Ara Kochunyan: Armenian MP's in the Turkish Parliament can Introduce Some Joint Initiatives on the Armenian Issue (EXCLUSIVE)

• 06.15.2015, 16:27
•  Region,  Diaspora,  Interview

"Armedia" Information, Analytical Agency presents an exclusive interview with the editor-in-chief of the Armenian "Zhamanak" daily newspaper in Istanbul, Ara Kochunyan.

- Mr. Kochunyan, being the editor-in-chief of the Armenian "Zhamanak" daily newspaper in Istanbul, how would you assess the level of the freedom of expression and the opportunities of the media of minorities in Turkey?

- The Armenian media in Turkey functions in a free and open atmosphere. "Zhamanak" (Time) newspaper which I am editing has been published since 1908, for almost 110 years already. It is the oldest Armenian daily newspaper in the world and at the same time in Turkey - it has been continuously being published for so many years. This means that the Armenian mass media has quite deep and strong traditions in Turkey. As for the freedom of expression, whether the media is subjected to discrimination simply because of its being Armenian, then we should definitely answer NO, no obstacles are deliberately made against media here. Turkey is a country, where democracy and fundamental freedoms are getting stronger and stronger day by day. Though, at the same time, we realize that the press freedom in Turkey is far from being ideal, to put it mildly. We cannot deny this of course, but neither can we deny all the adequacy Turkey shows towards our newspapers. Anyway, there always exist both problems and challenges that should be confronted.

- As a person, who followed the Turkish parliamentary elections from inside, how would you assess the election process and the results?

- This period in Turkey could be called a "marathon of three elections". The first one was the election of local self-governing bodies, then the presidential elections, and quite recently the parliamentary elections, of course. Turkey's internal political life was too active during this time and became a hot topic of discussion for international media. As for the Armenian community in Turkey, these elections were quite interesting to them, since 3 politicians with Armenian origin entered the Parliament. Such thing has not happened for the past 5-6 decades.

3 out of 4 political parties which entered the Parliament have Armenian representatives. These parties differ greatly both in their ideology and the political agenda. We realize very well that these 3 people do not take mandates only to raise concerns of the Armenian community in Turkey and speak for their interests. They were elected as Turkish citizens who should contribute to the solution of common problems in their country. Interestingly enough, the Turkish "Justice and Development" party, which has been in power for already 13 years and now lost its opportunity to govern solely, still remains the strongest political force in Turkey. Therefore, we should not expect any drastic changes, let alone a political crisis in the country. I believe Turkey will continue to follow its natural course.

- What are your personal expectations and in general the expectations of the Armenian community in Turkey from the newly elected Armenian Deputies?

- These people were elected as MPs of the Republic of Turkey to form the legislative body of the country and come forth with their parties' ideas and priorities. It should be noted that throughout its history, the Turkish Parliament have also had MP’s with Jewish, Kurdish or even Assyrian origin. But it was their macro responsibility before the country that first came forward and only then some other activities. If in the Parliament the inter-party tension calms down and if an atmosphere of collaboration is established, then maybe it will be possible for our MP's to write some joint projects and introduce some joint initiatives on the Armenian issue. But anyhow, in order to discuss more tangible and realistic options, we should wait and see for the newly formed Parliament to function fully.  

- HDP gave serious promises on Genocide-related issues during its campaign. Will Armenian Genocide really become a topic of discussion in the Parliament?

- In general it is a widespread phenomenon in the world not to fulfill the pre-election promises. It is true that all the initiatives and changes concerning the Armenian question in Turkey are largely dependent on the will of the political party in power but on the other hand these are not processes that should be solved at the party level. Turkey has a special state policy concerning some very essential problems on the Armenian question, and this political line is drawn according to the circumstances and priorities of the given period, which is not connected with the parties’ subjective preferences. At least, Turkey's political experience shows quite the opposite.

I believe that in the current balance of forces, unlike the past, the nationalist moods are a bit higher on the background of which even the "Justice and Development" party, can also introduce some nationalistic features in its policy in order to bring back its electorate.