Hrant Dink Remembered in Germany

Çem Özdemir, a Green Party member of the German Bundestag (Parliament), stressed the liberal democratic idea Dink represented, and his multi-cultural vision for Turkish society, whereby citizens could come from any ethnic background and religious belief. Author Dogan Akhanlı, who has written about the genocide, was asked to comment on Dink’s approach to dealing with it. Depicting him as a “living monument to peace and democracy,“ Akhanlı said Dink was convinced Turkey could be changed only if it dealt with recognition of the genocide, and he had convinced Turkish intellectuals to face their own history. Dink may have been a “romantic dreamer,“ he said, but dreams can come true, and Turkey does have a potential for change. Here he pointed to the 2013 Gezi Park movement as well as to the example provided by Garo Paylan’s political engagement.

Where does Turkey go from here? Osman Okkan asked. Darkness has descended again on Turkey, Paylan said, and silence as well. Much will depend on developments outside the country; if Europe and the US remain silent on human rights violations in Turkey, “that will make it worse for us,“ he said. Akhanlı agreed fully, adding that intellectuals, including Turkish intellectuals, living abroad where they enjoy political protection, should speak out more loudly. Recalling Dink’s extraordinary optimism, he said intellectuals abroad should be more courageous and fight for the release of political prisoners.

Germany and Artsakh

Following a musical interlude, with two pieces by Komitas performed by pianist Nare Karoyan, Çiler Firtina of the KulturForum moderated a discussion on the Nagorno-Karabakh war and continuing crisis. She asked for reactions to the German government’s position, as presented by Foreign Minister Heiko Maas at the end of October: 2 million euros would be allocated to help those who lost everything, he told members of Parliament, international pressure should force Armenia and Azerbaijan to cease hostilities, in recognition of the impossibility of a military solution, and Turkey must act according to its responsibilities as a Minsk Group member.

Dr. Gregor Gysi, parliamentarian for The Left (Linke), had intervened after Maas’s statement, and denounced Turkish support in Azerbaijan’s violation of the ceasefire as well as its weaponry and fighters. He had characterized the situation as “catastrophic.“ It was “not easy,“ he said, to be German foreign minister in this situation, but it would be better to be explicit. Maas was seeking a diplomatic road and avoiding conflict with the parties.

Raffi Kantian, chairman of the DAG, was more explicit. Humanitarian aid is important, he said, but what is most disturbing is the reluctance on the part of the German government, to state the facts clearly. Kantian criticized formulations in official statements from late November, in which Armenia was charged with having violated international law for annexing territories, but Azerbaijan was not; Turkey had “aided“ Azerbaijan, but there was no reference to active participation. And what about drones, fighter jets and command units? Though mercenaries were mentioned, nothing was said about the UN convention forbidding this, etc.