Today’s Zaman, turkey
April 18 2015

Who will Turkey talk to on the Armenian issue?

April 18, 2015, Saturday/ 17:00:00/ MEHMET FATÄ°H Ã-ZTARSU

Turkey, which has been trying to preserve its power in the
international arena by relying on the support of its Western allies,
is currently suffering from serious backlash. Our politicians, who are
unable to realize the growing resentment towards Turkey in the West
due to domestic political considerations, continue to make bold and
optimistic statements.

The Armenian diaspora, launching an effective campaign to push Turkey
into a corner, now puts pressure on certain lobbying firms. These
firms, which have made a lot of money working for Turkey for many
years, are not only subject to strong propaganda; the diaspora also
asks the huge firms to impose boycotts on Turkey. And it has been
successful so far.

Gephardt Group is one of the lobbying firms that recently faced a
boycott. Diaspora sources indicate that the lobbying firm, which
receives $1.4 million every year, is now facing huge pressure after
recent calls for boycotts.

The diaspora sources disclosed documents showing the lobbying
company’s work in favor of Turkey in Washington; they publicize
details about this work, describing it as `dirty business.’ They are
disclosing the details on which American politicians they talked to,
the amount of money they spend on their travels to Turkey and on the
possible partnerships in the states. It seems that the diaspora will
disclose some additional information on other lobbying firms and their
activities.

The diaspora’s activities on Turkey are not limited to the 1915
campaign. The diaspora also places emphasis on Turkey’s denial of
historical developments, and, in addition, they also argue that Turkey
has been supporting radical groups in Syria and that it fails to
return Armenian properties to their original owners. These activities,
I could say, are just a start; through these activities, the diaspora
seeks to push Turkey into a corner and to threaten unofficial Turkish
supporters in the US. American executives who attend a promotional
event for Turkish culture may be accused of being manipulated by
Turkey’s `dirty politics.’

A recent incident in February was unsettling for the Americans. The
American Armenian National Committee strongly reacted to a promotional
poster featuring Turkish women in folkloric attire and the Turkish
flag in a famous coffee shop in Los Angeles; the shop removed the flag
after the strong reaction. A strong message was delivered to the Turks
and their supporters. In addition, this proved that the lobbying
firms, despite receiving large sums of money from the diaspora, did
not do their jobs well. The heated discussions often accompanied by
hate discourse exacerbated the tension between the Turks and the
Armenians. One of the discussions on the matter was about whether the
Jews would respond if a German flag had been exhibited. The diaspora’s
activities include holding popular events with the participation of
celebrities in an attempt to draw attention to April 24, giving
rewards and involving Armenia in these activities. For instance, movie
star George Clooney is already presented as a key advocate for the
recognition of the genocide events.

Failing to recognize Karabakh

Armenia, which no longer cares about the diaspora and the protocols,
does not maintain relations with Turkey; Turkey, on the other hand, is
unable to identify who to talk to in an attempt to refresh its image
with bold campaigns against lobbying activities. Turkey’s ambivalence
in this matter is understandable because some of the politicians in
Yerevan are former criminals who committed war crimes in
Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s; this obstructs any attempts of dialogue
on the events of 1915. The diaspora focuses on the events of 1915 and
fails to recognize Karabakh and the terrorist Armenian Secret Army for
the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), and this shows that it is not
sincere about addressing crimes against humanity.

The approach of a government or political actor that argues that the
Treaties of Gimri and Moscow were concluded by past governments and
are thus not valid today, that ASALA was a matter of the past in the
Soviet era, that the massacres in Karabakh were part of the liberation
of those lands and, for this reason, deaths were normal in that war,
cannot be seen as sincere in its cause of dealing with the 1915 pains.
We need to focus on historical facts to measure this sincerity. For
instance, we are unable to appreciate the constructive approach of
some figures, including first Prime Minister of Armenia Hovhannes
Kcaznuni, who in 1918 admitted the crimes and errors of the Armenian
side in this environment of disinformation. We also see that the
diaspora, despite arguing that it is working to ensure that crimes
against humanity will not be committed again, remains silent on
massacres and genocides in the recent past.

Of course, arguing that our people were also killed is not a good
approach for Turkey as well, and this is not sincere. In addition,
praising the governments of the past and ignoring their sins are also
insincere. The same is done by the Armenians who praise the Dashnak
leaders and those who committed massacres in Karabakh. So we realize
that both sides have the capacity to rely on the same methods for
further hostility. However, despite their similarity in many respects,
the parties do not make efforts for reconciliation.

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*Mehmet Fatih Ã-ztarsu is an analyst with the Strategic Outlook Institution.