ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN ABOUT HISTORICAL JUSTICE
Aysor
April 5 2010
Armenia
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s has spoken to Der Spiegel paper;
here is the interview.
Der Spiegel: Referring to the 1915 happenings, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his interview with Der Spiegel that
‘the Genocide against Armenians is out of the question.’ Why your
neighboring nation can’t accept its past?
Serzh Sargsyan: Well, recently another statement has been made, that
‘Turks couldn’t commit Genocide, while the Turkish history is clear
and bright like the sun.’ Turks are against branding the 1915 massacres
as Genocide; however, this is not the issue to be solved by Ankara.
Der Spiegel: Erdogan now is even threatening to expel Armenians,
who illegally live in Turkey.
Serzh Sargsyan: Such kind of unacceptable statements remind us of
the Genocide. Unfortunately, I am not actually surprised that Turkish
officials make the statements of that kind.
Der Spiegel: What position should the international community show?
Serzh Sargsyan: It should respond to this; the U.S., Europe, Germany
and other countries, involved in Armenia-Turkey reconciliation should
respond and show their position in open daylight. If all the nations
recognized the 1915 Genocide, then neither statement by Turks would
have been made. However, protests by numerous youth activists against
the statement are encouraging. There is a new generation there,
whose opinion must be looked up to by the political authorities.
Der Spiegel: Turkey accuses you of strong position against the
commission of historians. Why are you against it?
Serzh Sargsyan: How the commission may work neutrally, if it is a
criminal case to use g-word in Turkey, and one can even be brought
to a trial for using Genocide-word. It’s is important to Ankara to
stretch the solution-making process; and when the governments of
certain nations are voting over the Resolution on Genocide, Turkey
may say – don’t be in the way; look, our historians are studying the
issue. The creation of the commission would mean the questioning the
Genocide. It is unacceptable.
Der Spiegel: Why the issue of recognition of the 1915 Genocide is so
important to Armenia now, after 95 years?
Serzh Sargsyan: This is an issue of historical justice and issue of
Armenia’s security; the best way to prevent such kind of crimes is
its clear condemnation.
Der Spiegel: You can see Ararat, symbol of Armenia, through your
cabinet’s window. The Ararat Mountain is now on Turkey’s territory;
Turkey is afraid of territorial claims and compensations. Do you want
to bring Ararat back?
Serzh Sargsyan: Ararat is in our hearts; in any Armenian’s house
anywhere in the world you’ll find a picture of Ararat, no one can take
it away. I believe that time will come when Ararat will be a symbol
of understanding between the two nations, not division. However, I’d
like to point out the following: neither Armenian government has ever
claimed for territories; Turks themselves are ascribing them to us.
Maybe, gilt?
Der Spiegel: Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed;
Iran and Georgia are in some kind of complicated neighbors; isn’t it
a better way to break this isolation?
Serzh Sargsyan: We don’t link the issue of recognition of the Genocide
with borders’ opening. And is not our fault that the reconciliation
isn’t coming true.
Der Spiegel: Turkey wishes for linking the border’s opening with
settlement to the Karabakh conflict. Armenians fought in this inflicted
war on the territory that Azerbaijan claimed after USSR’s collapse.
Serzh Sargsyan: Turks want us to compromise. However, this is
impossible. Right to self-determination of the people of Nagorno
Karabakh is an issue of greatest importance. If Azerbaijan recognizes
independence of Nagorno Karabakh, then the issue can be solved in a few
hours. Unfortunately, up to now Azerbaijan claims Nagorno Karabakh;
while Karabakh’s joining to Azerbaijan means a certain deportation
of Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh, and this all just in a very
short period.
Der Spiegel: Do you have a solution to this?
Serzh Sargsyan: Why former Yugoslavia’s nations could receive the
independence? So why can’t Nagorno Karabakh practice the same right?
Is the reason – gas and oil resources of Azerbaijan and Turkey’s
patronage? We consider this to be unfair.