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Turkish President Of European Council Should Be Barred From Armenia

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  • Turkish President Of European Council Should Be Barred From Armenia

    Turkish President of European Council Should be Barred from Armenia
    Harut Sassounian

    Panorama.am
    18/05/2010

    Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish President of PACE (Parliamentary Assembly
    of the Council of Europe), offended his hosts by refusing to lay a
    wreath at the Armenian Genocide Monument during his visit to Yerevan
    last week.

    When the Armenian media questioned him about his refusal, Cavusoglu
    lied by saying that his predecessors had not done so either. Armenian
    journalists corrected him by pointing out that his predecessors
    had in fact visited the Genocide Monument. After getting caught,
    he changed his tune and confessed that it was his personal decision
    not to visit the Monument and asked that Armenians respect his wishes.

    Why should Armenians respect a genocide denier and a liar? Although a
    founder of the ruling Justice and Development Party and member of the
    Turkish Parliament, Cavusoglu was not visiting Armenia as a Turkish
    official, but as President of PACE. It is regrettable that earlier this
    year Armenia's delegates to PACE were not successful in blocking his
    election to the Presidency of this influential European institution.

    The real issue is not Cavusoglu's ethnic background. No one should be
    disqualified from any post due to his or her ethnicity. The objections
    are based on his long-standing opposition to Armenian issues, including
    denials of the Armenian Genocide and support for Azerbaijan in the
    Artsakh conflict.

    Upon learning that Cavusoglu would not visit the Genocide Memorial --
    a standard protocol for all high-ranking dignitaries visiting Yerevan
    -- the Armenian government decided to downgrade the status of his
    visit from "official" to that of a "working" one. Needless to say,
    this was just a slap on the wrist, given the gravity of his offense.

    Regrettably, Armenian officials did not issue a single word of
    criticism or condemnation. They should have taken a harsher measure
    against Cavusoglu and cancelled his trip to Yerevan. By not enforcing
    the country's long established protocol, Armenian officials are simply
    encouraging future visiting dignitaries not to respect the memory of
    Armenian Genocide victims.

    A bad precedent was already set in September 2008, when Pres. Gul was
    invited to Yerevan. I wrote a column then urging Armenian authorities
    to ask the Turkish President to lay a wreath at the Genocide Monument.

    Unfortunately, no such request was made of Pres. Gul, and he was more
    than happy to sidestep the issue!

    I must commend the Armenian Revolutionary Federation for refusing to
    meet with Cavusoglu during his Yerevan visit, because of his disrespect
    for Armenian Genocide victims. His visit was also condemned by the
    local Student Union of the Hnchag Party.

    Unfortunately, officials of an opposition party met Cavusoglu in
    Yerevan to pursue their own agenda, asking him -- a Turk -- to
    condemn the Armenian government's human rights record. Meanwhile,
    pro-government parties met Cavusoglu to familiarize him with Armenia's
    position on major regional issues, as if he would be willing to change
    his views on the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh and Armenian-Turkish
    relations.

    Regardless of his own and his government's denialist position on the
    Armenian Genocide, Cavusoglu should not be excused for not having
    visited the Genocide Monument. Even Ambassadors of countries that do
    not formally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide take part in the solemn
    procession on April 24 and lay a wreath at the Genocide Monument.

    By refusing to follow protocol, Cavusoglu not only insulted the
    Armenian nation, but also violated the long-standing recognition of
    the Armenian Genocide by the European Parliament.

    In the end, by his words and deeds, the Turkish diplomat managed to
    embarrass himself and undermine his own credibility as a political
    figure unworthy of representing a prominent European institution and
    its values.

    To avoid similar scandals in the future, Armenian officials must
    contact foreign dignitaries in advance of their planned visits and
    impress upon them the importance of respecting Armenia's established
    protocol on laying a wreath at the Genocide Monument. Should they
    refuse, their visit should be promptly canceled. Can anyone imagine
    a foreign dignitary visiting Jerusalem and refusing to lay a wreath
    at the Yad Vashem memorial for Holocaust victims? He or she would
    not be allowed to set foot in Israel again. The Armenian government
    should take a similar stand vis-a-vis the Armenian Genocide Memorial!

    At the end of his first visit to Armenia, Cavusoglu announced that
    he would be back in Yerevan in October. I hope Armenian officials
    do not let him into the country, unless he is prepared to respect
    Armenia's established protocols for all foreign dignitaries.

    If Armenian officials do not insist on applying their own rules and
    regulations, foreign dignitaries would have no reason to comply!
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