Defeatist Moods in Turkey

• 04.16.2015, 23:15
• Liana Hovhannisyan
•  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World

Recent developments on the eve of the centennial of Armenian Genocide:  special mass in St Peter’s Basilica to mark the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,  Pope Francis’s calling the Armenian Genocide the first genocide of the 20th century, as well as recent resolution of the European Parliament calling Turkey to recognize Armenian Genocide created defeatist moods in Turkey. The recent announcement of the Deputy Head of Republican People’s Party (CHP) , Murat Özçelik, in which he blamed AKP, particularly Erdogan for failed foreign policy on the issue, is a vivid example of such kind of defeatist mood.

The following aspects stressed in the announcement made by Murat Özçelik are worth of attention. First of all opposition Deputy Head openly announced that the arguments made by Turkey on the issue that used to work in the past ceased to work at present. On the contrary, in support to the Armenian side Murat Özçelik stressed the dynamism of its efforts to reach international recognition of the Armenian Genocide; the efforts that according to the Turkish politician were underestimated by the Turkish side. Second, the Deputy Head of CHP in his speech blamed Erdogan for his Sunni Islamic policy, particularly Erdoğan’s ambition to become a super-president and his "efforts to turn Turkey into an Islamist country." On the occasion Özçelik did not hesitate to openly blame Turkey for aligning with radical Islam, "the West is so much afraid of", thus making the West no longer hesitant to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Another expression of such kind of defeatist mood in Turkey is the recent accusations made by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which he did not hesitate to cross all the possible moral red lines.  Particularly in his last statement on the adoption of European Parliament Resolution calling Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide, President of Turkey openly declared that he is going to ignore the decision of the European Parliament, sarcastically adding "it would go in one ear and out from the other".  Another statement of the Turkish President, in which he threaten to deport 100.000 Armenians, who at present reside in Turkey, shows that Turkey even in the 21^st century can harshly violate basic human rights of people and deport Armenians from Turkey.

Thus, first of all in Turkey we observe strong rift between the opposition and the ruling party, otherwise the Deputy Head of the opposition would not hit AKP at the back openly declaring the defeat of Erdogan on the issue of the international recognition of Armenian Genocide. Second, the statements made by the President of Turkey, reminds of a man’s efforts that is sinking in the ocean. The important thing here to notice is that a drowning man usually loses his rationality and becomes  ready to take any measure to save his life. Thus the West should not only be afraid of radical Islam, as it is noted by Özçelik, but also be aware of drowning AKP party, who is ready to take every measure to save his life.