EurasiaNet, NY
Feb 1 2007
JOURNALIST’S MURDER OPENS WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR TURKISH-ARMENIAN
RAPPROCHEMENT
Yigal Schleifer 2/01/07
In the days immediately following the shocking murder of outspoken
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, many observers expressed hope
that the tragedy could serve as a catalyst for reconciliation between
Turkey and Armenia. Initial signals, however, show that a
rapprochement still will not be easily achieved.
Dink was gunned down by a 17-year-old ultranationalist on January 19.
[For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The journalist’s
January 23 funeral in Istanbul drew over 100,000 mourners, including
– in what was seen as an encouraging sign -Armenia’s deputy foreign
minister, Arman Kirakossian. The occasion marked the first high-level
visit by an Armenian official to Turkey since relations between the
two countries were cut off in 1993. Joining Kirakossian were several
leaders of Armenian diaspora organizations – many making their
first-ever visit to Turkey – as well as the archbishop of the
Armenian Church of America, Khajag Barsamian.
Before leaving Turkey, Kirakossian reiterated his country’s desire to
renew relations with Turkey without "any preconditions."
"It looks as if we have a window of opportunity here because of the
sympathy that was created after [Dink’s] funeral, the new atmosphere
that was created in the country and the fact that the government was
quite resolute on the issue of investigating the murder," says Sami
Kohen, a columnist with the daily Milliyet newspaper and a veteran
observer of Turkish foreign policy.
Many in Turkey compared the aftermath of the murder of Dink, editor
of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, to the time
following a devastating earthquake in 1999, which saw historic rivals
Turkey and Greece enter a period of rapprochement — brought together
by the shared experience of the temblor’s destruction.
"We are hoping that a tragedy like Hrant’s loss will have the same
effect," says Noyan Soyak, an Istanbul businessman who is vice
chairman of the Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council. "The
will is there in both countries, but what the problem is nobody
knows."
The initial replies from Ankara to the Armenian gesture have not been
positive, though. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Kirakossian’s
statements contained "nothing new," while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said Yerevan should first reply to his previous offer to set
up a joint commission to study the tragic events of 1915. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Armenians contend that
the Ottoman Turks committed genocide, while the Turkish government
disputes the genocide assertion, saying that Armenians were largely
victims of a vicious partisan struggle that raged during and after
World War I. "They haven’t responded to my suggestion. These
statements don’t show good will. Therefore, I don’t find their manner
genuine," Erdogan told reporters in Ankara.
Egemen Bagis, a parliamentarian with the governing Justice and
Development Party (AKP), says a foundation exists for rebuilding
relations, but that Yerevan has rebuffed Turkey’s reconciliation
gestures. "Armenia has always played a very cold, non-cooperating
attitude with Turkey," Bagis says. "They should take advantage of
Turkey willingness for dialogue."
Some analysts in Turkey believe that, despite the tough talk, Ankara
may be compelled to make some progress on the Armenia front. The
murder of Dink, who was hauled into court numerous times under a
controversial article in the Turkish penal code which makes it a
crime to "insult" Turkish identity, has placed Turkey in the
international spotlight. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. An improvement in relations with Yerevan would help ease
some of the pressure Ankara is now facing on the freedom-of-speech
issue.
In addition, the Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives is
likely to vote in the near future on a resolution recognizing the
Armenian genocide. Any positive movement by Turkey regarding its
relations with Armenia would likely assist its lobbying efforts to
defeat the resolution. "Turkey can start a dialogue with Armenia this
time by slightly tuning its attitude. And it must," political analyst
Mehmet Ali Birand wrote in a recent column in the English-language
Turkish Daily News. "Talks should start. A dialogue should begin.
Prerequisites can be brought to the discussions later."
Milliyet’s Kohen suggests the Turkish-Greek model could serve as an
example for fostering a dialogue between Ankara and Yerevan. In the
Turkish-Greek case, thorny issues like territorial and historical
disputes were initially set aside in order to get talks started.
While Turkey and Greece have yet to resolve their territorial
dispute, commercial and cultural relations between the two countries
have taken off since 1999.
"You know that you have differences, but you enter into a dialogue,
you get to being on speaking terms," says Kohen. "The problem right
now is that the two countries aren’t even on speaking terms, and
there is a lot to talk about."
Turkish experts in Turkey believe that, ultimately, any move
regarding relations with Armenia will be determined by domestic
considerations. Turkey is heading towards parliamentary elections in
November and the government, facing a rising wave of nationalism at
home, will find it hard to make any dramatic moves on nationalist
hot-button issues touching on the issues of Armenia and Cyprus.
Soyak, representative of the Turkish-Armenian Business Development
Council, believes opening the border with Armenia, closed since 1993,
would be a step in the right direction, fostering goodwill and
bolstering Turkish trade at the same time. [For additional
information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "The closed borders
haven’t helped anybody," he says. "They haven’t helped the Azeris
gain back territory. It hasn’t helped Turkey with fighting genocide
resolutions around the world. We should open the borders and see what
happens."
Editor’s Note: Yigal Schleifer is a freelance journalist based in
Istanbul.