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ISTANBUL: Turkish citizenship for Armenian diaspora good for normali

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  • ISTANBUL: Turkish citizenship for Armenian diaspora good for normali

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    Nov 30 2014

    Turkish citizenship for Armenian diaspora good for normalization

    November 29, 2014, Saturday/ 17:00:00/ OSMAN Ã`NALAN


    The normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations starts with honest,
    responsible dialogue and concrete steps taken by the Turkish
    government toward Western Armenians -- descendants of the former
    Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire -- such as an offer of
    citizenship, says a diaspora Armenian, who believes Turkish civil
    society should encourage the state to take responsibility and
    facilitate any such initiatives.

    Sevak Artsruni, secretary-general of the National Congress of Western
    Armenians (NCWA), an international NGO with headquarters in Paris,
    says that if the Turkish government offers citizenship to Armenians
    who wish to return it will be a step forward, provided these citizens
    are given full political, cultural and civil rights. Artsruni said
    this step must be immediately followed by others: laws and decrees
    concerning so-called abandoned property must be canceled; cadastre and
    civil state archives must be opened; Armenian churches and cultural
    institutions must be returned; the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) and the
    Constitution must be revised, not only for the Armenians, but to make
    Turkey a country where all citizens have equal rights and where the
    rule of law and justice prevail.

    In an interview with Sunday's Zaman, Artsruni said that if you read
    the books and newspapers, or study statements of Armenians in the
    Ottoman parliament, you will discover a basic will to see their
    Ottoman homeland transformed into a more democratic, more liberal,
    more harmonious state.

    Emphasizing that most Armenians may not welcome the offer of
    citizenship, Artsruni believes it is still a step forward in
    relations. Moreover, he is of the opinion that Turkey has to take the
    step without expecting a joyful reaction from Armenians as it needs to
    solve the Armenian issue most importantly for its own sake and for its
    own development as a democratic, just and free state.

    Underlining the importance of civil society organizations, Artsruni
    said the more progress that is made, the greater the ability to
    involve constructive goodwill in the common endeavor to achieve peace,
    progress and harmony. `We should mobilize people of good sense on both
    sides,' Artsruni added.

    Artsruni criticized the existence of Article 301 in the TCK, under
    which writers like Elif Å?afak and the late Hrant Dink have been tried
    for insulting Turkishness or the Turkish nation, and said that no
    matter what label is given to the organized mass killing and
    deportation of Armenians in 1915, the most important issue is to offer
    appropriate legal and economic reparations for the loss of Armenian
    lives and property and to create a favorable context for the
    rehabilitation of all victims of Turkish ultra-nationalism.

    According to Artsruni, the 100th anniversary of the events of 1915 is
    a chance to change Armenian sentiments from hate, revenge and
    frustration into dialogue and constructive, responsible approaches to
    the Western Armenian problem. On the eve of the centenary, the Turkish
    state should initiate an open and official discussion with NCWA with a
    sincere and courageous effort, added Artsruni.

    Turkish-Armenian commentators and groups representing diaspora
    Armenians consider the granting of Turkish citizenship to the
    descendants of the Armenians who left Turkey during the events of 1915
    as a key means of initiating a process of reconciliation, all the more
    so if accomplished ahead of the 2015 commemoration.

    Some steps have been taken to revive the Armenian initiative, boosted
    by remarks from then-Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu that showed
    tentative support for reconciliation between the two countries,
    including the Armenian diaspora. During his visit to Yerevan in
    December 2013, DavutoÄ?lu said Turkey never supported the deportation
    of Armenians in 1915, which most Armenians define as `genocide,' and
    described the deportations as an inhumane act of which it is
    impossible to approve. The Armenian diaspora and Armenians living in
    Turkey found the remarks a belated but significant step that showed
    Turkey's willingness to come to a solution.

    DavutoÄ?lu's speech was followed by a historical first for the Turkish
    Republic; then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an extended his
    condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians who lost their lives in
    1915. His surprising statement came on April 23, 2014, ahead of the
    Armenian commemoration on April 24 of the events they describe as
    genocide under Ottoman rule. The demand for Turkish citizenship was
    lauded again in January 2013 by some Armenian diaspora groups that
    visited Ankara. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in April 2014 that
    they look at the demand positively and may complete the work before
    April 2015.


    http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_turkish-citizenship-for-armenian-diaspora-good-for-normalization_365675.html

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