Erdogan Thinks Everyone Should Accept Its "Genocidal History" Except Turkey

• 06.08.2016, 12:16
• Arpine Hovsepyan
•  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Armenia

IHA Photo

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan behaves as usual. He calls on every country that recognizes Armenian genocide to face its own "genocidal history". After the German Bundestag adopted a resolution on Armenian Genocide, Germany and the EU have become the target of the Turkish authorities.

According to Erdogan, Germany is the last country to blame someone in conducting a genocide. Turkey’s President reminded Berlin about "Jews burned in the ovens and 100,000 massacred Namibians". Moreover, Erdogan says "under the elegant pavement of Western capital cities - Berlin, Paris, Brussels are the lives, blood and effort of Africans".

It is quite an expected response. In 2011, when the French Parliament adopted a bill criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial, Turkish authorities in the same way accused France of committing genocide in Algeria. Almost the same logic works when Ankara accuses the United States of America in the massacre of the native population of America every time the US Congress discusses a bill related to the Armenian Genocide or another American stat recognizes it.

Turkey that blames everyone for "mistakes of history" forgets that the same Germany has long recognized the Holocaust. In case of Namibia in 2004 German Development Minister visited Namibia on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of massacre and said what happened 100 years ago was Genocide, and Germans accept their historical and moral responsibility, apologizing on behalf of the German Government. In 2015 the President of the German Bundestag Norbert Lammert, condemning the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, said what happened in Namibia was genocide. It means Erdogan’s accusations against Germany are baseless, also taking into consideration the fact that Germany is responsible for the Armenian Genocide and accepts its own part of fault by passing this resolution.

But that's not all. Ankara is unhappy that the Armenian issue is being politicized and used against Turkey. In reality, Turkey itself politicizes Armenian Genocide recognition, refusing to accept that politicization of the problem can be avoided only in case of accepting history. 

Of course, Turkey’s aggressive announcements will have their negative impact on the relations between Turkey and Germany (as well as Turkey-EU relations), but taking into account the political and economic importance of this relations, Turkey will hardly dare to pass to practical actions. They will probably return to their usual agenda in the near future.