BRUCE FEIN: THESE ARE KINDS OF COMPETING INTERESTS – IT IS WRONG TO CALL THEM CONFLICTS
APA
Dec 1 2009
Azerbaijan
Washington. Isabel Levine – APA. APA’s interview with Bruce Fein,
resident scholar of Turkish Coalition of America, in Washington, DC
– After the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey started
are there any problems or conflicts between Azeri and Turkish Diasporas
in US? What are the dangers?
– I don’t think there are any conflicts between our two Diasporas. I
know that there are in tension, simply because Turkey is not
Azerbaijan and wise or worse. At least one area that I know, has
been raised as a possible point of some difference of opinion is
Nagorno-Karabakh. And some leverages in supporting the peaceful
resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh and the eviction of the illegal
occupation by the Armenians because they are pushing the opening of
borders trying to history about the World War One. These kinds of
competing interests – it is wrong to call them conflicts, I think
it’s just that countries don’t have permanent friends or enemies they
have permanent interests. I think the Turkish Prime Minister made it
quite clear that he will not sell out on Nagorno-Karabakh simply to
capitulate or whatever the Armenians may demand. So I wouldn’t they
that a conflict, I think often times you make coward if you will and
that means that you need greater focus on making the policies working
out a harmony for one another. And I think that is what happened. I
don’t think that the fact that Turkey is working on opening the
borders with Armenia means anyhow that Turkey feels less disturbed
about the illegal occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh.
– Despite the normalization between the two countries, Armenian
Diaspora is continuing its activities against Turkey – they send
letters to Congress, again raise the "genocide issue". And Senator
McCain also said that the "genocide" truly happened…
– Remember that Armenian government is not identical to the Armenian
Diaspora. To some degree the government in Armenia in Erevan has
to listen to the Diaspora, because maybe one third of its budget is
formed on either the remittances or the donations from the Diaspora.
It would be fair to say from recent years that the Diaspora is far
more hateful and aggressive about that whole issue than the government
itself. But I wouldn’t say that the Armenian Diaspora has been acting
with any difference than it had done for a long, long time. And I am
guardedly optimistic, that it will not be able to hold the government
in Erevan as a hostage here against the kind of reconciliation and
approach that makes senses to let the idea of the international
commission to examine all the archives and evidence relating to the
World War One events, and make their own characterization of the
events without the outside non-educated influences. Now, coming
to Senator McCain, we all know that issues of genocide are up to
lawyers and historians. Senator McCain isn’t a historian and isn’t a
lawyer, and it’s unfortunate that politicians including Mr. McCain
and his instances decided for political reasons to go away beyond
this paycrade and made this characterization. Remember McCain was
also the one who misstated in his presidential campaign that this
is a Judie Christian Nation, when in fact religion is not part of
politics according to Constitution.
– What can the Turkish Diaspora do to help Azerbaijani Diaspora lobby
such issues as Nagorno-Karabakh and others in the US Congress?
– I think the main advantage of such experience that Turkish Diaspora
has, giving tips on this is how you try to influence the members of
Congress, what are the kind of arguments that would appeal to them,
how would you use the local media – these kinds of customary tools
that open democracies operate are something that Turkish Diaspora can
explain, you know, this is how you do politics in the United States.
Maybe the right thing will be pitching out joint sessions of
Azerbaijani and Turkish Diasporas; I think that might be the right
thing.