Turks are disappointed

Turks are disappointed

Editorial

Yerkir/am
May 20, 2005

Turks’ calculation was simple: the meeting between Kocharian and
Erdogan would have resulted in nothing but Turkey would have used it
in the context of that country’s bid for the European Union.

For Turkey, the line where the dialogue and concessions stop for both
the Armenian and Turkish sides was more than clear.

Armenia will never deny the Genocide, Turkey, in turn, is not ready to
admit — at least at this point — to the crime against humanity it
had committed in 1915-1923.

Turks were greatly disappointed when the Armenian and Turkish leaders,
who both attended the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, did not
meet.

According to the NTV comments on the prospects of the Armenian-Turkish
relations made prior to the Moscow gathering, Armenia had some
obligations implying the Armenian Genocide’s international recognition
and the Artsakh issue. Erdogan had noted that he would be discussing
with Russian President Putin the Russian parliament’s resolution
condemning the Armenian Genocide.

Later, when no meeting was held, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet,
citing Turkish Foreign Minister Gul, predicted that such a meeting
could take place in Warsaw during the Council of Europe
summit. Noteworthy is that Poland has been included in the list of
“undesirable” countries after that country’s parliament adopted a
resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

If we restore the chain of the events that followed Erdogan’s letter,
we can affirm that the Turkish side’s disappointed became even bigger
when speaking at the summit, the Armenian president reiterated the
Armenian position of pursuing the goal of the international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Even the Turkish newspapers admit that Prime Minister Erdogan has
found himself in a ridiculous position after Kocharian’s statements
over the Armenian Genocide at the Council of Europe summit.