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ISTANBUL: A 2009 look at the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation

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  • ISTANBUL: A 2009 look at the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation

    Hurriyet, Turkey
    Jan 2 2010


    A 2009 look at the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation

    Saturday, January 2, 2010
    Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu
    ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

    CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the location
    where the protocols were signed. This version reflects the correction.

    The Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process started in September 2008
    with `football diplomacy' and gained new dimensions in 2009. The
    foreign ministers of the two countries signed historic protocols
    despite the increased public pressure from both of their countries.
    Although the borders have not been reopened due to the Azerbaijani
    factor, 2010 looks like it will bring many new developments.

    September 2008, when the national football teams of Turkey and Armenia
    played a match in Yerevan, happened to be a historical milestone not
    only for the two countries but also for me personally. I was in the
    press box as an Armenian member of the Turkish press with the
    industry's leading names right beside me. Moreover, I was in a stadium
    for the first time in my life. I sang the national anthems of both
    countries with tears in my eyes. I only wanted to cheer when the game
    started but I was afraid to be misunderstood. Suddenly, Fatih Ã?ekirge,
    one of the master columnists of daily Hürriyet, held my hands and gave
    me strength. My voice was crackling; I supported the team of Armenia
    for the first time in my life even if I knew it was going to lose.

    The `football diplomacy' started a historical process of convergence
    between Turkey and Armenia, after the tragic events of 1915 that have
    scarred both sides. The two countries declared in April that they
    agreed on a road map to open the borders and normalize relations.
    Naturally, all hell broke lose in Turkey and Armenia.

    The Armenian public opinion claimed Turkey has profited from the
    protocols and the Serge Sarkisian's administration compensated.
    Demonstrations and hunger strikes were held in the capital Yerevan and
    protests have emerged in countries where members the Armenian diaspora
    reside.

    In Turkey, criticisms were voiced on how Azerbaijan was abandoned in
    the Nagorno-Karabakh problem it has with Armenia. Turkey closed its
    Armenian border in 1993 to show support for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has
    been putting pressure on Turkey every chance it has to not open the
    border before a solution can be reached.

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an went to Baku and promised that the
    protocols would not be approved by the Turkish Parliament before a
    solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. However, no such direct
    connection was made in the protocol drafts. Even though no progress
    has been made in the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the two sides decided
    to sign the protocols before the return match in October.

    The return match played in Bursa was under the shadow of tension
    raised by the Azerbaijan issue among the Turkish public. Extreme
    security measures were taken around the stadium. No tickets were sold
    in order to keep the normal supporters outside and they were handed
    out to select people just hours before the game. The accredited press
    were granted access at the last minute. I was in Bursa again for duty
    and I could not receive my accreditation papers. I found a high
    official from the Football Federation of Turkey and told him the
    importance of this match for me and that was how I managed to enter
    the stadium.

    The effort to bring Azerbaijani flags to the stadium by some created a
    tense atmosphere before the game but things went smoothly when
    Bursaspor supporters released white doves into the sky just before the
    kick-off. The match in Bursa was less exciting for me compared to the
    one in Yerevan. I experienced the real excitement a few days prior to
    the match when the two foreign ministers signed the protocols.

    Actually, the process experienced until the signing in October was as
    exciting as that day too. I was in Yerevan in September when the
    protesters were on hunger strike and I went to the central bureau of
    the Tashnak Party to interview them. The place was surrounded with
    meters-long banners and people were running around in hurry. The
    hunger strike lasted for a month across from the Foreign Ministry
    building. Petitions were signed in the streets against the protocols
    and the resignation of Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian was
    demanded. Despite all this, Nalbandian sat at the table in Switzerland
    next to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu. I was following the
    events from Istanbul instead of Yerevan this time. I remember seeing
    Charles Aznavour, the world famous French artist of Armenian origin
    and Armenia's ambassador to Sweden, live television and looking really
    stressed out. Also, an unexpected surprise was experienced on the day
    of the signing as the process became stuck due to disagreements on the
    protocol texts and only later the foreign ministers of the two
    countries appeared and the protocols were signed. I took a deep
    breath. I also understood that despite sharing the same lands for
    centuries, the re-emergence of the two peoples would not be as easy as
    expected.

    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.p hp?n=a-2009-look-to-the-turkey-armenia-convergence -2009-12-30
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