BIRAND: WHY TURKEY INVITES ARMENIAN HISTORIAN IF IT’S NOT READY TO OPEN ALL ARCHIVES?
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2007 20:25 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Turkish History Institute (TTK) President Yusuf
Halacoglu was supposed to meet with Ara Sarafyan, the author of Blue
Book, which is seen as one of the most important documents backing
Armenian claims. Both sides were supposed to produce various documents
to argue their case, the first such meeting," observer Mehmet Ali
Birand writes in Turkish Daily News.
"Armenians usually don’t participate in such meetings.
Sarafyan was very important in this respect. His visit was supposed
to provide a huge boost to Turkey’s call for historians focusing on
the matter, discussing and debating it," he continues.
"Suddenly, we were all told the meeting was cancelled.
Professor Halacoglu held a press conference and said Sarafyan had
cancelled the trip, presenting an article in weekly Agos that said
the Armenian Diaspora was furious about Sarafyan’s trip. That was
the reason of cancellation, he said. Now we learn that the real
reason why the meeting was cancelled was very different. It appears
Halacoglu refused to open the archives without limits and objected
to presenting certain documents. What was this all about? If you were
not going to show the documents, why would you ask for a meeting? Why
do you organize such a meeting before agreeing on the conditions of
opening of the archives? Why do you initiate a process you cannot go
take to the finish? No one will ever believe Turkey when it proposes
to open the archives and share all the documents so that historians
can discuss the matter. Turkey will sail alone in the stormy European
waters. There is no one to offer us a shelter in his or her harbor
anymore. Our job will become more difficult from now on," Mehmet Ali
Birand writes.