‘NO REASON’ FOR US ADMINISTRATION TO DEBATE ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
Akper Hasanov

news.az
March 9 2010
Azerbaijan

Ilgar Mammadov News.Az interviews Ilgar Mammadov, Azerbaijani political
scientist.

How would you comment on the adoption of the resolution recognizing
the killing of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as ‘genocide’ in the US
House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee?

Democracy is not a mechanism drawn up to generate decisions of genius,
but rather a mechanism that prevents governments from taking too many
foolish decisions. In that respect, the committee vote was a gross
error in the functioning of American democracy. On the other hand,
the vote showed that Armenia’s attempts to falsify history do not hold
anymore: in 2007 the Turkish and Azerbaijani view had less support
in the same committee. This year the draft resolution was passed by
a single vote – 23 against 22. It would be a particular shame for
the legislature to dictate the past when opinions are so divided,
not only among historians, but also among legislators themselves.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during her visit
to Central America that the US Congress would not consider ‘the
Armenian resolution’. Does thismean that the congressmen who adopted
the resolution acted on their mercantile interests rather than the
national interests of the United States?

I do not see any reason for the US administration to keep this
resolution going. It needs to be stopped, not only from the point
of view of ethics and common sense, but also from the practical
perspective. America will compromise both its national interests and
its relation to global security and prosperity if it opts to satisfy
the appetites of a few voters living with this 19th century agenda.

Azerbaijan has shown an unprecedented level of solidarity with Turkey
on this matter, and this solidarity will only grow in the future.

Why do you think Howard Berman, chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee, who said that he had been raising the issue of the Armenian
genocide for 27 years in Congress, ignored Turkey’s proposal to
Armenia on a joint study of the historical facts?He himself knows
the best answer to this question.

Do you agree with the thesis that the US recognition of the ‘Armenian
genocide’ will benefit Turkey, as it will remove the threat of
recognition that hangs over Ankara every year?

No, because all the efforts that the Armenian diaspora currently make
toward recognition of the myth would be directed towards claiming
‘retribution’ from Turkey. That would be even more inappropriate. The
sooner we – Turkey and Azerbaijan – finish this issue, the better
for us and for the US global mission, which we recognize.