TURKEY WANTS TO SEE AAM BACK
Azg/arm
14 Dec 04
The All Armenian Movement held its 14th sitting on December 9 to
support former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian’s reappearance
on thepolitical arena. The same day Hatem Jabbarlu, employee of the
Caucasian Department of Eurasian Military Research Center in Ankara,
posted an article inHaber Analizonline edition urging Turkish
government to boost the return of AAM to the political arena.
In other words, AAM has pinned its hope on Ter-Petrosian and Turkey –
on AAM. So they both supplement each other. But why and how is this
possible? Before answering the question we’ll mention that Jabbarlu’s
article was entitled “Rose in Georgia, Orange in Ukraine. May it be
Snowdrop in Armenia?”. Speaking of the “velvet” and “orange”
revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine, the author calls them
non-traditional ones, notes that only USA today has the power tocarry
out such a revolution and then informs that there are the signs of
“snowdrop” revolution in Armenia.
According to Jabbarlu, the signs of “snowdrop” revolution became
visible in Armenia in March of 2004 when the opposition united around
the Ardarutyun Union and rallied against President Robert Kocharian
demanding his resignation. He thinks that they gave way to Kocharian,
as they “didn’t have one ideology and joint strategy”.
Enumerating the reasons why the opposition failed, Jabbarlu says that
it failed because of wrong evaluation of Georgia’s “velvet”
revolutionas well as opposition’s improvident actions that wanted to
carry out Georgian scenario without considering inner and foreign
developments in Armenia and Kocharian administration’s power.
Apparently the author accuses the US National Democracy Institute and
the so-called Soros Foundation alongside with Armenian opposition of
improvidence. Referring to the head of the Yerevan office of
Democracy Institute, Chet Roger’s support to the opposition and the
critiques addressed to pro-Russian parties and NGOs, Jabbarlu says
that the Institute was not as much of help in Armenia as it was in
Georgia. Besides, neither the Armenian opposition was so strong nor
the authorities were that weak for the anti-government movement backed
by the American organizations to win.
Hatem Jabbarlu speaks of the failure with regret. But he is hopeful
that the “velvet” and “orange” revolutions will inspire Armenian
opposition. “Though the party of Ardarutyun is the initiator of the
upheaval, the All Armenian Movement gets ready for return into the
politics. The first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosian was not
active in politics since his resignation. But he has all the chances
and abilities to gain people’s support if serious propaganda program
is implemented. But unique political, economic and social approaches,
new strategies as well as cooperation with other oppositional parties
are needed to reach the goal. Otherwise, his past of freedom warrior
will not be enough to take over the reins”.
Thus, we may assume that Jabbarlu is ascribing the mission of not only
AAM but also the opposition as a whole to Ter-Petrosian reminding the
later to turn to the USA for help. Jabbarlu thinks: “Armenian
opposition is attracted by the â=80=98orange’ revolution. Therefore,
the power that will unite the nation by concentrating on socioeconomic
and political issues, will unite the political parties, will take into
consideration the interests of super powers, first of all the US, will
declare of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue and will lean on
the US support will be able to carry out the â=80=98snowdropâ=80=99
revolution”.
Along with handing the role of opposition spearhead to Ter-Petrosian,
Jabbarlu says that by heading the “snowdrop” revolution he will fill
his political biography with one more patriotic deed.
What’s the reason of Turkish author’s interest towards Ter-Petrosian?
There may be only one reason: Turkey’s political
calculations. Jabbarlu himself mentions them: “Turkey has to be
attentive as to what is going on in its neighboring countries and
elaborate scenarios on this developments. It mustespecially
concentrate on possible developments in Armenia and meet with Armenian
political parties to direct them and to have the right assessment of
situation and to draw closer to the possible candidate of
presidency”. All these measures are needed to weaken the Armenian
propaganda in the issue of the so-called genocide and to become a
regional super power”.
Jabbarlu’s care for Ter-Petrosian is explicable in the view of the
fact that the 14th sitting of the AAM laid the responsibility for the
Armenian Genocide not on the Ottoman Empire but the Armenian
national-socialist ideology.
The only thing Turkey can do now is to wait for Ter-Petrosian to come
back to the politics, unite all the oppositional parties around AAM
and to lead Armenia to a “snowdrop” revolution in order not to
disappoint Turkey.
By Hakob Chakrian