Turkey’s growing influence in the Middle East, even before the naval confrontation with Israel over Gaza, had prompted some Arab countries to restrict the political rights of local Armenian communities.
It is feared that the latest Gaza conflict, which catapulted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to a heroic stature throughout the Islamic world, could result in further limitations on Armenian activities deemed to be “anti-Turkish.”
In recent months, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria have taken specific actions to place some restrictions on the activities of their Armenian citizens, either out of concern for a backlash from Turkey or under direct pressure from Turkish authorities.
A case in point was the Jordanian government’s cancellation of the AGBU’s Middle East Young Professionals Forum, which was to take place in Amman, Jordan, from June 3-6. Talin Suciyan reported in the Armenian Weekly that Jordanian authorities had expressed reservations ove4r the gathering of 150 young Armenians from various parts of the world. Suciyan, who was invited to speak on the “Legacy of Hrant Dink” and the Armenian community in Turkey, stated that the organizers were informed the night before that the forum had been canceled by orders “from above.” Some observers attributed the cancellation of the AGBU forum to the agreement to set up a Free Trade Zone, which was to be signed between Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey on June 10. A commentator pointed out the irony of Armenian conferences being allowed to take place in Turkey, but not in Jordan.
Earlier this year, when a Lebanese TV crew was about to enter Syria to record footage on “the Armenian killing fields” in Der Zor, border guards refused to admit them, even though they had secured the necessary filming permits from the Syrian authorities in advance. This incident took place shortly after CBS aired in its “60 Minutes” program a segment on the Armenian Genocide. The program depicted the protruding bones of Armenian Genocide victims from the desert sands of Der Zor. Turkish officials lodged a complaint with the Syrian government for allowing CBS to film an “anti-Turkish” program in their country.
The third incident, unexpectedly, took place in Lebanon, home to one of the most influential Armenian communities in the diaspora. In a surprise move, government officials banned the airing of Eileen Khatchadourian’s music video “Zartir Vortyag,” a genocide-era song calling for resistance against oppression. Even though the song makes no reference to Turkey, Lebanese authorities were concerned that it would negatively affect Lebanese-Turkish relations.
These are troubling examples of blatant interference with Armenian citizens’ right to free expression. In all three countries, Armenians have long enjoyed the most cordial relations with their respective governments and are viewed by them as loyal citizens. Local Armenian community leaders must strongly protest such arbitrary violations of their basic rights as citizens of these countries. They should consider carrying out a campaign to educate their fellow citizens about the extensive damage Turkey has caused to Arab interests for decades, as a close military ally of Israel.
Armenians should point out that, despite Erdogan’s blistering anti-Israeli rhetoric, he has not canceled any of the 16 agreements with Israel, including the exchange of intelligence, according to Today’s Zaman newspaper. Sedat Laciner, head of Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization, told Hurriyet that the military leaders of the two countries had also signed several secret agreements. According to the Middle East magazine, the intelligence agencies of Israel and Turkey have cooperated “since the 1950’s in the fight against radical Islamist groups and Iranian clandestine operations in the region.” Furthermore, Turkey was reported to have allowed Israel “to monitor Syrian military maneuvers from Turkish soil.” In addition, Turkey awarded $1.8 billion in military contracts to Israeli companies. The total trade turnover between the two countries reached $2.5 billion in 2009. More than 900 large Israeli corporations have been operating in Turkey and over 1,000 small Israeli exporters have established commercial ties with it.
Erdogan has cleverly capitalized on the political vacuum created by the inaction of Arab leaders regarding the plight of the Palestinian people, thus raising his own as well as his party’s political rating in advance of the Sept. 12 referendum on constitutional amendments, and next year’s crucial parliamentary elections. It is a pity that Arab leaders have totally abdicated their own responsibility, allowing an outsider to claim the mantle of Arab leadership.
Prior to Erdogan’s scheduled visit to Lebanon next month, where he might receive an undeserved hero’s welcome by some Lebanese, Armenians must expose his hypocritical show of solidarity with Palestinians, and convince their fellow citizens that he is acting in his own, rather than Lebanon’s, best interest.
Harut Sassounian
At a meeting with Foreign Minister Nalbandian with the Armenian community in Jordan over one and a half years ago, I personally raised the issue of growing Turkish (and Azeri) influence in the Middle East and the non existsent counterbalancing efforts and activities from Armenia. Unfortunately, as we all found out later on in the year on April 23rd, he was preoccupied with other more pressing issues.
Good luck. The Middle East is not the West. What citizens’ rights are being referred to? Nobody will listen. The Arabs are desperate for friends and Islamic brotherhood will trump the Armenians every time. Sadly, it appears that What is left of the communities in the Middle East are living on borrowed time. Let’s not forget, Egypt was home to the most vibrant Armenian community in the aftermath of the genocide. Armenians had contributed immensly to the country’s development. Yet when nationalism blinded the Arabs, the Armenian community was devastated. Don’t expect too much loyalty to past contributions. Time will be better spent planning ways to transfer the people and resources of the remaining Middle Eastern communities to Armenia. Obviously, the governments of those countries will seek to take the wealth and the Armenians will seek to flee primarily to the West. However, efforts should be made to, as best as possible, transfer them to Armenia.
To the editorial board:
Boy you guys sure are fast! You all really do have this facistic censorship and deletion down to an art form!!!
The best thing to do for armenians of the middle east is to start going back to
armenia and karabagh and start building and defending our country.Our grand
parents have always told us never trust a moslem .We have been thrown into
the middle east by the Turks and now is the time to go back home ,and try to fix
our government in Armenia.They must change if they want us back.
Dear Robert,
I just saw a full page add in today’s Hurriyet paid for by the Turkish terrorist group IHH that funded the flotilla. Apparently there looking for volunteer recruits of Turkish origin with several years of acting experience for their next major so called “humanitarian” gig and I thought you would be a perfect candidate for the leading role as Captain Grandiose Hypocritiose………..LOLOLOL…………………………….LMAO!!!!!
Just imagine for a moment Robert, leading your fellow delusional martyrs, Ahmet and the other Trolls in a spectacular charade of pompous hubris and zealous nationalism ridding above the waves of the Mediterranean only to prove to the world how out of touch and hypocritical you and your zealots really are!
: )
I guess a moslem is a moslem is a moslem.
Problem is, I am not sure if our diasporans on the warm, palm lined shores of the med would take too well to the extreme winters of Hayastan, but I could be wrong.
There is just so long turnkey can play this game of both sides of the fence…if they kiss the islamic worlds ass for too long, the West (supported by the israel lobby) might have a few surprises for them as far as Hayastan/Artsakh concerned.
But wait a minute, I though turnkey wanted zero problems with neighbors? That means I guess they will open doors wide and let hayanstantsis visit with open arms and everyone will share a Hookah in Hopa forever after.
Many writers in Arabic Newspapers wrote about ‘the Turkish Invasion’,
The Literates are aware the illiterates are affected.
Some are visiting Turkey, they say, they don’t like Arabs and we don’t like to go to Turky once again.
Who translates their films from Turkish to Arabic is Armenian,
her name is Hasmig Kouyoujmian , in recent films they removed her name.
In 1999, Bill Clinton was right. He said ” 21st century will be a Turkish one”.
Watch silently and see. You will witness Clinton has been right.
Thank Allah….
Dear Editor
Please respect this lyric to be a song
And give it heading.
“Armenians’ Yesterday Bleeds Genocide”
Just few seconds ago, I heard from BBC
They say the song ‘Yesterday’ by Paul McCartney
Was best song, translated and sung into many languages?
I write my Lyric before I depart
I like every Armenian
To put Music for this poem and sing
So every human should heed to our yesterday.
Please do
Thanks
Armenians’ Yesterday Bleeds Genocide
Yesterday—Today— Tomorrow
We will serenade
Our remembrance day
If every one is happy
Remembering yesterday
We remember with bleeds
Our souls
Our green lands
Our history
That vanished away
By soulless beings.
Yesterday was the day
We lost every thing.
Today everyone requests
To forget
Our Yesterday
And start new waltz
It was genocide
Planned genocide
How can we forget
Reach
Our lost land
And our Ararat.
Without remembering
One and half-million of lost lives.
Sylva-MD-Poetry
June 19, 2010
The Turk is now pursuing the Genocide of the Kurds, naming Kurds as ‘terrorists’…
Turks have been, and are, the terrorists, the Genocider of peoples to gain their lands;
the Turks who jailed a Kurdish girl child for nine years (supposedly) for tossing pebbles
at a Turk policeman… The civilized world sees/knows, Turks are the terrorists and they
think by labeling the Kurds as terrorists frees themselves from what, in reality the Turks
are… terrorists for centuries: 19th, 20th, 21st…
The USA is aligned with a Turkey? A nation who offers to the world not advances in the sciences et al, but Genocides, the slaughters and worse of humans via Genocides – still today, 2010 ongoing! And civilized nations stand and watch Turks’ ‘in your face’ actions continues… Is a threat of the Turks to be feared by the advanced nations of the world?
Manooshag
Manooshag:
I have been following your comments about Turkey for a few months. What I understood is that your knowledge about turkey, middleeast, kurds, arabs and turks is very very limited and biased. You always interpret the events from your narrow perspective in the same way. This is why you can not understand, for example, the allience between the Turks and arabs; or why Turkey is still the closest muslim ally of the west.
You are the only person that I read who claims that there is a genocide against kurds. Even my kurdish friends who have a sympathy towards the terrorist do not claim that. You make these comments not because of your knowledge about the subject but you want turkey to suffer. For you, whatever the subject is, Turkey has to be the “bad guy” every time.
Please learn the subject before making a comment