PanARMENIAN.Net
Gul’s visit to Armenia is necessary for the USA, Europe, Turkey,
Russia and, lastly, for Armenia
It would be naive to consider that successor of the Ottoman Empire
would agree to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the major reason for
absence of relations between the two countries.
04.09.2008 GMT+04:00
Happened what was absolutely incredible: Turkish President Abdullah
Gul finally made up his mind to visit Yerevan, notwithstanding the
opposition protests and calls of the Azerbaijani
politicians. Everything is clear with the Turkish opposition ` in case
Gul refused the invitation, the opposition would make up an excuse for
the refusal. But the visit to Yerevan is a different matter. Deniz
Baykal, Devlet Bahceli and others openly blame Head of State for
ignoring interests of the nation.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Foreign Minister of Turkey Ali Babacan replied to
Bahceli reminding him that in 1993 Leader of the `Grey Wolves’
Alparslan Turkes met with the First President of Armenia Levon
Ter-Petrossian. Well, the ex-President’s Turkish sympathies are not a
secret. And though the two officials met in Paris in the frames of a
secret meeting, the fact remains that they did.
As for the Azeri press, it is now in panic, like it was at the time of
the 5-day Georgian-Ossetian war. Everyone here accuses Gul of
overlooking the interests of Azerbaijan. They might be right to some
extent, as Turkey is the only ally of Baku, at least while it needs
the latter. It has always been so, and it will. However, Baku has
sober-minded politicians too. Azerbaijani-Turkish Inter-parliamentary
Working Group holds discussions of Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s
forthcoming visit to Armenia. `There are both opponents and supporters
of Turkish President’s visit to Armenia,’ declared Head of the Working
Group, MP Nizami Jafarov. According to Jafarov, the relations between
Turkey and Azerbaijan will not be changed, irrespective of the
attitude of these two countries towards the well-known issue and other
matters, including the strategic changes by Turkey in establishing
relations with Armenia. Jafarov believes that the whole world,
including Azerbaijan and Turkey, are interested in the regulation of
the Armenian issue, that is why there might be made attempts of
speeding up the problem solution. `The turn of events shows that
Turkish President has made a strategic move. It will not change the
attitude towards Azerbaijan. In reply, neither will Azerbaijan change
its position towards Turkey. The thing is that a new period has
started in the Armenian-Turkish relations. But I do not think it would
be right to believe that Turkey will make concessions to Armenia or
will change its policy under pressure,’ Jafarov said. As the Azeri MP
assumed, Turkey would not adopt a policy of strengthening Armenia
because of the latter’s well-known position towards Turkey.
Taking into consideration the conditions which Armenia has set before
Turkey and will not abstain from despite Gul’s visit to Yerevan, the
matter is whether Turkey needs relations with Armenia or not. It would
be naive to consider that successor of the Ottoman Empire and the
Republic of Kemal Ataturk would agree to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, the major reason for absence of relations between the two
countries. In 1993 the boundary was closed not because of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but because Ankara realized that no
president of Armenia would give up demanding recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and of the Armenian borders recognized by the Sevr
Contract.
The widely advertised visit of Gul can hardly become a step forward in
the process of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. The
visit is simply necessary for the USA, Europe, Turkey, Russia, and,
lastly, for Armenia. Theoretically the visit promises Yerevan nothing
bad, and if it were not unofficial, an excursion would be organized
for the Turkish President to the Genocide Memorial. However, it is not
yet possible. `Of course, I have some political expectations behind
the invitation. We should remember the past and look into the
future. There should be made an agendum that would be of mutual
interest, and start communication without setting preconditions. Any
subject, even the most delicate ones, can be discussed at the
dialogue,’ declared Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and added that
he expects the whole Diplomatic Corps to be actively engaged in the
process of clarifying the importance of the Gyumri-Kars railway line
to the RA partners abroad. `Be armed with maps, statistics and
arguments! With facts in hand, we have to prove that several
kilometers of the railroad will greatly contribute to regional
cooperation,’ noted the Armenian President.
Meanwhile, the `Milliyet’ published Gul’s statement made in 1993, when
he was still an MP of the Welfare Party. Gul then criticized the
policy of his Government towards Armenia. Condemning Armenian
President Levon Ter-Petrossian’s visit to Ankara with the aim to
attend the funeral ceremony of Turgut Ozal, Gul found it inadmissible
to establish any kind of relations between the two countries. `Look
how defeatist a policy our Government implements, if the President of
Armenia dares to be present at the funeral ceremony of the Head of our
Government. He knows that you cherish only your own interests and you
are afraid to take courage when it is most necessary for the interests
of the Turkish Government. He knows how loyal you are. Name any other
country that would be so impudent as to declare that `Turkey is to
blame for everything’, when it has fought a war against your brothers
and killed them. Name any other country that, killing your brothers,
would dare to declare that `the map of Europe is complete but map of
the Near East and that of Asia must be remade’. Name any other country
that would dare to claim that Kars is an Armenian land. And after all
this, its President comes to Turkey and you extend your hand to
him. How is it possible?’
Of course, time changes and politicians change all the more. However,
in the above-mentioned quotation Gul’s figure is much more sincere
than at the time when he, with a smile on his face, was photographed
with an Armenian journalist in the ruins of the ancient Armenian
capital of Ani. We shall hope that the visit will do Armenia no
harm. Unfortunately, history claims the contrary: when the Ottoman
Turks were massacring the Armenian nation they had a friendly smile on
their faces and shook hands with them¦.
«PanARMENIAN.Net B; analytical department