DESPERATE TURKISH TACTICS TO WOO DIASPORA ON THE EVE OF APRIL 24
Noyan Tapan
Apr 6, 2010
LOS ANGELES, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN-ARMTNIANS TODAY. The Turkish
government has been receiving a succession of bad news in recent
weeks. Its persistent policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide
suffered serious setbacks when the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
U.S. House of Representatives, the Swedish Parliament, and Catalonia’s
regional Parliament in Spain adopted resolutions acknowledging the
Armenian Genocide.
Turkish denialists are terrified by these official acknowledgments
on the eve of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. They
are even more alarmed by the fact that the Parliaments of Bulgaria,
Israel, Serbia, Spain, and Great Britain are about to consider similar
resolutions in April.
The Turkish leadership was under the mistaken impression that the
Protocols signed with Armenia six months ago would end any further
action on the Armenian Genocide by the international community. In
fact, Turkey had viewed these Protocols as a last ditch effort to stem
the tide of such acknowledgments in the future. Its devious strategy
almost worked, as the genocide resolutions in both Sweden and the U.S.
Congress were adopted by a mere one vote majority. The opponents of
these resolutions specifically cited the "reconciliation" between
Armenia and Turkey as their reason for voting against them.
Alarmed by these developments, and distracted by serious internal
problems, the Turkish government has initiated, perhaps a little too
late, a series of actions, hoping to prevent further defeats on the
Armenian Genocide issue.
These actions range from using harsh, bullying tactics against
countries that dare to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, and a soft
approach to mislead the international community into thinking that
the Turkish government is being more accommodating towards Armenians.
Among the Turkish bullying tactics against countries acknowledging
the genocide are:
— Recalling its ambassador;
— Canceling military contracts; and
— Boycotting the purchase of consumer goods.
Last week, Turkish officials added a new twist, threatening to sue the
more than 20 countries that have already acknowledged the Armenian
Genocide. This is one of the many bluffs Turkish leaders use from
time to time to discourage additional countries from acknowledging
the Genocide. I truly hope that Turkey would carry out this threat,
as it would create worldwide publicity for the mass crimes committed
against Armenians. Any fair-minded non-Turkish court would immediately
dismiss such a frivolous lawsuit!
Turkey’s more clever tactics, using soft gloves at the advice of
western public relations agents, include:
— Renovating a couple of historic Armenian churches, while thousands
of others are converted to mosques, stables, residences or simply
ruined.
— The "gracious" gesture of allowing religious services to be
performed once a year for a limited number of people and limited
duration to be determined by Turkish authorities, at the 10th century
Holy Cross Armenian Church at Akhtamar Island, on Lake Van. This world
famous house of worship is officially designated as a touristic site,
not a church!
— Reviewing the possibility of lifting the ban on children of refugees
from Armenia to attend private Armenian schools in Istanbul.
— A "show" meeting held last week between Prime Minister Erdogan and
the head of Istanbul’s Sourp Prgich Armenian hospital, who was wrongly
named as the leader of Turkey’s Armenian community. This meeting
was more akin to a slave being summoned by his master. Afterwards,
Bedros Shirinoglu dutifully told the Turkish media that "1915" was
nothing more than a feud between two loving friends, instigated by
third parties! He said that his grandfather was among the victims,
but so were many Turks! Shirinoglu blamed himself and asked for
Erdogan’s forgiveness for the latter’s threat to deport 100,000
Armenian refugees, saying that the inflated figure was his own fault,
not the Prime Minister’s.
— Finally, Foreign Minister Davutoglu came up last week with a new
ploy to divide the Armenian Diaspora, after having limited success
in his attempt to split the Diaspora from Armenia with the Protocols.
Davutoglu announced that the Turkish authorities will initiate "dialog"
with "reasonable Diaspora Armenians," meaning Armenians who do not mind
selling out the Armenian Cause for their own ego and personal gain. The
Turkish Foreign Minister stated that contacts will be established
with Armenian "intellectuals, universities, and civil societies."
Clearly, Turkish officials are resorting to all possible means,
including the continued exploitation of the defunct Protocols,
to discourage additional countries from acknowledging the Armenian
Genocide.
Armenia and the Diaspora must remain vigilant and united, especially in
the weeks leading up to the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
in order not to fall victim to Turkish machinations, inducements
and entrapments.
By Harut Sassounian