Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish president of PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe), offended his hosts last week by refusing to lay a wreath at the Armenian Genocide Monument during his visit to Yerevan.
When the Armenian media questioned him about his refusal, Cavusoglu lied by saying that his predecessors had not done so either. Armenian journalists corrected him by pointing out that his predecessors had in fact visited the genocide monument. After getting caught, he changed his tune and confessed that it was his personal decision not to visit the monument and asked that Armenians respect his wishes.
Why should Armenians respect a genocide denier and a liar? Although a founder of the ruling Justice and Development Party and member of the Turkish Parliament, Cavusoglu was not visiting Armenia as a Turkish official, but as president of PACE. It is regrettable that earlier this year, Armenia’s delegates to PACE were not successful in blocking his election to the presidency of this influential European institution.
The real issue is not Cavusoglu’s ethnic background. No one should be disqualified from any post due to his or her ethnicity. The objections are based on his long-standing opposition to Armenian issues, including denials of the Armenian Genocide and support for Azerbaijan in the Artsakh conflict.
Upon learning that Cavusoglu would not visit the genocide monument—a standard protocol for all high-ranking dignitaries visiting Yerevan—the Armenian government decided to downgrade the status of his visit from “official” to that of a “working” one. Needless to say, this was just a slap on the wrist, given the gravity of his offense. Regrettably, Armenian officials did not issue a single word of criticism or condemnation. They should have taken a harsher measure against Cavusoglu and cancelled his trip to Yerevan. By not enforcing the country’s long-established protocol, Armenian officials are simply encouraging future visiting dignitaries not to respect the memory of Armenian Genocide victims.
A bad precedent was already set in September 2008, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul was invited to Yerevan. I wrote a column then urging Armenian authorities to ask the Turkish president to lay a wreath at the monument. Unfortunately, no such request was made of Gul, and he was more than happy to sidestep the issue.
I must commend the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) for refusing to meet with Cavusoglu during his Yerevan visit because of his disrespect for Armenian Genocide victims. His visit was also condemned by the local Student Union of the Hnchag Party.
Unfortunately, officials of an opposition party met Cavusoglu in Yerevan to pursue their own agenda, asking him—a Turk—to condemn the Armenian government’s human rights record. Meanwhile, pro-government parties met Cavusoglu to familiarize him with Armenia’s position on major regional issues, as if he would be willing to change his views on the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh, and Armenian-Turkish relations.
Regardless of his own and his government’s denialist position on the Armenian Genocide, Cavusoglu should not be excused for not having visited the genocide monument. Even ambassadors of countries that do not formally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide take part in the solemn procession on April 24 and lay a wreath at the monument.
By refusing to follow protocol, Cavusoglu not only insulted the Armenian nation, but also violated the long-standing recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the European Parliament.
In the end, by his words and deeds, the Turkish diplomat managed to embarrass himself and undermine his own credibility as a political figure unworthy of representing a prominent European institution and its values.
To avoid similar scandals in the future, Armenian officials must contact foreign dignitaries in advance of their planned visits and impress upon them the importance of respecting Armenia’s established protocol on laying a wreath at the genocide monument. Should they refuse, their visit should be promptly canceled. Can anyone imagine a foreign dignitary visiting Jerusalem and refusing to lay a wreath at the Yad Vashem Memorial for Holocaust victims? He or she would not be allowed to set foot in Israel again. The Armenian government should take a similar stand vis-à-vis the Armenian Genocide Memorial.
At the end of his first visit to Armenia, Cavusoglu announced that he would be back in Yerevan in October. I hope Armenian officials do not let him into the country, unless he is prepared to respect Armenia’s established protocols for all foreign dignitaries.
If Armenian officials do not insist on applying their own rules and regulations, foreign dignitaries will have no reason to comply.
Harut Sassounian
When will Armenian officials stop accommodating deranged genocide denying propagandists in their own country? When are Yerevan officials going to grow a pair and stand up like men to rightly defend their nations dignity, history and their own family’s martyrs? How pathetic can the enslaved cowards in Yerevan be?
How many times will the RA continue to accommodate the likes of genocide deniers like Robert, Ahmet and Murat before realizing their only intention is to deface the memory of genocide victims anew and incite hatred against those who seek justice and reconciliation? Shame on them and shame on Cavusoglu.
Try going to a synagogue and NOT wearing a yarmulka and see how far you’ll get past the doors. I’m not Jewish but I’ll wear a yarmulka out of respect. Visitors to Armenia should do nothing less. If you won’t respect our most sacred of places, stay the hell out of the country! What kind of Mickey Mouse leaders do we have running Armenia? If you don’t respect yourself how do you expect anyone else to respect you? Unbelievable and very unregretable!
—Mike Mirakian,NJ
PS: No disrespect meant to Mickey Mouse. Try disrespecting old Mickey at a Disney venue and you’ll be hustled out of the Magic Kingdom post haste!
This is what you get when you have uneducated, kindergarten grade political leaders whose main concern is to line their own pockets, rig elections and beat and jail anyone who dares demand true democracy.
Brief and Easy Answer for Normal Start
1- The Armenian State should include Mr. Sassounian’s like compatriots in their Govermnment If wants to succeed (like Juwish State)
2- Armenian President and other Armenian officials should Stop direct Contact with Armenian Genocide deniers or blockers (like US is doing with their enemies)
3- Armenian Media (including Armeniian Weelky, Asbarez and others) should stop Publishing Anti-armenian remarks of this “Khuligans” who with the name of freedom of speech by using our media to attack Mr. Sassounian or insult our nation by calling names, like Dogs. (No Media even in the West never Publishe such a Junks).
I have an idea ….
At the official arrivals terminal in Zvartnotz airport where all VIP passengers arrive, after passport control and prior to entering the country, a red tape should be fixed on the floor and a projector should be placed on the sealing that projects the following “moving” message on the floor with the following content “In respect to the victims of the Armenian Genocide I bow my head when I cross this line”.
Sarkis.. I LOVE IT… Armenian weekly, please do share these thoughts with our Armenian officials… I am sure they will be THRILLED that some people with an actual intelligence and balls stand firm and offer directions to govt officials who SHOULD have the balls and intelligence to begin with..agghhh…….
it is absolutely disheartening to learn that not only the deniar such as Cavosoglu was allowed to set his deniar feet on our sacred land but also to disrespect the victims is flat out UNACCEPTABLE.. there should be a law where no one should ever set foot on our land without laying a wrath at the Genocide monument.. NO ONE..
Have some balls Armenian officials.. or grow some for God’s sake.. this is shameful.. absolutely unacceptable.
Gayane
Shame on you all as you can not even stand a Turkish person goes and visit offiicially Armenia.. Shame on you all you can not even stand on one Turkish Official rised up to European official post. Shame on you all you can not even stand on people who defend themselves like Ahmet, Robert and Murat and others. Shame on you all that you can not even stand the name Turk… It is the Turks who allow conferences , protests and free speech NOT you ARMENIANS… Do not Blame Turks Just Blame yourselves….
The Armenian government coerced by a Turk hiding behind the veil of Europe. What a sad spectacle.
What may I ask did the Republic of Armenia receive by graciously accepting this slap to their face and spit on our martyrs graves?
I wonder what the go-ing rate is for insulting genocide victims and selling out a 95 year old cause for a few hours with a genocide denier?
Are there any shameless RA sympathizers online today who care to elucidate us on the details of the kickbacks?
Hey Turan, your name says it all. Shame on you (Boo, as Gevork Malikian said in Midnight Express) and yours. Why don’t you crawl back into that polluted swamp you crawled out of? Read your own newspapers. Stay away from ours.
Turan, shame on you Turks for murdering and stealing all the property of 1.5 million Armenians and hundreds of thousands of Greeks and Assyrians and now the Kurds simply because they are not Turks. And your people feel that it is your “right” as a Turk to do so and then spend the rest of your time purposely re-creating history ! Your people don’t fool credible scholars but rather you pay willing scholars to distort. Your people don’t fool governments but rather blackmail some of them. With all your denialist efforts, there are still over 20 countries and 44 states here in the US that do understand very well the Turkish genocidal action. It is only a matter of time Turan. Turkey can’t avoid truth forever. In fact, I can care less if Turks come to terms with it’s past, your people can stay ignorant, but the rest of the world should and will acknowledge it, teach the truth and not cater to a genocidal perpetrator like Turkey!
BRAVO John, But unfortunately we wasting our time? Armenian say, “Ghorti yeresi tkan, asets juren ho avel che”
Hi, a turan and his ilk,
is a robot of the Turkish educational system – programmed/lied to by their leaders to spout only as they have been taught. Robots do not think on their own – can only repeat what they have been told to repeat. But yet, there are those who have learned to seek truths – and these truths have set them free.
But not the robots, who remain rigid/stiff – as robots… sadly.
Manooshag
Mike Mirakian I agree with you. Any high ranking officer or a politician who goes to Israel for instance, they are expected to go to the Jewish wall and say a prayer. Whether they are of Muslim, Jewish or of Christian faith. They do that out of respect towards the people and the nation they are visiting; but frankly our Representatives in our Republic are scaring me. They don’t belong there. They must leave their posts and let some other more intelligent and patriotic Armenians fill their posts. They have made a great number of mistakes since 2008 and they continue to do it. I don’t trust them whatsoever.