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3 décembre 2007

Not a single day passes by without any kind of activity against Turkey in which the word Armenia is not included. Recently a press release was issued by the European Armenian Federation to announce that a conference titled “December 2004-October 2005/ Has Turkey Changed ?” will be held in the European Parliament building on September 22, 2005. It was informed in the press release that this conference would be held with the invitation of the European Public Party group under the auspices of Ingo Friedrich, one of the EP Deputy Chairs and a member of the Christian Democrats. It was also stated in the press release that representatives of Armenian Associations from more than twenty EU countries will join the European Armenians Consultative Meeting, which is to be held on September 23, to discuss the issues of Turkey’s EU membership and EU’s policy regarding Armenia.

It is very thought-provoking that the Armenian Associations are entitled to speak and set the agenda in defining EU policies and especially while determining the membership of a country. Moreover, it is deemed odd that the European politicians take sides with historical claims, of which the truth has not yet been proved, and support unilateral activities.

Discussing the Armenian genocide claims in various parliaments with an attitude far from being scientific, the recognition of these claims and considering it an offense to say that the claims of genocide are far from being real without giving the right to speak to the opposing party, put clearly forth that the long term results of such policies are not fully comprehended. The subjective and aggressive attitude adopted by European democracies by abandoning objective and scientific approaches and taking such decisions in their parliaments, serves no aim other than to poison the relations between countries.

The reluctance of the Armenian Administration and pro-Tashnak Armenian circles in considering the proposal made by Turkey to “have the historical incidents be investigated by independent historians”, prove first hand how intentional and how unfair they are.

There are also some current evidences indicating that the Armenian Administration regard it its natural right to intervene in the domestic affairs of its neighbors and attacking and occupying their lands. While occupying Karabakh, rejecting its official borders with Turkey by disregarding international treaties and making a recent statement that it would show every effort to prevent the Kars-Ahilkelek-Tblisi-Baku Railway project and thus intervening in the domestic affairs of its neighbors and their mutual relations, the Armenian Administration considers that it has the right to demand from Turkey to open up a border gate and to accept the claims of genocide. As if these are not enough it tries to pressurize Turkey by trying to involve other countries into the issue.

However these types of shallow-minded and inconsistent policies do not make the faintest contribution to regional peace and security. It is clear that these types of deliriums, that can never be proved, cannot go beyond being historical mistakes to create enmity among countries. It should consequently be perceived that an assault/ defense type of policy sets the greatest obstacle in front of establishing robust, long term and constructive relations both on the regional and global level. If the aim is attaining historical facts, then the Armenian Administration is obliged to have the issue be investigated on scientific platforms.

Tashnaks and their supporters should understand that they could not demand any concessions from Turkey by presenting this issue of displacement in the time of war (which was carried out due to the massacres of the Armenians against Turkish citizens, whom they were neighbors with for centuries, and due to the harm they caused on the land where they lived) as a genocide show.

As the Western politicians have nothing to do with this issue, it would be proper for them to overview scientific data before having their countries take binding decisions as these countries do not have neither the right nor the authority to condemn societies by judging several historical claims.

Ulku ERYAMAN - Editor
Organization for the Commemoration of Genocide Victims (SKAO)
http://www.geocities.com/soykirkur/
soykirkur@yahoo.com