 1915-23
constituted genocide. If the governments of Turkey and Armenia asked a
commission to make such a determination, the government of Armenia
would give credence to the untrue Turkish position that the answer to
the question is unknown.

President Serge Sargsian has stated unambiguously that Armenia would
never agree to question the truth of the Armenian Genocide. In so
saying, the president is reflecting the collective will of the entire
Armenian people. It is now essential for that position to be
formalized.

This page has proposed that in Armenia’s National Assembly, the
resolution on ratifying the protocols include a provision stating that
policy. We still believe this is the best course of action, one that
can garner the support of the entire National Assembly. The leadership
of the parliament, acting on the president’s recommendation, could
include such a provision in the resolution. It need not come as an
amendment.

The effect of the provision -in some ways similar to presidential
signing statements often attached to bills signed by the president of
the United States – would be to remove any doubt about the terms of
Armenia’s participation in the intergovernmental commission. It is
essential for all to understand that the establishment of bilateral
relations is all about moving forward and maintaining peace, not about
rewriting history.