TURKEY NEEDS TO CALM DOWN ON THE ARMENIAN ISSUE
Hurriyet
March 21 2010
Turkey
The Turkish government’s attitude and response to recent developments
in the United States and Sweden regarding Armenian claims are off
the mark and counter-productive. Without a counter-strategy, Turkey
is closing down its shutters and painting itself into a corner.
Moreover, the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, leadership, by
arguing and exploiting the issue domestically, is making a mistake
because it could backfire. The current approach, if not altered soon,
may hurt our national standing and interests.
The Turkish contestation and protests of American and Swedish decisions
on Armenian claims are certainly justified because parliamentary bodies
have no business or competence in legislating history. However, the
official reaction by Turkey, heavily laden with anger and resentment,
is self-damaging and dysfunctional.
Recalling our ambassadors for consultations is a legitimate exercise
and quite appropriate. Yet not sending them back until and unless
certain conditions are met is another thing entirely and serves no
useful purpose.
Other countries, including Russia and France, took similar decisions in
the past, a considerable number of them during the time AKP had been
in power. Indeed, the same House Committee in the U.S. had approved
similar resolutions twice before in the last five years. The reactions
then were more measured and calculated.
Today the government should explain to our people why this time the
official reaction is so vehement and insular and what and how they
expect to gain from this self-aggrandizing stance.
In foreign relations, we need diplomacy most in time of crises. Even
under the most challenging circumstances, one must keep its channels of
communication open, try to reverse the damage done, and limit further
damage to national interests. Even in today’s Internet and telephone
age, ambassadors are still prime agents in diffusing tensions and in
resolving problems between countries.
The U.S. is still our ally and partner and Sweden is a strong friend
of Turkey. With both countries, we have vital interests at stake.
Their governments have both disavowed the decisions of their
legislatures. In the U.S., it is a resolution of the full House of
Representatives that counts, not a vote in one of its committees. The
right thing to do, therefore, is to seek to work with the U.S. and
Swedish authorities on how to protect and promote our relations and
mutual interests under the prevailing circumstances.
The first step should then be the return of our ambassadors, both
highly capable diplomats, to their duties without undue delay.
The more important task is to develop a coherent and sophisticated
foreign policy. On the Armenian issue, we need a broader strategy.
Angry reactions to the aberrations of foreign parliaments do not
constitute a foreign policy and are self-defeating. The first order
of business is for to press for progress on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
Turkey did the right thing in signing the two protocols with
Armenia, but failed to factor the Azeri-Armenian conflict into the
Turkish-Armenian opening. Progress there would make room for Turkey
to restore the process of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.
Whatever the provocations and setbacks emanating from Armenia or any
other source, Turkey must keep the protocols with Armenia "on line."
And we must keep Azerbaijan on our side.
Armenia’s lukewarm ownership of the protocols and the January ruling
of its Constitutional Court have stalled the process. However, if
we want to normalize our relations with Armenia and the Armenians,
we too must avoid making mistakes.
Especially saddening is the idea of expelling Armenian citizens
working illegally in Turkey. The notion, while legally justifiable,
is morally wrong and unacceptable, politically unwise and socially
unbecoming for Turkish people who always extend a helping hand to
those in need. We would be doing incalculable harm to our social
conscience if we send these people back as our image in the world
would suffer irreversible damage.
Our leaders are often fond of resorting to traditional sayings. One
to remember in this context is "who rises in anger, sits a loser."
We will not achieve anything useful by turning inward or by posing
conditions that cannot be fulfilled. There is no way for the U.S.
administration to give any guarantees involving the Congress or for
the Swedish government to reverse the decision of their parliament.
What we can do is to prevent further damage to our relations and to
check further progress of Armenian claims. We must therefore be calm
and calibrated in our responses, in the certitude that we are always
ready and willing to face the facts of our history.