ARE YOU WITH US OR NOT?
By Hussein Shobokshi

Asharq Alawsat (The Middle East)
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April 29 2010

Armenian communities around the world recently marked an anniversary
that is important to them all; the anniversary that marks the loss
of large numbers of relatives in various battles at the end of
the Ottoman Empire. The Armenians believe that the number of those
killed by the Ottomans is one and a half million and they consider it
"genocide" just like the Holocaust of the Jews at the hands of the
German Nazis. However, the Turks insist that the number of Armenians
who lost their lives is no more than 500,000 and that the Armenians
also killed tens of thousands of Turks.

Over the past few years, the Armenians have intensified their campaigns
against the Turks on the local level in Turkey and also in the US by
having a law passed in US Congress to condemn Turkey and to declare
that what happened to the Armenians was "genocide." [In the past]
the Armenians resorted to destructive violence and formed terrorist
organizations that carried out bombings and assassinations.

The most notorious organization was the Armenian Secret Army for the
Liberation of Armenia (Asala) that assassinated 42 Turkish diplomats
in the 1970s and 1980s.

Present-day Turkey has taken important steps towards building bridges
and having mutual interests with Armenia and improving the standard of
living of the Armenian community in Turkey. Nevertheless, the doubts
and concerns of the Armenians are still prevalent and Armenia failed
to take similar steps towards Turkey in return. The historic step
taken by the Turkish President Abdullah Gul by visiting Armenia and
agreeing on some important treaties is still fresh in the memory of
many people. Nevertheless, Armenia obstructed the implementation of
the agreements signed when it reopened the age-old issue of genocide.

Turkey is not the Ottoman State in the same way that Germany is not
Hitler or Nazism to Israel. The problem today is that amid excellent
Arab-Turkish rapprochement and the building of important and serious
mutual interests, Armenian voices can be heard from the Arab world,
particularly Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, condemning and warning against
rapprochement.

Many Armenian politicians and businessmen make "odd" statements that
cast doubt over the history of the Turks and their ties with others.

There is no room for Armenian weeping in the Arab world. The Armenians
have turned the issue into one with no ending. Turkey today is
a responsible state that solves the problems of its factions and
communities such as the Jews, Christians, and Kurds, in a balanced
and rational manner and even the rational Armenians have testified
to that. But to turn Armenian "lamentation" into a trench between
the Arabs and the Turks and to exploit this before the international
community in such a low manner (that will only benefit Israel) is
completely rejected. The Armenian community in the Arab world is an
honourable one that has integrated with its population and achieved
successes in the fields of sport, literature, business, politics
and arts. It has rightly gained people’s trust and respect. Yet
today Arabs are apprehensive about the "timing" and the intensity
of Armenian statements, as well as the audacity of such statements
that were made in such an irresponsible manner. This is an issue
that will definitely have an impact on intentions and objectives of
the Armenians as a result, especially as they have long preferred to
remain silent about the Israeli massacres against Arabs (even though
they have a well known separate district in East Jerusalem and have
been directly harmed by the oppressive Israeli occupation).

The Armenians should decide whether they are a deep-rooted part of
the Arab world or not. Rapprochement with a respectful and strong
country like Turkey is in the Arab world’s best interest.