GLASS NOT FULLY EMPTY IN TURKISH-ARMENIAN TIES
Semih IDIZ
Hurriyet
April 26 2010
Turkey
Another "April 24" has come and gone with all its suffering,
accusations, counter accusations and cross-vilifications. In the
meantime, ugly scenes took place in Yerevan and Beirut, where Turkish
flags and effigies of Turkish leaders were burned by hard-liners. It
did not take long for hard-liner Turks to reciprocate, and the next day
Armenian flags were burned in Istanbul, which also frequently witnesses
the burning of Israeli, American and Chinese flags, to name but a few.
Looking at all this, it is clear that the proverbial "glass" is not
yet "half full" in terms of reconciliation between the Turkish and
Armenian nations. But neither can it be said to be totally empty. This
year there were unprecedented developments that cracked the hard shell
of hatred between the two peoples. These can be expected to continue.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, for example, had kind words for
President Abdullah Gul in his speech, in which he explained to his
nation why Yerevan was only suspending the Turkish-Armenian protocols
and not annulling them. He also thanked those Turkish intellectuals
who have started to openly share the pain of the Armenian people.
It was noteworthy in this respect that two commemorative events took
place in Istanbul on April 24 to sympathize with Armenians who suffered
in 1915. The numbers of those attending were not great perhaps. But
one of the organizations was the Human Rights Association, or IHD,
which is well known and has branches all over Turkey. The other was by
a group of intellectuals comprising academics, journalists, lawyers and
businessmen etc., including some who are household names around Turkey.
These events were preceded by heated debates on television, where
things never pronounced before concerning 1915 were said and where the
term "genocide" was used without qualifiers, such as "so called" or
"alleged." Put another way, the infamous "article 301" of the penal
code holds no sway over this debate anymore despite the existence of
overzealous nationalist prosecutors.
In the meantime, one of the most notable articles in the mainstream
Turkish press on the topic came from Hasan Cemal of Milliyet.
"Some may call it deportation, some a tragedy, some may say genocide,
while some may refer to the great disaster. But you cannot deny it."
Cemal said going on to indicate he shares the suffering of the
Armenian people. What makes Cemal’s words important is that he is
the grandson of the infamous Cemal Pasha who was implicated in the
mass deportations of the Armenians in 1915.
Last year Cemal, while in Armenia, also met the grandson of the killer
of his grandfather, who was gunned down by a vengeance-seeking Armenian
nationalist in Tbilisi in July 1922. The meeting was later described
by witnesses as "a civilized and highly emotional event."
There was also something new in President Obama’s April 24 statement
this year. Of course, he displeased Armenians because he did not use
the term "genocide," but his remarks and the concrete number he used
for Armenian losses in 1915 were sufficient to show what he believes
happened then.
But what was new in his statement was that he thanked Turks who had
saved Armenians in 1915, a dimension of the whole issue that is not
dwelled on in any great length when this subject is debated.
Even the great Austrian writer Franz Werfel acknowledges this important
fact in his masterpiece "40 Days on Musa Dagh." Those who have read
this amazing piece of work know one of the "righteous" characters in
the novel is a certain "Rifat Bereket Agha" from Antakya, who actually
existed in real life.
Meanwhile, Turkish papers have become abound with human interest
stories about Armenians. Contacts are increasing between Turkish and
Armenian citizen groups, professional organizations and academicians.
In addition to this, Turkish reporters are traveling both to Armenia
and places like Beirut, where Armenians live in large numbers and
are reporting on what they hear and see.
These reports indicate clearly that Armenians will never forget what
happened to them in 1915, and no one has a right to expect this from
them. But they also indicate a very lively curiosity about Turkey,
as well as certain nostalgia, which is normal given that Turks and
Armenians have much in common culturally.
So the proverbial glass is not yet half full by a long shot. But
the developments of the past two years, including the two protocols
signed by the foreign ministers in Zurich, have galvanized something
between the two nations that did not exist before.
Hard-liners on both sides will try and nip this in the bud, of course.
But many seeds have been and are being sowed presently. And anyone who
works in a garden knows no matter how inhospitable the soil may be,
some seeds will insist on growing.