PROTOCOLS PUT THE STATES SUPPORTING ARMENIA ON GENOCIDE IN AN "UNCOMFORTABLE" SITUATION
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.10.2009 GMT+04:00

Everything that is happening now around Armenia is nothing but links
of one and the same chain that pursuits one single goal: to step up
the regulation of the Karabakh problem and sign another agreement by
the end of the year, this time between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The clause in the Armenian-Turkish Protocols on establishing a joint
historical commission and Armenian’s consent to it, led to the expected
reaction of the international community, though thus far on the level
of media outlets. In addition to Canadian and Swedish newspapers, which
after signing of the Protocols on the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations have started to doubt whether there really was an Armenian
Genocide or not, the leading American publications have begun to
write that Armenia itself calls into question the Armenian Genocide.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ And there is no guarantee that by April, when
the 95th anniversary of the tragedy is to be marked, the number of
publications will not have increased. No matter how hard the Armenian
officials try to assure that the pay for the normalization of relations
will never be the renunciation from international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, it is actually happening on the contrary. In fact,
with a stroke of the pen the almost half-a-century struggle of the
Diaspora for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide was brought
to naught. And it was done under the pressure of the world powers,
for whom the moral and ethical criteria fall back the energy benefits
from stability in the region. It is inadequate to blame the powers
for the single reason that in a big game everyone defends himself, and
if Armenia was not able to stand her ground it was only her fault and
nobody else’s. Moreover, the Protocols put the states recognizing the
Armenian Genocide in an "uncomfortable" situation. Our declarations
that no Armenian historian will ever agree to discuss this issue
are worthless. In 2005, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
sent a letter to then Armenian President Robert Kocharyan proposing
the establishment of such a commission, which was followed by an
unequivocal rejection, clearly stating that Armenia does not consider
it possible to discuss the Armenian Genocide in any commission,
especially with Turkey. The Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission
(TARC) that ignominiously completed its activity only confirmed
the letter.

However, this clause is included in the Protocols, giving Armenia
the right to fear lest it should be followed by other, unacceptable
for the country articles, which are not present in the text, but
which might be implied – namely, settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. In this connection it is appropriate to draw parallels
between the recent statement made by Senators Ensign and Menendez on
introducing the resolution on the Armenian Genocide into the U.S.

Senate. Even if the resolution is really adopted, the press will anyway
do its job. It is fairly safe to assume that what is happening now
around Armenia is nothing but links of one and the same chain that
pursuits one single goal: to step up the regulation of the Karabakh
problem and sign another agreement by the end of the year, this time
between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Trifles such as the fact that Armenia
has no right to sign documents on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh, are
not of any interest to anyone; the question of gas pipelines is very
seriously laid and only the guarantee of lasting peace can provide
both construction and exploitation of the same Nabucco.

We must note with regret that the Turkish propaganda did a great
job against which rather authoritative newspapers laid down arms. And
those media outlets, which due to certain circumstances or "gentleman’s
accord" could not simply write "Armenian Genocide", sighed with relief,
such as the Associated Press, The New York Times and others. The term
"genocide" may again become a taboo, if certain measures are not taken
especially by the Republic of Armenia, rather than by the Diaspora,
which feels robbed and humiliated.

To hope that the Turkish parliament will not ratify the Protocols is,
of course, possible, but in this case more suitable is the tactic of
pre-emptive blow, namely the attempt to eliminate from circulation
not only the doubt about the fact of the Armenian Genocide, but also
the "Karabakh conflict". In fact, the text of the Protocols does not
contain either of the issues, but ratification of the documents will
be the first step, followed by political discussions and negotiations,
during which these two issues must be discussed. And as the discussions
develop, the pressure of the international community on Armenia will
increase. The pressure will increase on Turkey and Azerbaijan too,
but not as much as on Armenia, at least, because the latter loses more
than any other state. Azerbaijan "loses" what never belonged to her,
Turkey – almost the same. Only Armenia may lose the right to demand
nullification of the treaties signed between Turkey and the Soviet
Union, compensation and much more. To discard from the Protocols
the clause on establishing a commission of historians is unlikely,
but Armenia and the Diaspora can at least bring its activity to naught.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress