Inexorable March of Genocide Recognition

In addition to inciting Uyghurs in China, Erdogan is meddling into the internal affairs of European countries, where Turkish minority groups are very active. They are so active that Erdogan defiantly decided to extend his election campaign into Germany, as if that country was his own turf. He had a fallout with Holland and Austria, antagonizing those countries. His quarrel with European leaders, compounded with his authoritarian rule at home, brought Turkey’s negotiations with the European Union to a halt. That situation is playing into the hands of anti-Erdogan forces globally. Politically, one of the beneficiaries is the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Germany’s Bundestag passed a strong resolution, even paving the way for seeking restitution for the Armenians. Indeed, the German resolution was not only a condemnation of the Ottoman crime, but also an admission of German collusion, which Armenians need to explore and use for restitution.

France had already passed a law recognizing the Armenian Genocide but failed in criminalizing its denial. To compensate for that failure, President Emmanuel Macron declared April 24 as a day for Genocide remembrance throughout France. The proclamation also includes the participation of a high-ranking French official in commemorative events in Armenia. Consequently, at this moment, France’s Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is on his way to Yerevan. Ankara has angrily criticized France for the move. First, Turkey’s Speaker of Parliament Mustafa Sentop spoke out at the 99^th NATO Parliamentary Assembly gathered in Antalya, Turkey, earlier in April. Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusoglu added insult to injury, inviting France to look at its colonial past in Algeria. Sonia Krimi of the French delegation answered that Mr. Sentop’s statement had shocked her. Following that statement, the French delegation left the hall. In his remarks, Çavusoglu stated that 700,000 Turks living in France felt insulted by the French government’s action. Mr. Çavusoglu knows better than the French government that most of the Turks living in Europe do not favor Erdogan’s authoritarian rule and perhaps only a few fanatics would justify the foreign minister’s statement. Incidentally a Turkish newspaper rejoiced at the fire devastating Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, considering it as a revenge for recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The real cause appears to be either mechanical malfunction or human error.

Mr. Sentop was offered another opportunity for an outburst, this time around against the Italian government. Indeed, on April 10, the Italian parliament ratified a proposal recognizing the 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire as a “genocide.” The votes were 382 with none against, but 43 abstentions.

Turkey is a powerful country and these European countries have many interests in Ankara, particularly as a fellow member in NATO structures. But they take a resolute stand because the truth about the Genocide is gaining momentum and because Turkey is becoming an international pariah.

Besides Europe, the US and Israel taunt Turkey, from time to time with the threat of recognizing the Genocide, when they need to pressure Turkey into making concessions. However, powerful statemen and scholars in both countries strongly support the recognition of the issue.

The US has recognized the Genocide in 1951 and again by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, who officially used the word “genocide.” The presidents since Reagan have shied away from using the term but their statements are no less powerful, including George W. Bush, Obama and even Trump.