ARMENIAN DIASPORA GROUPS FACE NEW AZERI CHALLENGE
By Fariz Ismailzade
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
March 19 2007
On March 9, the first meeting of a new "Forum of Azerbaijani-Turkish
Diaspora Organizations" convened in Baku, Azerbaijan. But as one
participant described the event, "Lots of talk, but I wonder if all
of this will turn into a real action. Perhaps the real goal of the
event is to send a message to Armenians that ‘we are coming’."
The forum was a significant accomplishment for the Azerbaijan State
Committee on Relations with Azerbaijanis Living Abroad. Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
and Mehmet Ali Talat, leader of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus, attended the forum and delivered rousing speeches
regarding the importance of unity among all Turkic-language-speaking
diaspora organizations around the world. "This forum shows our unity.
We deserve it," said President Aliyev.
Baku hosted 513 delegates from 48 countries who came to Azerbaijan’s
capital city for the event. Approximately 140 delegates came from
Turkey, 14 from Turk-Meskheti groups, 23 from Iraq, and five from
Northern Cyprus. Other participants came from Germany, the United
States, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Romania,
Norway, Lithuania, and Ukraine. Participants adopted three major
resolutions: a "Joint Strategy on the Activities of the Azerbaijani
and Turkish diaspora organizations," an "Appeal to the Turkic-speaking
Peoples," and a broader "Baku Declaration." In addition, the forum
sent protest notes to countries that have adopted resolutions on the
controversial Armenian genocide issue and provided information about
the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region by Armenia.
Although not openly listed on the agenda of the forum, it was clear
that the strong and effective Armenian lobby was the real target of
the forum. Witnessing the pressure that the powerful Armenian lobby
can bring to bear on the legislative bodies of many countries, the
Azerbaijani and Turkish governments have realized that they should
unite and coordinate the efforts of their diaspora communities to
withstand those pressures.
"There is not much information about us in the world. The strong
Armenian lobby is working against us," noted President Aliyev. "The
representatives of the diaspora organizations should actively take
part in the political processes of their respective countries,
be represented in those legislative bodies, and take an important
place in the political life." He also added that the Azerbaijani and
Turkish diasporas have realized several achievements that need to be
further developed and expanded. "We are ready to provide the needed
assistance and carry out our tasks. But the diaspora organizations
also need to work closely with their motherlands and further act as a
united body. Only in this way we can prevent the work of the Armenian
lobby against us," Aliyev argued.
The presence and participation of a delegation from the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus attracted particular comment. Mehmet
Ali Talat expressed satisfaction with the logistics of the forum,
adding, "For the peoples of Northern Cyprus, it is very important
to participate in this event. This shows that we are not alone in
the world."
The timing of the forum was particularly important. The U.S. Congress
is once again planning to discuss a resolution on the Armenian
genocide issue, and April 24, which Armenians commemorate as the
day of genocide, will be the highlight of heated discussions between
Armenians and Turks on the accuracy of these claims.
"They [Armenians] have committed a genocide against us themselves and
now accuse us with the invented genocide claims," President Aliyev
said during the forum, referring to the Khojali massacre in 1992 by
Armenian military troops, in which 613 people were massacred overnight,
and the 1918 massacre of more than 30,000 Azerbaijanis in Baku by
Armenian Dashnak soldiers. Azerbaijani diaspora groups in Canada,
Japan, Belgium, Germany, and Sweden have commemorated the Khojali
massacre on February 26, and Azerbaijanis living in Washington and New
York usually organize protest rallies in front of Armenian diplomatic
missions on that date.
The Baku forum concluded with a series of small group discussions,
allowing delegates from different countries to discuss various plans
and projects for collaboration. Similar "World Azerbaijani Congresses"
were held in Baku in 2001 and 2006, but analysts have noted little
progress in the effectiveness of the Azerbaijani diasporas abroad. This
year, however, the purpose might be slightly different: to scare before
acting. Azerbaijani political scientist Rovshan Novruzoglu agrees, "The
first forum of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations is the
first serious political storm in the fight against Armenian terrorism."
(Diaspora.Az, Day.az, Khalq Qazeti, Zerkalo, Ekho, Yeni Musavat,
March 7-14)