EDITOR’S DIARY: TURKISH PRESIDENCY’S ARMENIAN HISTORY
by Emil Sanamyan
3-19-editor-s-diary-turkish-presidency-s-armenian- history
Friday March 19, 2010
Ankara, Turkey – For the past two days our group of nine – experts,
commentators, writers from Washington, New York and Boston – has
shuttled from one end of Ankara to another for meeting after meeting.
Eleven meetings in all so far: six yesterday and five today – the
latest with President Abdullah Gul, from which we just came back
having admired, among other things, two large marine paintings by
Ivan Aivazovsky on display in the presidential palace.
Compared to abrasive Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been
making all the news lately, Mr. Gul is a soft-spoken, mild-mannered
man and I appreciate him taking the time to meet our group.
In that meeting I had an opportunity to ask Mr. Gul to treat Armenian
Genocide with due sensitivity and not to dismiss the expression of a
deeply felt connection Armenians have to a part of our homeland that
is now in Turkey as mere lobbying campaign.
All Mr. Gul could afford is to express sympathy for all those who
lost their lives, while emphasizing the fate of Turks who suffered
in the Balkans.
Turkey is becoming a much more open country. It is a dynamic country,
growing in power and confidence. But the history of the Genocide
still weighs heavy here.
Even the Turkish president’s residence at Cankaya is said to be located
on land confiscated from an Armenian family during the Genocide.
And more obviously, one of Ankara’s main boulevards is named after
Talaat Pasha, one of the Young Turk architects of the Genocide later
assassinated by Armenians.
95 years on the legacy of the Genocide – along with America’s
present-day worries over Iran – dominated nearly all of our meetings
here with officials and politicians. This is of course thanks to the
resolution that recently passed the House Committee.
Turkey has since recalled its Ambassador to U.S. Namik Tan and,
according to officials here, is unlikely to return him to Washington
before President Barack Obama’s April 24 statement.
Our group’s most senior member former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
(1989-91) Morton Abramowitz is certainly best known and appreciated
here, in particular for his advocacy against Genocide resolutions. His
presence in our group probably opened many doors for us.
Another group member my colleague from The Armenian Weekly Khatchig
Mouradian earned special recognition for his fluent Istanbul Turkish.
We are guided here by a very capable young lady named Sinem Uluturk,
who is with TEPAV foundation that invited us. (Among other distinctions
Sinem shares the name of my great-great-grandmother from whom my
family name originates.)
To be frank coming here I expected to be brainwashed about Turkey’s
greatness by both U.S. and Turkish officials. This is what normally
one hears at Turkey policy events in Washington.
Instead, there have been a series of frank exchanges – particularly
with U.S. Ambassador here James Jeffrey who is now managing a very
troubled relationship.
With all the weight of history and officialdom Ankara has been at
once a very familiar and pleasant place to be.