Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement on the “events of 1915,” released in nine languages last week, was a major propaganda coup for Turkey, generating worldwide publicity. The announcement was so cleverly crafted that it fooled many in the international community—and regrettably, some Armenians—into believing that he had come close to recognizing the Armenian Genocide, or at least had taken “an historic” step in the right direction.
In reality, Erdogan’s statement was nothing more than rephrased denial or old wine in a new bottle. Carefully avoiding the term “Armenian Genocide,” he conveniently borrowed Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s deceptive terminology of “shared pain” and “just memory”—words that sound conciliatory, but actually equate the murderers with the victims. The Turkish prime minister’s reference to millions of Turks and others who also died during World War I is an insult to the memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide. Millions of Germans also perished in World War II, but no one in their right mind and of good conscience would equate their deaths with the extermination of six million Jews!
Erdogan’s call for a “joint historical commission to study the events of 1915” is another worn out but shrewd delay tactic. If Turkish officials are sincere in wanting to learn the facts of the Armenian Genocide, all they have to do is review the extensive documentation available in their own archives, as well as studies conducted by countless historians and genocide scholars around the world. Why did the Turkish government wait almost 100 years to show an interest in researching this topic? Why are some of the most sensitive Ottoman archives still kept under lock and key, not to mention those that were shredded long ago?
I have written many times for several years that:
1) despite Turkish denials, the Armenian Genocide is a recognized fact by the international community and there is no need to wait for President Obama, Prime Minister Erdogan, or anyone else to acknowledge it;
2) genocide recognition cannot right the wrongs committed by uprooting and decimating the Armenian people (A more appropriate objective would be to seek justice through legal channels, demanding restitution, both financial and territorial);
3) the Turkish offer for “reconciliation” is nothing but a sinister ploy to bury the past with a meaningless acknowledgment and apology. True reconciliation is achieved by undoing the enormous damage inflicted on the Armenian nation.
It is imperative that Armenians remain vigilant and not be deceived by fake Turkish offers of reconciliation. Between now and April 24, 2015, the Turkish government will probably announce many more publicity stunts to win over the sympathy of the international community and minimize the damage to Turkey’s already tarnished reputation by accusations of genocide.
One such Turkish plan is Davutoglu’s cynical statement that the Armenian Diaspora is also Turkey’s diaspora! There have been media reports that the Turkish government is preparing to grant citizenship to the descendants of former Ottoman subjects, including Armenians. Surprisingly, some naïve Armenians are fooled into thinking that this is a positive step! Just imagine settling in one of the towns of Turkish-occupied Western Armenia or Cilicia as a citizen of Turkey, and having your sons drafted into the Turkish military to “defend the Turkish nation” and take part in the invasion of Kessab or Aleppo or even Armenia! How about being jailed, under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, because you make the mistake of speaking about the Armenian Genocide to one of your Turkish neighbors!
Erdogan’s real intent in issuing his April 23, 2014 statement is to undermine Armenians’ worldwide efforts to seek justice as they prepare for the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.
The fact that the State Department and some European officials reacted positively to Erdogan’s statement is an indication that this was a coordinated attempt to provide cover for the Obama Administration and European countries to avoid dealing with Armenian demands on the genocide issue, using the excuse that Turkey’s leaders are in the process of reconciling with Armenians.
Armenians should resist the pressures by third parties to abandon the pursuit of their historic claims. The views of the U.S. government or the EU on Armenian demands from Turkey should be irrelevant. Armenians should be the masters of their own fate and not allow other nations to dictate what is acceptable or unacceptable in the pursuit of their national interest.
Harut Sassounian
I completely agree with Mr. Sassounian in saying that Erdogan’s statement was like old wine in a new bottle. Turkey is just trying to repackage its denial of the Armenian Genocide and charm the International community and our Diaspora. Armenians have been fooled in the past by Turks, like when we contributed to the Young Turk revolution, but this almost led us to our annihilation. Now there is no more room for mistakes… Reconciliation can only be possible after a full recognition of the facts.
Agree 100%.instead of empty appology, he should have offered reparations. Anything less is not acceptable…
Dear Mr.Sassounian,
I couldn’t agree more,ur article is a WONDER,but…
1st,What makes u think that in the next 100 years,Turkey will recognize the Genocide,i mean who & what will force’em to do that?
If we emphasize in the last,lets say 40 years,since i was 20,we can clearly make up that on top of their bloody hands,they were progressing & moving forward towards EUROPE,and strengthening their relation with them,let alone the last 3 years,no one,absolutely no one is even daring to make any counter statement against TURKEY’s last military interference & actions against Syria,and particularly in KESSAB City.
We as ARMENIANS,i think it’s wise now,to try to find other options,than depending on the INTERNATIONAL Community.
In other words,if the International Community couldn’t do anything in 99 years,i don’t suppose they will in the near or far future..!
Best regards,
Jack L.Attarian
Dear Harut,
I appreciate your clear cut and factual analysis of the ¨Act No.X¨pulled up by Mr. Erdogan and his FM Daoutoghlu(he declared in Uyghurland not too long ago, that it was his/their cradle) when visiting Western China Uyghuristan .
Avery here,ought to recall that.These people willnever change their attitude towards the Ermenis.it is crystal clear.And as long as oil flows through pipeline to BTC Baku Tbilis Jeyhan ,great Turkey receiving some 1.6 billion dolalrs per annum for the Tranmsit of the precious liquid,they are apt to back great Turkey.
Only a couple weeks ago a so called ¨dissident¨ Turkish delegation was here in Yerevan,where I was invited to.At the end of it some half hour was allotted to us to set forth our views, no Q.&.A session mind you.so I got up and gave it to them,knowing at least one person amongst the half dozen was from their MIT…
I courteously requested them to please try to educate their people w/ref to Genocide perpetrated on us by their prev. Govt.s then explained to them we know what their ex general kenan _Evren had said during the period when our ¨¨khnet ¨¨ boys were realizing ¨´correctional acts of violende¨¨ saying and I quote Armenians want land,let them come and get it¨.The same General now a n MP in their Parliament only a few months ago had said.and I quote¨´What some one hundred thousand Armenians died¨(meaning what´s this fuss about Genocide…
then I really gave it to them .Saying my uncle and grandfather wer put on death ,march and perished.Now I demand ¨¨blood money¨¨ like the jews did from Germany and received.
Adding , even if your Govt. may say ¨´our treasury coffers are empty¨¨ and we also know your people have been used to always receive,not used to giving…¨´ then I have a solution.The annual Transit duty for the oil that flows through (also Western Armenia) half of that amount(now probably increased9should be given to us Armenians.BTW this Conference was organized by the ¨´Western Armenian Council¨.I later asked to one of the organziers leaving fro Constantinople-Ankara to be careful and not give any outright straight reply to any query asked him/them there. But to tell them we shall study your views etc.,
I then wwrote an article (copy must be in your hands by now) that our delegation having received theri invitatioin should not have rushed over to Turkey,for only a couple weeks from that Conf. President of France, Mr. Francois Holland will be here on 12th May-as declared-and am pretty sure he will confirm his stand as to declaring that Those who deny the Armenian Genocide on _French soil would be fined and jailed-when upon their visit the aforementioned would have left a more forcefull effect upon Mr. Erdogan and Co.
Sadly some amongst are in a hurry to be out there hurriedly ,without giving it a second thought and or consulting with present or ex FM of Armenia and people such as you and similar…
Why so much haste.After all Armenia is not the monopoly of any of us.All of us have the right to it.Anyhow.Your comments are top notch and please try to tell some people in haste to wait ,contemplate consult and then act .what is more in UNISON with all others. We need cooperation more than unity.
best,
G.P
Absolutely correct!
How can a nation, within a century, go from the absolute denial that such a crime ever occurred, to holding the victims themselves responsible for their own demise, to blaming it on others, to blaming it on everything including the sun and the moon and on everyone else except themselves, to all of a sudden admitting it short of calling it a genocide and portraying it as “shared pain” or “shared memory”?
Well folks, make no mistake about it that it is in the rotten Turkish character to take by force and then lie, cheat and deny for as long as it can to protect its ill-gotten wealth. A nation as such, devoid of any conscious and built upon depopulation and mass extermination of the indigenous Armenian population can only, and with premeditation and ulterior motives, attempt to portray itself as conciliatory when it feels it is finally being exposed and has to do damage control and minimize liabilities, through further fabrications expressed in a conciliatory but cunning language, to throw the worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide off-course.
Don’t be surprised even if Turkey suggests some monetary compensation, not from its own pocket but from the confiscated assets valued in billions of the murdered Armenians, to sweep under the rug and bury the Armenian Cause once and for all and leave it in the past while continuing to occupy Western Armenian provinces and keep the Armenians scattered in four corners of the world out of their homeland, which was the Turkish intention to commit the Armenian Genocide in the first place!
Never trust the Turkish leadership until it comes fully clean, and without any crafty and shrewd language, admits to the preplanned and state-sponsored mass extermination and genocide of the Armenians and agrees to the unconditional return of the occupied Armenian provinces.
To those who wish to learn more about the Ottoman inherited character.After all we the elders over 80 have been activists long before our new generation and have had many contacts with Toikish “‘envoys”‘ and or delegations .Some even came and listened to our conferences in Europe some 35 yrs ago…
greaturkey will never give us land.Lands are there*Western armenian( will not pull the disappearing act.Moreover at present more than 90 % occupied by K U R D S ….
What we should DEMAND THROUGH A WELL PREPARED CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BY OUR 500 STRONG BAR ASSOCIATION is “b l o o d m o n e y ” something that has precedent …need i say more the jews from Germany. Then have people like Dr. Henry Astarjian and others delegagted by us to contact the kurdish parliament in Exile in Brussels i believe and begin by and by prepare the ground for return of properties when their CASE BECOME READ FOR A SOLUTION.Picture the Sevres treaty wherein they were also granted Autonomy etc.,
therefoe to expect that great turkey either make us land restitution is incorrect. land harut also wrote sometime ago.. is not given back asi por asi(spanish,just like that you conquer,reconquer or some disaster makes the occupiers weak and then we jump in .Or else we come to an accord *as above, with kurds
Hasgcoghin shad barev
MR. PALANDJIAN
And even if the Turks offer billions of Dollars or Euros, we should NOT accept any financial settlement ! Don´t forget our corrupt government of Oligarchs. Where would money flow? At present maybe to Monte Carlo or Baden-Baden. Armenia has now and forever to insist of receiving back at least these six eastern provinces of Greater Armenia. Another reason to NOT accept a financial settlement is that it will be based on confidence ! Of course the Turks could always find or construct reasons, why the payments have to be stopped after a short period !
They stole OUR land – they have to give it back. NO ESCAPE !
Well damn right you are & Obama & Israel do same except they use GPS instead of old wine in their containers. AS for international bodies & UN orgs. forget about it as we have lots of work to do & I guess if we have no other solutions we know t
In other words,if the International Community couldn’t do anything in 99 years, or UN puppets have done nothing either then there is only one way to go by 2015 Armenia should declare war particularly on Turkey/Israel/US with help of our most trusted allies, Russia & Iran. If they are putting old wine in new bottles then they should test it too.
No dear WR.The Turks did not steal THEY CONQUERED our ladns,sorry to say….please understand we cannot get land back from them by just begging or intervention of this that Gov.t,The Turks say¨Armenians want land? come and get it¨.This is exactly what General Kenan Evren said 33 yrts ago and is in the archives of ¨´Haratch¨ Armenian(then)daily,now weekly.Can be traced. after 3e3 yrs only few months ago he stated8now he is MP at their Parliament, or Mejlis.Do you understand? he said ¨One hundred thousand Armenians died…¨¨meaning what´s all the fuss about…
As rgs Monetary (like the clever Jews) compensation.My PLAN CALLS FOR A NATIONAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND, to begin with …by pour magnatesw and this in Switzerland,when this is established then the Armenian millionaires down to people like me he she will invest knoing KK or <Louis Manoogian or other such do not NEED OUR moiniues. It stays in THE fUND-FOUNDATION and it grows because it will be re invested in safe Gov.t BOND,I picture only Scandinavian Glov.t Bonds9 All Europe is corrupt.Only recently there wws 162 billion missing according to News…it is not only the small countries …capiche.
Theh Monies will be LOANED NOT GIVEN AS CHARITY AWAY…to those who wish to go to ra-Artsakh and that by mortgaging whatever enterprise the REPATRIATES WILL MAKE, BUILD ETC.,
It is not that difficult if we come together….coordinate our efforts and start of with PROFESSIONAL COLLEAGUES ASSOCIATIONS..we have 5 on the scene already.tnhis is going to be the century of the Professionals neither the workers(prtoletariat9 nor the Capitalists….hope you like the idea….
best rgds
hasgcoghin Parev Barev
“Armenians should be the masters of their own fate and not allow other nations to dictate what is acceptable or unacceptable in the pursuit of their national interest.” Looks like this is an acknowledgement that the contrary is true. Never once in history have armenians been the master of their fate. They have always been used by the great powers. armenia can not move a finger without the Russian approval.
Ahmet,
I wonder since when Turkey run without US approval??
Turkey rejected the American demand for using its territory for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The US lost the war because of it. Do the same to Russia if armenia dares!