Why It’s the Right Time for India to Give Turkey an Armenian ‘Gift’ for Its Stand on Kashmir

Though Turkey has always rejected the idea that it was a genocide, the reaction to its acceptance by various countries has become sharper in recent years with Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the helm of affairs. Erdogan, as the President, after the failed coup of 2016, which has been by far the bloodiest coup in its history, has consolidated power within his presidency and has taken a firm position against it. Turkey, of late, is pursuing a policy of ‘Neo-Ottomanism’, jettisoning the idea of a secular state and a pro-Western orientation that has been the hallmark of Kemalist ideology, which also meant that the Army was the protector of secularism and pro-Western orientation of the Russian state.

Modern Armenia (Eastern Armenia), which was only a tiny part of a large country as claimed by the Armenian nationalists, did come into existence after the fall of the Czarist regime in 1917 but was short-lived. The genocide, as claimed by the historians, happened only in the Anatolian part of the Ottoman empire, termed the Western Armenia, where the majority of the Armenians lived. The genocide has also acted as a rallying point for the modern Armenian state in developing a national identity.

This genocide has been recognized by 34 countries in the world, mainly from Europe and Latin America, including Russia, which hosts the most significant Armenian diaspora. The US recognized the Armenian genocide in 2021. India is yet to recognize the genocide as it is still weighing its options to balance out its relations with Armenia and Turkey. By recognizing the Armenian genocide, the world will know the severity of the issue and its acknowledgement by contemporary Turkish society and state may also lead to demanding of reparations by the affected Armenian families and their descendants.

There is a pressing need for India to recognize the massacre. Turkey, under the leadership of Erdogan, has been criticizing India over the Kashmir issue. In UN General Assembly speeches, President Erdogan has likened the status of Kashmiris to Uighurs and Rohingyas, which have been vehemently protested by India both on the floor of the UN General Assembly outside of it. Interestingly, Pakistan is the only country in the world that does not recognize Armenia as an independent state, to please Armenia’s adversaries, Azerbaijan and Turkey. In 2019 Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the UNGA meet after Turkish President Erdogan raised the Kashmir issue, raising the possibility of recognizing the Armenian genocide by India.

For decades, India’s foreign policy has been driven by the lowest common denominator principle, based on the idea of avoidance of risk. The political and foreign policy elites have always looked for the safer option, citing the realist idea of ‘national interest’. The outcome has been largely accidental and has been a “pragmatism by default.” Recognizing the Armenian genocide will, in a subtle way, project India’s arrival as a decisive power without displeasing any significant nation.

The writer is Associate Professor, Russian and Central Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Views expressed are personal. This piece first appeared at https://www.firstpost.com.