HULIQ, SC
March 25 2010

The Soap Bubble of Turkey’s Anger

The inconsistency of Turkish threats after France years ago and now
Sweden, adopted the Armenian Genocide resolutions in their
parliaments.

According to the recent information, Turkey’s Ambassador in Stockholm
Zergun Koruturk will return to Sweden at the beginning of next week.
Speaking in a program on CNN Turk TV channel, the Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the diplomat, who was recalled
after the Swedish Parliament had adopted a bill on the incidents of
1915 earlier in March, will go back to Stockholm soon.

This move to reconciliation was expected. When France officially
adopted Armenian Genocide in 2001, Turkey’s reaction was as hysterical
as now in response to the U.S. Congressional Foreign Affairs
Committee’s approval of a resolution labeling the incidents of 1915 as
"genocide" and Sweden’s decision. However, within several months the
development of the relations within all spheres was rebuilt. The same
will happen today. Turkey obviously needs time to understand two basic
factors: the governments have no control over their countries’
parliaments and the decisions are not directed towards contemporary
Turkey but refer to putting the historical record straight.

Incidentally, it is appropriate at this point to recall a couple of
other inconsistencies in Turkey’s foreign policy. After the American
Congress panel’s resolution draft, the Turkish officials declared they
would turn to Russia all their planned economic and military
cooperation with the US. Is there logic in this statement? The Turks
might have forgotten that Russia adopted Armenian Genocide without any
reservation in 1995. Next, let’s remember the place where the
negotiations with Armenia were held. It was Switzerland ` the country
that not only recognized Armenian Genocide in 2003 but also adjusted
its legislation to criminalize Genocide denial. It’s another paradox,
isn’t it?

Thus, there is no sense to consider Turkey’s angry reaction seriously.
They know that other countries need them as much as they need those
countries. At least, history shows that none of the world nations that
had qualified the massacres of Armenians as Genocide brought this
subject into their relations with Turkey. This is a moral issue only.

Written by Ashot Vardanyan
Mr. Vardanyan holds a teaching position at the University of Iowa.

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