TURKEY’S DECEPTIVE ‘DIALOGUE’ WITH ARMENIANS BACKFIRES
By Appo Jabarian
Executive Publisher/Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine
April 30, 2012
For many decades now, instead of taking the shortest route to settling
the Armenian Question fairly and wisely, Turkey has opted for all
kinds of deceptive tactics to defraud Armenians of their right to
justice regarding the Armenian Genocide; lost homelands in Western
Armenia and Cilicia; and illegally confiscated real and personal
properties of the victims.
One such practice in deception is the ongoing efforts by Ankara to hold
yet another dishonest “dialogue” with “soft” or “sensible” Armenians.
It’s interesting that the timing for the said “outreach” almost always
coincides with the days running up to April 24 of a particular year.
This year has been no exception. In a follow-up on the pursuit
of this long-standing stratagem, plans for a new “dialogue” were
developed in April of 2010. The efforts culminated in forming another
Turkish-initiated group on “Armenian-Turkish reconciliation,” launched
on April 12th of this year in Washington.
Upon the learning of renewed Turkish ploys, many Diaspora Armenians
reacted with condemnations, and resolved to further intensify their
quest for justice. This year’s turnout in practically all Armenian
Genocide commemorative events, protest marches and rallies was larger
than previous years. Many attribute these phenomena to a heightened
Armenian anger at Turkey’s obstinate obstruction of justice by way
of denial and deception. All three major events in the Greater Los
Angeles area registered a notable increase in participation as:
– Little Armenia rose in protest with nearly 100,000 marchers;
– Over 25,000 people gathered around the Armenian Genocide monument
in Montebello, CA;
– Nearly 10,000 Armenians held a protest rally in front of Turkish
consulate in Los Angeles.
During these events, Armenian survivors and their descendants demanded
the return of their ancestral lands. Protesters held a giant size map
of present-day Turkey depicting Turkish-occupied Greek Constantinople,
Greek Smyrna, Greek Pontus, Western Armenia, parts of Eastern Armenia,
Armenian Republic of Cilicia, Syrian Alexandretta, and Northern Cyprus.
The deeply entrenched yet continuously counter-productive Turkish
state policy of deception and denial has come under fire not only
by Armenians but also by righteous Turks. These include newly
self-mobilized Turkish institutions such as BDP, Turkey’s Kurdish
party, and notable Turks such as Hilal Kaplan; a sociologist and an
influential columnist in Turkish “Yeni Å~^afak,” a mainstream Turkish
daily serving Turkey’s very large Muslim community.
It was also revealed last week that even the late Turkish President
Turgut Ozal was among lucid Turks vying to find a fair solution for
the Armenian Question.
Concerned Turks may question: “Can Turkey benefit or lose by
indefinitely postponing a fair solution to the Armenian Question?” An
answer comes from none other than late Pres.
Ozal.
An April 23 article by Mesut Cevikalp in the Turkish daily, “Today’s
Zaman,” gives us a rare glimpse into low profile discussions by
Pres. Ozal with members of his inner circle.
Pres. Ozal’s “aim was to solve the [Armenian] problem before it got
too late and through few concessions after reaching a deal with
the Armenians,” Vehbi Dincerler, 71, a former education minister
and a state minister in Ozal’s Cabinet, was quoted as saying in
“Today’s Zaman.”
“Ozal sought to learn what Armenians wanted from Turkey through
Americans. In 1984 he ordered his advisors to work on possible
scenarios about the economic and political price Turkey would have
to pay if Turkey compromises with the Armenian Diaspora, an early
Turkish acceptance of the term “Genocide.” Another scenario was also
prepared. This plan sought to gauge the political cost of a Turkish
acceptance of genocide within 20 to 30 years if Turkey is forced to
accept it one day,” Dincerler noted.
However, strong opposition from some politicians from his party and
from the military led to him delaying the sharing of details of the
plan with the public, and he decided to wait for a more appropriate
time. During a visit to the US in 1991, Ozal had unexpectedly said,
in a hotel lobby, in front of a group of diplomats and journalists
after a meeting with representatives of the Armenian lobby, “What
happens if we compromise with the Armenians and end this issue?”
The audience was shocked at that time, as was the Turkish public. The
idea of negotiations with the Armenian Diaspora itself was unacceptable
and unthinkable in that period. When his statement was publicized in
Turkey, it sparked criticism and fury among the public.
Even deputies from the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN), which Ozal
established and led until he was elected president in 1989, reacted
harshly to Ozal. However, Ozal was determined. He pushed the limit to
resolve the Armenian issue in order to avoid facing harder challenges
such as the possibility that the alleged Armenian genocide would be
recognized by state legislatures in the United States, further reported
“Today’s Zaman.”
Hasan Celal Guzel, who served in Ozal’s government, said the military
establishment perceived Ozal’s moderate approach and policies on the
Armenian and Kurdish issues as concessions. After Ozal’s death, his
policies of compromising with the Armenians were abandoned. “They [the
military] saw Ozal as someone who makes too many concessions. They
stood against his policies. However, Ozal came up with the idea
that Turkey could reconcile and make peace with the Armenians, who
had earned the title ‘millet-i sadıka’ [loyal nation] during the
Ottoman era. He wanted to open the door for a return of Armenians to
Turkey. No one has made a move since. Had he not died, he might have
solved this issue,” Guzel told Today’s Zaman.
Has Turkey’s future been put on hold with Pres. Ozal’s
departure? Doesn’t Turkey have a new leader that would successfully
fill his shoes, exhibiting similar courage and wisdom to face the
past in order to pave the road for a peaceful and harmonious future
for all in the region – Turks, Armenians, Greeks, Kurds, Assyrians,
Alevis, Cypriots, Syriacs, Arabs, and Jews?
In the absence of a well-thought out foreign and domestic policy
of genuine tolerance and acceptance, Turkey’s misguided political
maneuvering will always degenerate into new fiascos and exacerbate its
international image as a genocidal and occupying state. Any attempts
for a new “Dialogue” that doesn’t include restitution will continue
to backfire.