Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hysterical outburst at Armenia’s president last week had the salutary effect of publicizing to a worldwide audience Armenian territorial demands from Turkey.
By distorting and exaggerating Sarkisian’s remarks, made to a group of schoolchildren in Dzaghgatsor, Armenia on July 23, Erdogan created a gigantic mountain out of a molehill! Anyone who reads the Armenian president’s actual words would find it hard to believe that they could be the cause of Erdogan’s foaming at the mouth.
Krikor Hampartsumian, a Shahumian Middle School student from the Ararat Region, asked Sarkisian: “…I would be interested in knowing whether our future would be reminiscent of a German diplomat’s description of the Batum Agreement—they gave us enough room to swim in Lake Sevan, but not enough room to dry up—or a future that would see the return of Western Armenia along with Ararat?”
Sarkisian calmly responded: “It all depends on you and your generation. I believe my generation fulfilled its task when it was necessary in the early 1990’s to defend a part of our homeland—Karabagh—from enemies. We were able to do that… My point is that each generation has its own task, and it must be able to carry it out, and carry it out well. If you and your peers spare no effort, and if those older and younger than you act the same way, we will have one of the best countries in the world. Trust me, a country’s clout is not always measured by its land mass. The country should be modern, secure, and prosperous. These are prerequisites that allow a nation to sit along with prominent, strong, and reputed nations of the world. We should all fulfill our duties, be active, industrious, and engage in good deeds. And we can accomplish that very easily. It would not be the first time in our history that we achieve it. I have no doubts about it, and I don’t want you to have any doubts either. We are a nation like a Phoenix that always rises from the ashes.”
This simple exchange between the president and the young student was blown out of proportion by Azeri and Turkish officials. Journalists in both countries tried to outdo each other in their hysterical attacks on Armenia, accusing Sarkisian of “urging Armenian youth to occupy Mt. Ararat and Eastern Turkey.” Insulting adjectives were hurled at Armenia’s president by Erdogan, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinch, Minister Egemen Bagis, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and the foreign ministries of both countries. To incite the masses, protests were organized in Turkish cities where photographs of Sarkisian were burned!
Incredibly, Erdogan had the audacity to demand an apology from Sarkisian. The Turkish prime minister’s score on failed demands for an apology from the leaders of Israel, Germany, and Armenia now stands at 3 to 0. Erdogan should not hold his breath waiting for Armenia to apologize. Before making such an outrageous demand, Turkish leaders must first apologize for the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide, and return all confiscated Armenian properties, including Western Armenia and Mt. Ararat, as suggested by this erudite student who deserves to be honored by Armenian organizations as a role model for the young generation.
What was the real cause of Turkish and Azeri hysteria? Did Erdogan have a bad translator, or simply bad intentions? It is probably the latter. He delivered his outrageous remarks while standing next to Aliyev during a press conference in Baku last week. Erdogan may have wanted to impress his “junior brother” with his anti-Armenian zeal, and provide a false justification to the international community for not keeping his word on the Armenia-Turkey protocols and refusing to open the border with Armenia. He may have also intended to be excessively harsh so that no Armenian official would ever again hint at territorial claims from Turkey.
This episode demonstrates that papering over historical injustices by pressuring Armenia to sign the defeatist protocols will not eliminate the deeply held grievances of a victimized people. The Armenian-Turkish confrontation will not be resolved until justice is done to the Armenian nation. Pursuing justice is the task of all Armenians, this generation and the next. There will be no peace for Turkey without justice for Armenians!
In addition to their gratitude to the impressive youngster and Sarkisian, Armenians should be thankful to Erdogan for his hysterical overreaction that helped bring Armenian territorial demands to the attention of the international media and the world community.
Harut Sassounian
Once again, Mr. Sassounian, you have appropriately articulated just what needs to get done for peace! Thank You!
Thank you Mr. President & Young Student, for asking the question & the appropriate response from President Serge Sarkissian.
We all must do our part even if a century has rolled by w/o justice. We know that Truth-&-Justice will prevail. It’s a matter of time.
Excellent article Mr. Sassounian!
Gary,
You mention the words “truth and justice”. ARF dashnak Armenians DO NOT know the true meanings of these words! They do, however, know how to distort and manipulate them quite well! They’ve been doing it since the 1860’s!!!
@Robert:
A little background. The Dashnaksutyun Party was actually founded around 1889- 1890 in response to the slaughter of Armenians that began in 1880’s and culminated in the larger massacres of Christians (Armenians and Assyrians) the 1890’s under the Red Sultan (Abdul Hamid II)-…..geee, wonder how he earned that name? They were primarily small bands of men who witnessed and were very often victims of injustice. They dedicated to self-defense and self awareness to an Armenian population that was in despair, especially in the interior of Asia Minor. Armenians, being Christians, were often scapegoated for the fact that the Ottoman Empire was evaporating in the Balkans, Caucasus (imagine the audacity of people wanting their freedom) so naturally they became a group that were easily reviled. They did not work toward independence until the culmination of the Genocide in 1915. Indeed they allied themselves with the CUP and only stopped supporting the CUP when the Pan-Turkist wing of the party usurped the Pan-Ottoman one and they saw the manifestation of even larger scale massacres.
Nonetheless, the Dasnaksutyun were mostly a political movement, took party in Parliament and believed in the Ottoman system (under the CUP) that ultimately betrayed them in order to pursue a fascist course. Despite its prominence, the vast majority of Armenians were not party members, did not support the Dasnaksutyun, were apolitical, largely downtrodden, meek, and fearful of making waves…..yet, they were slaughtered anyway. You can see a certain correlation with all ethnic and religious minorities in Turkey. You can agitate for your rights and be killed, you can do nothing and remain loyal and be killed (in Turkish culture this is seen as weakness and thus you are subject to further attack) or you can give away your identity and truly become a raya and perhaps you will be safe.
During this time periojd, Armenians were not allowed defend themselves against Turkish, Kurdish, and Circassian brigandage, plunder, rape, etc (an Armenian defending himself and his family was seen as a criminal in the eyes of the law–akin to when a girl is raped in Pakistan but she is punished for having been “defiled”. An Armenian was not allowed to testify in court against a Muslim for any reason whatsoever. Armenians faced triple taxes and daily pressure to leave their faith, give up their homes, wealth, and material goods for the benefit of Turks, Kurds and Circassians against their will at anytime and at the whims of the local Kurdish chieftans all the way up to the Kaimakams.
The Dasnaksutyun made some strategic errors but without them there might not be any Armenians left whatsoever. Perhaps that is why you hate their existence.
Robert:
You are a Turk, yes ? Yes. You insulted the Editor of ArmenianWeekly.
You promised not to come back to AW, unless the AW Editors changed their policy.
They have not change their policy.
You are back.
You lied. You did not keep your word. We are not surprised.
Turks are allegedly a, quote, ‘proud’ people. We are not convinced.
You are so enamored with Armenians that you cannot stay away.
You spew Ant-Armenian hate on these pages, yet can’t keep yourself away from Armenians. A classic case of psychosis: you need to seek professional help.
Harut asks: “What was the real cause of Turkish and Azeri hysteria? Did Erdogan have a bad translator, or simply bad intentions? It is probably the latter.”
I think it is also that when you know you are undeniably guilty, you see “bogemen everywhere. Especially if you know that your cheque book won’t chase the “boogies” away!
Erdogan is like a little boy who wets his pants when he gets scared.
Actually, Robert the Turk robot is to be pitied/ignored… he is a prime example of the education of Turkeys – as they ONLY know to blame the victims of their Genocides – of the Armenians… Turkeys leaderships have been lying whilst educating their students, lying to the world, lying even to themselves… and funny, worse, they even believe their own lies!!
Perouz…you are correct. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau had, become aware, that most Turks, including Talaat, at the time of the Genocide, were unable to process ‘logic-&-fairness’ and acted on their fear emotion. We know fear is a powerful emotion, and if acted upon, incorrectly can be dangerous. Acting on any emotion alone is not safe.
Some of the modern day Turks may be suffering from the very same ‘fear emotion’. This is probably why they react the way they do. We also know that “when we confess our sins & make appropriate reparations” we are then set free. After all we all have a conscience and that is what is haunting many these days. We know the sooner the Turks’ acceptance of their bloody past…the sooner peace for every one.
Thanks for your writings, Perouz.
I think we all know what the student asked, probably representing the general sentiment of his people, and what the Presdient of Armenia said in response. As statesmanly as the response was, the meaning was clear.
There was no respect for international borders, or denying clearly any intention of occupying or invading yet another neigboring country in the response.
I am not impressed with Erdogan’s reaction, and why he took it upon himself even to dignify such an inappropriate exchange frankly. It was for the FM to demand an explanation, not an apology.
Just imagine a similar question leveled at the Turkish president (never happens) and him responding by telling that it was up to the future generations to recover the lost glory of the mighty Ottoman Empire.
I do not think anyone here would be calling that a mole hill.
Murat:
re: ‘There was no respect for international borders’
Did you similarly take your PM Erdogan to task for not respecting international borders when he made the recent statement about Cyprus ?
[Erdoğan: There is no country called ‘Cyprus’ TodaysZaman 19 July 2011]
Did you happen to post a comment there countering the comments by your fellow Turks supporting your PM ?
And when you say ‘…intention of occupying or invading yet another neigboring country…’, are you referring to Turkey’s invasion and occupation of Cyprus ?
FYI: Artskah’s indigenous Armenians liberated their lands from invaders. Same invaders that today still occupy Armenian Nakhichevan. Same invaders who recently committed cultural genocide by destroying 1,000s of irreplaceable, centuries old Khachkars there.
Why ? glad you asked: to claim in the future that there were no Armenians ever having lived there, and that it has always been, quote, ‘Azeri’ land.
I think Erdogan over reaction is the result of the American senators agreeing 40 and 1 silent vote te return the christian cherches and properties to the right owners, he feels thretendand scared.