ARMENIANS FIRST WANT APOLOGY, THEN PEACE
By Matthew Collin

St. Petersburg Times
2&story_id=30098
Oct 20 2009
Russia

Did Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan grin too enthusiastically
while watching his country being beaten by its old enemy, Turkey,
at an international football match last week? Sargsyan’s trip to
watch the game with his Turkish counterpart Wednesday followed the
signing of historic accords to normalize relations and open the
border between the two countries after decades of animosity. But his
increasingly belligerent critics claim that his courteous applause
for Turkey’s superior performance on the pitch was a public relations
disaster for a leader who’s staked a lot of political capital on this
controversial deal.

Divisions surrounding the agreement are becoming increasingly stark
within Armenian society. On the day that the accords were signed,
it was business as usual at a popular street market in Yerevan, where
locals and tourists browsed the stalls for souvenir replicas of Mount
Ararat, T-shirts bearing patriotic slogans and matryoshka dolls of
President Dmitry Medvedev and Osama bin Laden, among other trinkets.

But questions about the deal immediately invoked conflicting passions.

An antique carpet vendor said he had lost relatives during the mass
killings of Armenians in Turkey during World War I, which Armenia
wants the Turkish government to recognize as genocide. "How can we
become friends when the genocide happened?" he demanded furiously.

Others also insisted that the Turks should seek forgiveness. "They
should do what the Germans did for the Jews — apologize," said a man
selling Armenian flags. "First, they should recognize the genocide,
and then we will talk. Our wounds still hurt."

Nationalists have tried to rally support against the deal, but their
campaign hasn’t yet inspired mass resistance. Some, however, are
optimistic about the potential for a less-hostile relationship with
Turkey. "It’s good for both sides," said a woman selling handmade
puppets. "The border must open, the conflict must be solved. I don’t
think we can become friends with the Turks immediately, but gradually
it will happen, and this is the start."

To be sure, decades of mistrust have to be overcome. There may be
serious obstacles ahead on the road to reconciliation. "Enemies don’t
become friends at once," another stall merchant noted. "First they
have to find ways to establish relations with each other, and only
then can they come to a mutual understanding."