Commentary: No Monopoly on the Armenian Cause

All we can expect in Armenian-Turkish relations is incremental success. Turkey has become an economic powerhouse, a member of the G-20 countries. It is also a military power to be reckoned with. All our political activities as Armenians — inside and outside Armenia — register globally as little more than a mouse’s roar, and we should be careful not to become a laughing stock in the world community. Armenians have very limited resources to force down any position on Turkey. Therefore, our best bet is to get an internal change in Turkey.

Turkish leaders will never admit that the Ottoman-era government committed a genocide against Armenians, unless Turkish society itself comes to terms with its history. Fortunately, that process has already begun.

The Kurdish minority in Turkey can set the trend for us. The Kurdish Workers’ Party’s (PKK) acts of violence only hardened the resolve of the Turkish government to strike back. But the Kurds today have established a political parallel track in order to pursue their quests for human rights and maintaining their identity. They are engaged in the political process and they have been advocating for their cause in the Turkish parliament. Additionally, they have been calling for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Turkey is undergoing a tremendous process of transformation. Intellectuals, journalists, scholars and ordinary citizens have been making amends to the Armenian people for the crimes their ancestors had committed. A few years ago that was taboo. Granted, Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code is still on the books, the Grey Wolves are still active and the military brass is not toothless yet, despite all the arrests and legal actions.

Our hope lies in the transformation of the Turkish people, waiting for the day when quantitative changes will bring a corresponding qualitative change which will compel the government to alter its course and drop its denialist policy.

One of the most significant changes was the government’s decision to return confiscated religious and community assets. A most symbolic case was the dedication of St. Giragos Church in Diarbekir. Some 2,000 Armenians converged on that city from different regions of Turkey, the Middle East, Armenia and Europe. A delegation of 26 Armenians, headed by the Primate of Eastern Diocese, also attended the celebration, to the dislike of an ARF party organ that indulged in wild assumptions and uncalled-for attacks on the characters of the Primate and the participants. Again, one of the reasons is a petty case of ignoring the name of Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia during the liturgy. Another reason for the attack in the October 26 issue of the Los Angeles-based Asbarez is that there was virtually no Dashnak participation in the entire celebration.

Then the writer allows himself the liberty of taking the role of inquisitor and blames the clergy and lay people, without the smallest shred of proof. Quoting the Turkish daily, Hurriyet, the Asbarez writer accuses the delegation of engaging in business negotiations with the Turks and then jumps to the following wild conclusion: “Given that such a series of business meetings could clearly not be scheduled at the last minute, one can conclude that in planning this pilgrimage to the historic St. Giragos Church, doing business with Turkish businessmen — effectively Turkey — was always on the agenda for those on this religious journey.”

The writer seems to be a clairvoyant to “conclude” what was on the mind of the religious delegation.

Then the writer twists a statement by Oscar Tatosian, chairman of the Diocesan Council, writing: “One of the members of Archbishop Barsamian’s delegation, a senior Diocese lay leader, Oscar Tatosian,” has stated that “our people should come together and enjoy a cup of tea. The dialogue starts with arts, culture, academic cooperation and trade. The rest will follow.” And the writer concludes: “That sadly is Ankara’s narrative.” As if Mr. Tatosian in stating that “the rest would follow” has meant — let’s drink tea, conduct business and we will give up our claim for Genocide recognition and restitution.

Since we are in the realm of guessing games, one could perfectly surmise that “the rest will follow” means that “let’s drink tea now and one day will come and take back our historic homeland.”

Although neither Hurriyet, nor Asbarez, for that matter, has given any proof that the Primate engaged in any kind of business talk, the writer asks, “his new role as a deal maker begs a larger question: What business do religious leaders have in commerce, especially in Turkey?”

We think the question must also be put to those grocery store owners in Watertown, Glendale, New Jersey and Bourj Hamoud in Lebanon — most of them ARF members and sympathizers — who sell Turkish products. They should also be asked whether they “fall in Turkish traps” and give up the Genocide issue in return for doing business with Turkey. All this amounts to the hegemonic justification of the ARF leadership that they are the only ones who can conduct dialogue with Turkey and all the rest are so naïve that they will forget the Genocide and forgive the Turks for having occupied our historic homeland.

The Turks have let the genie out of the bottle and they cannot put it back. The Genocide issue is on the agenda of many Turks. People-to-people contacts will only accelerate the process of bringing the Genocide issue to the broader segments of society.

The Turkish government will certainly manipulate situations to divide Armenians and pit them against each other. But similar articles are equally divisive and they will play into the hands of the Turks, especially when they come with a patronizing tone and proprietary pretensions. The tragedy is shared by all Armenians. No one has monopoly over the Genocide issue.