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ANKARA: Armenians Will Complain About Turkey

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  • ANKARA: Armenians Will Complain About Turkey

    ARMENIANS WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT TURKEY

    Hurriyet
    March 30 2010
    Turkey

    The Armenian people get up each morning thinking of genocide, talking
    about Turkey during the day and watch news on TV about Erdogan before
    going to bed. Of course, I am exaggerating but I see the same things
    here in Armenia that I used to experience in Greece.

    Previously when I came to Armenia people would talk about genocide
    but not this much. During the Soviet term a struggle for genocide was
    forbidden. People would argue about it but it wouldn't be carried as
    far as a fight with Turkey. With the dispersion of the Soviet Union
    and the independence of Armenia this passion increased. Since my last
    visit in 2000 everything has gotten out of control.

    Today's passion is best described by Dr. Hovanisyan of the Yerevan
    University:

    "For us genocide is the start of a history, being kicked out of heaven
    meant starting from scratch, a milestone. It is our collective memory.

    As long as Turkey does not accept genocide no relationship can be put
    on track. Accept it and forget about it, there is no other way. That
    way we'd stop playing a mutual game."

    Genocide is a passion now.

    Ignoring genocide means ignoring the Armenian presence, people started
    to believe something as unrealistic as "fire won't burn."

    You might guess how big an excitement and political argument emerged
    in respect to the signed protocols in such an environment. In Turkey
    this subject remained within the frame of the opposition-administration
    fight. The border lines of this argument have expanded. Here it has
    created an effect as if a dynamite exploded.

    Sarkisian is in a difficult situation, Erdogan is being questioned

    President Sarkisian took on a great risk in political respect when
    he gave a green light to the protocols. For, according to some,
    he made a historic mistake in respect to genocide.

    "Do you know what it means to sent the genocide issue before the
    historians commission? It means to reopen an issue which we made
    the world accept and to create suspicion as to whether it was right
    or wrong which would mean destroying a work done over the past 100
    years," says the Armenian expert.

    He also says, "Historians won't be able to agree on a mutual decision.

    One will say there has been genocide committed. The other will say
    no there hasn't. Our opportunity to make Turkey accept or have the
    parliament approve of it will be destroyed."

    Hovanisyan's reply to the question what would Armenia's answer be
    in case Turkey would want to apply to the The Hague's International
    Court of Justice together with Armenia was the following:

    "Why would I go to the International Court of Justice? I am not
    after anything. What would I want to prove? Genocide is for real,
    why would I want to argue over it?"

    Now this is the suspicion part of Armenians and part of the diaspora
    seriously carries. That is the reason why Sarkisian is in a difficult
    position.

    If the protocols are not approved Turkey experiences a loss in
    different ways. I.e. it will lose the opportunity to freeze genocide
    allegations or put them on hold.

    Erdogan has a strange reputation here.

    On one side they praise him for his brave steps and applaud him as
    a leader who started initiatives no one else could. They believe if
    one day a solution is to be found Erdogan will find it. Especially
    the Armenian community in Turkey for the first time praises Erdogan
    as a Turkish Prime Minister.

    On the other side he is criticized for being a leader who allies with
    the Armenians and would deport illegal Armenian workers which revives
    in them previous exile days. And even attempts of a gesture like
    apologizing to the leaders of the Armenian community in Istanbul or
    opening the Armenian church on the island of Akdamar for worshipping
    once a year did not satisfy people. I met people saying, "What does
    opening the church for worship once a year mean? It's like a donation.

    If you want to do some good then keep it constantly open..."

    Like an academic said in respect to Erdogan, "Can't live with him,
    can't live without him."

    We can't wait for too long

    The Armenians are about to attack in a diplomatic way.

    "We will knock on the doors of those who were standing behind our two
    ministers of foreign affairs and applauding while they were signing
    the protocols to ask them to make Turkey comply with its signature,"
    says an upper level official. He continued saying that the first step
    will be taken in April in Washington with President Obama and others
    will follow because they are not willing to wait for months. He also
    said, "As we wait, the Azerbaijanis will become stiffer in respect to
    Karabag. And since they have leaned their backs on Turkey, negotiations
    are becoming a drag."

    So, do we know what will happen in case the protocols are approved
    and borders opened? Will the Armenian become richer? What will happen?

    I will talk about it tomorrow.
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