How Does Turkey Try To Save Its Face on the Centennial of Armenian Genocide?

• 03.30.2015, 10:50
• Liana Hovhannisyan
•  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Analytics

The analysis of the statements made by Turkish  President,  Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Prime Minister,  Ahmet Davutoglu,  since the beginning of 2015 helped to indentify number of frequently used  theses  by the Turkish officials. Once taken into consideration, those theses will help to form certain idea on the main direction of the Turkish strategy on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.  This article will comment on a number of those main  theses to make interferences  on the motives that lie behind them  and  when appropriate  to bring counterarguments to weight  the validity of those theses.  

First, in their speeches both  Erdogan and  Davutoglu make separate addresses  to the Armenian Government on the one hand and to the Armenian Diaspora on the other hand. For example,  during the discussion  entitled "1915 The Longest Year of Ottoman Empire" in Columbia President of Turkey blamed the Armenian Diaspora for its "negative campaign", which according to him hinders possible cooperation between Turkish and Armenia governments.  In another occasion, during the opening ceremony of the exhibition devoted to First World War Erdogan started his speech on the  Armenian Genocide in the following way: "Hey Armenian Diaspora, hey Armenian government…."

In this case one does not have to delve deep into the analysis to realize the real motives of the Turkish such kind of strategy: Turkey simply tries to create artificial division between the Armenian Diaspora and Armenian Government. The reason is clear:  the representatives of Turkish government have understood long ago that for them it is much harder to struggle against the united efforts of the Armenian Diaspora and Armenian government  than to each of them separately, thus by periodically blaming this of that side Turkey simply aims at disuniting them.  

 Second, in their speeches Turkish officials often voices their "willingness to give a cooperating hand to the Armenian side but it remains in the air." In the same statement made in Columbia Turkish president once more complained that because of negative stance of the Armenian side the Turkish efforts to establish cooperation end up in vain. However the reality on the ground does not speak in favor for Turkish such kind of seeming efforts: in Turkey the  policy of oppression against the Armenians is still ongoing. The recent proof of such kind of policy was the information disseminated in the media that the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople will not join the Armenian churches to serve a liturgy on April 23 to honor the memory of the innocent victims. That is to say bells in Armenian churches all around the world will ring for 100 times on April 23, 7:15 p.m. everywhere in the world expect in Turkey. 

Another recent proof of the existing hatred towards the Armenians in Turkey became the sentences written on the wall of Armenian Church of Surb Astvatsatsin in Istanbul. The record reads "1915 blessed year. What does it matter if you are all Armenian when there is already one Ogün Samas (the murderer of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink )? "

Third, often used thesis is that Turkish side is ready to  open  archives and taking the Genocide recognition issue from political to academic context.  On the occasion President of Turkey once particularly stated:

"If you are sincere open the archives, let  the historians examine and prepare  repots for us. Then we as politicians will sit and discuss the issue. If there will be a necessity for us to pay, we will pay, but nobody comes, "- TRT TV reports .

However in this case also facts did not speak in favor of Turkish President "polite statement". Aside from the fact that Genocide is a historical reality and it needs no further academic investigation to be proved, the Armenian side has no ground to trust the Turkish side and to cooperate with Turkey on the issues. The facts will speak for themselves if one just mentions the recent statement of the founder of the Egypt’s Jihat Party Sheik Nabil Naim, according to which Turkish  government paid over 1 million dollars bribe to Muslim Brotherhood to destroy Armenian Genocide related documents at an institute in Egypt.

Forth, the persistent strategy of  trying to connect  the normalization of Turkish Armenia relations with Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is often reflected in the speeches of the Turkish officials.  This strategy  aims at distraction the attention of the international community from the Genocide recognition issue. In this context Turkish officials in their speeches play a role of "wise advisors". Both President and Prime Minister of Turkey  not once spoke about  return of territories to the Azerbaijani side or return of  Azerbaijani refugees to the two Armenia Republics. However, Turkey should first of all remember about its obligations: moral and material compensation for the confiscated property and for the psychological damage the Armenian people have to undergo during the years of Armenian Genocide.   

And finally, the last but the most funny thesis often used by the Turkish officials are the one that tries to present the Turkish side as "victims" while the Armenian one as "perpetrators" in the Ottoman Empire. This thesis made by the Turkish official seem to be illogical unless they go so far in their illusions to say that Ottoman Empire in reality was an Armenian Empire.