Hurriyet, Turkey
Jan 2 2010

A 2009 look at the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation

Saturday, January 2, 2010
Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the location
where the protocols were signed. This version reflects the correction.

The Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process started in September 2008
with `football diplomacy’ and gained new dimensions in 2009. The
foreign ministers of the two countries signed historic protocols
despite the increased public pressure from both of their countries.
Although the borders have not been reopened due to the Azerbaijani
factor, 2010 looks like it will bring many new developments.

September 2008, when the national football teams of Turkey and Armenia
played a match in Yerevan, happened to be a historical milestone not
only for the two countries but also for me personally. I was in the
press box as an Armenian member of the Turkish press with the
industry’s leading names right beside me. Moreover, I was in a stadium
for the first time in my life. I sang the national anthems of both
countries with tears in my eyes. I only wanted to cheer when the game
started but I was afraid to be misunderstood. Suddenly, Fatih Ã?ekirge,
one of the master columnists of daily Hürriyet, held my hands and gave
me strength. My voice was crackling; I supported the team of Armenia
for the first time in my life even if I knew it was going to lose.

The `football diplomacy’ started a historical process of convergence
between Turkey and Armenia, after the tragic events of 1915 that have
scarred both sides. The two countries declared in April that they
agreed on a road map to open the borders and normalize relations.
Naturally, all hell broke lose in Turkey and Armenia.

The Armenian public opinion claimed Turkey has profited from the
protocols and the Serge Sarkisian’s administration compensated.
Demonstrations and hunger strikes were held in the capital Yerevan and
protests have emerged in countries where members the Armenian diaspora
reside.

In Turkey, criticisms were voiced on how Azerbaijan was abandoned in
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem it has with Armenia. Turkey closed its
Armenian border in 1993 to show support for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has
been putting pressure on Turkey every chance it has to not open the
border before a solution can be reached.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an went to Baku and promised that the
protocols would not be approved by the Turkish Parliament before a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. However, no such direct
connection was made in the protocol drafts. Even though no progress
has been made in the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the two sides decided
to sign the protocols before the return match in October.

The return match played in Bursa was under the shadow of tension
raised by the Azerbaijan issue among the Turkish public. Extreme
security measures were taken around the stadium. No tickets were sold
in order to keep the normal supporters outside and they were handed
out to select people just hours before the game. The accredited press
were granted access at the last minute. I was in Bursa again for duty
and I could not receive my accreditation papers. I found a high
official from the Football Federation of Turkey and told him the
importance of this match for me and that was how I managed to enter
the stadium.

The effort to bring Azerbaijani flags to the stadium by some created a
tense atmosphere before the game but things went smoothly when
Bursaspor supporters released white doves into the sky just before the
kick-off. The match in Bursa was less exciting for me compared to the
one in Yerevan. I experienced the real excitement a few days prior to
the match when the two foreign ministers signed the protocols.

Actually, the process experienced until the signing in October was as
exciting as that day too. I was in Yerevan in September when the
protesters were on hunger strike and I went to the central bureau of
the Tashnak Party to interview them. The place was surrounded with
meters-long banners and people were running around in hurry. The
hunger strike lasted for a month across from the Foreign Ministry
building. Petitions were signed in the streets against the protocols
and the resignation of Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian was
demanded. Despite all this, Nalbandian sat at the table in Switzerland
next to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu. I was following the
events from Istanbul instead of Yerevan this time. I remember seeing
Charles Aznavour, the world famous French artist of Armenian origin
and Armenia’s ambassador to Sweden, live television and looking really
stressed out. Also, an unexpected surprise was experienced on the day
of the signing as the process became stuck due to disagreements on the
protocol texts and only later the foreign ministers of the two
countries appeared and the protocols were signed. I took a deep
breath. I also understood that despite sharing the same lands for
centuries, the re-emergence of the two peoples would not be as easy as
expected.

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