AFTEREFFECTS OF SIGNING ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS STILL UNCLEAR

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2009 GMT+04:00

Arguments on "returning of territories" or on renewal of expired
international treaties can lead to nothing good.

The intensity of passions among various representatives of the Armenian
nation has almost reached its climax. People, having rather a vague
idea about the essence of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols and their
significance for Armenia and the Armenian nation, severely blame each
other, the President and the Government.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It has become a sign of good manner to loudly
declare your disagreement (or agreement) with the documents, which in
principle may not even be signed. The point is that despite the date
set for signing the protocols – October 10, it is still unclear whether
Armenia will sign them or not. Even the contents is not so important as
the fact how effectively the Protocols are used. It’s common knowledge
that protocols, even when initialed and signed, can be a simple piece
of paper, if they are not ratified by the parliaments of the two
countries. As far as Armenia is concerned, no problems will arise here
– the National Assembly of Armenia will ratify the Protocols. Quite
different is the position of Turkey. Reliable sources state that
Armenia requires guarantees from Ankara on mandatory ratification of
the Protocols, otherwise Yerevan will not sign anything. But it is
exactly what the government of Gul and Erdogan cannot guarantee.

Moreover, at the summit of Turkic-speaking countries in Nakhijevan
Abdullah Gul again talked of the Karabakh issue as a precondition for
normalizing relations. And all this happens when the world community
is really in anticipation of signing the Protocols. It is unlikely
that Turkish authorities should fail to understand that the United
States, Russia and Europe are not determined to wait until Ankara
makes bold to tell Azerbaijan: "Excuse us, brothers, but we have to
sign the Protocols."

Fuel is added to the fire by home-grown patriots and analysts, who,
as we have repeatedly mentioned, are simply carrying out their
self-advertising campaign. Had they a will, they would declare
the President of Armenia a second Vasak Syuni… They are ready to
do it and no one would ever tell these awkward patriots that with
their statements they simply give an extra motivation to Ankara to
refuse to normalize relations. If anyone thinks that the Armenian
Genocide and the memory of the soldiers killed in the Karabakh war
can be consigned to oblivion, they are deeply mistaken. Any head
of the Armenian state, who is ready to this step, could, at best,
offer his resignation. Let us not discuss the worst case. And hardly
can our Diaspora be so naive as to assume that the RA President can
say one thing and do another. After all, one should always think
twice before shouting slogans that are worth nothing. These slogans
have no value, no matter how determined the analysts are in their
attempts to "demonize" Serzh Sargsyan. He is simply a human being,
although being president of a country. Scarcely can he be tempted by
the dubious "glory" of Vasak Syuni. With the light (or perhaps wicked)
hand of Armenian writer Derenik Demirchyan, the image of Vasak became
the symbol of a traitor of a nation. Since the novel was published,
Armenian parents have never given this name to their sons. However,
no one takes into account what sufferings Vasak had to bear. Warriors
of Vardan died earning martyrdom, while Vasak ended his days in sorrow
and grief.

Sometimes it seems the Armenians should be prohibited to read
historical novels, which on the one hand instill patriotism, while
on the other, lead into the past, which is nothing but regret and
sorrow. And the result is apparent; we have become a nation living
in the past, to some extent in the present, but certainly not in the
future. Let us repeat once again: we are not going to forget the fate
of nearly two million people in Western Armenia. It must always be kept
in mind, but arguments on "returning of territories" or, even worse,
on renewal of expired international treaties can lead to nothing good.

No matter how unpleasant it may be, it is necessary to build relations
with the Turks. But the interesting point is that all the Armenian
population goes on vacation to Turkish resorts and comes back in
rapture with the intention to go there next year as well. And they
all go through Georgia, which is very inconvenient. But who cares
that these hotels are built on the bones of Western Armenians? So,
we needn’t arouse a storm in a teacup, beat on the chest and scream
about patriotism. All this leads to the thought that maybe all of these
protests are a PR campaign too, in order not to sign the Protocols
in case any problems occur…

In short, the Armenian nation, as always, writs proclamation, signs
petitions, stages protest actions. Alas, we are unable to go beyond
that. Or perhaps we do not want to…?