ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: ISSUE OF GLOBAL POLITICS?
Lina Veskushenko
Pravda
/asia/28-04-2008/105017-armenian_genocide-0
April 28 2008
Russia
The world has commemorated another anniversary of Armenian genocide by
the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1923. Most countries, as well as Russia,
acknowledged the fact of misdeed. However, Turkey refused to do
it; anyway, the EU not to accept Turkey. Turkey and Armenia have
practically no relations, but international geopolitics is involved
in the issue of genocide. The relations between the two countries
are improving at local level. Why are politicians so adamant?
On April 24 Armenians in the whole world commemorate an anniversary
of Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire. Traditionally, solemn
and mourning events take place in Yerevan at the Memorial Complex
on top of Tsitsernakaberd hill. The monument is 12 inward-leaning
slabs that symbolize 12 vilayets (provinces) of the Ottoman Empire,
which territory Armenians inhabited before the genocide. The eternal
flame is housed in the center of the monument. In Armenian churches
there is a funeral service this day. Besides, numerous mourning events
are held in different cities of the world: in Moscow, Tbilisi, Paris,
Marseilles, Cologne, Berlin, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and others.
Meanwhile, the fact that Armenian genocide was acknowledged by Turkey,
the assumed successor of the Ottoman Empire, long became a stumbling
block to the relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Turkey seeks to join
the EU, however most EU members demanded the acknowledgement of the
genocide. Experts and analysts question: "Will the issue of Turkey’s
responsibility for genocide turn into the issue of the world politics?"
It is to be noted that today the fact of the genocide was acknowledged
by 15 countries, including Russia, France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada,
Lithuania and above 30 US states. Last year the US Senate Committee on
Foreign Relations approved of the resolution that acknowledged Armenian
genocide by Turkey, despite the fact that the White House recommended
not to do it for fear of possible aggravations in the relations with
Turkey. Anyway, the resolution is neither an obligation, nor a law.
Turkey stated in response that it might decrease its help to US troops
in Iraq. According to Egemen Bagis, the deputy chairman of Turkey’s
ruling Justice and Development Party, "US troops in Iraq are largely
dependent on Turkey, and if the USA adopts a law on Armenian genocide,
Ankara will have to reduce the help."
Why has the issue of Armenian genocide turned into the issue of the
world politics?" It is not persistence of Ankara and its own view of
the history of Armenians and Turks. According to Armenian sources,
the genocide claimed 1.5 million lives. At night of April, 24 1915
the government of Young Turks arrested and killed practically all the
Armenian intelligence in Istanbul. Then there was a mass deportation
of Armenians from all the provinces of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey ‘s authorities have their own version of events. They call
the deportation of Armenians "a forced migration", since Armenians
were against the Turkish government during the attack of Russian
troops. Turkish historians argue that the operation claimed 300,000
Armenians at most.
Yerevan and Ankara have been at the state of cold war for almost
100 years. They did not break the ice even in the post-Soviet
years. Although Turkey was the first country to acknowledge Armenia’s
independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the borders between
the countries has remained closed. Turkey did not acknowledge the
genocide, but it also argued that all charges of the genocide should be
dismissed. Moreover, it backed up Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue. The more Europe insists on acknowledgement of the genocide,
the stronger Ankara denies the fact.
Weak steps towards better relations yielded no results. Ankara offered
Armenia to participate in the mixed committee that would have ready
access to archives to investigate mass murders. No further steps
followed. Armenia agreed to take part in a project of building the
Kars-Akhalkalaki railroad; however, the issue is still up in the air.
After France acknowledged the Armenian genocide in 2001, Turkey
witnessed large-scale boycotts of French commodities, and French
companies were not allowed to take part in lucrative projects. As a
result, the turnover between Paris and Ankara decreased by over one
billion dollars in a year.
So why does the Armenian genocide of the past century excite comment
and cause a standoff between Ankara and the West? The issue of the
Armenian genocide is not as simple as that. There is really a growing
confrontation between Europe and Muslim countries, as well as the
important geopolitical aspect of the problem in the strained struggle
for energy resources.
Acknowledgement of the genocide entails consequences like in the
case with Germany and Austria that acknowledged the genocide of the
Jewish people during the Second World War and the derision of Slavs
and other peoples. Both countries pay compensation to sufferers.
In the case of Turkey Armenia may claim material and territorial
compensation, for Mount Ararat, the symbol of Armenian people, is
situated in Turkey. The former president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan,
stated that even if Turkey acknowledged the genocide, that would not
mean that Armenia would claim territorial and material compensation
from Turkey. Nevertheless, Turkey is afraid of that, for Turkey’s
economy will not endure it.
However, the issue of the Armenian genocide is likely to be followed
by the issue of the genocide of Kurds who Ankara had struggled for
years. An illustration of this scenario may be an interview of Okhran
Pamuk to a Swiss journal where he mentioned a million victims of the
Armenian genocide and 30,000 Kurds who died in 1984-1999. Okhran Pamuk
was attacked by the nationalistic press and strongly criticized by
aggressive demonstrators.
As for genocide, tragic events really took place, and people really
should remember their forefathers. They will go to the Yerevan
monument to pay homage to victims of 1915; they will light candles to
commemorate them. But time is a great healer, and Armenians whose
ancestors fled from the Kars massacre now marry Turks and live
happily. Nevertheless, they will come to Yerevan on April 24 and
will light candles for victims of the genocide. Turkish husbands will
tell nothing.
Hopefully, history will not play another practical joke with
this region, and Ankara and Yerevan will not let a spark kindle a
flame. Moreover, children born in Armenian-Turkish families should take
care for that. Politicians of Armenia and Turkey should be reasonable,
as well as politicians of those countries that play a geopolitical
game in the Caucasus.