Genocide resolution – Ankara’s chance to shake off Baku’s pressure on the way to Protocols ratification

March 6, 2010 - 16:58 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - US House Foreign Affairs Committee passage of Genocide resolution is Ankara’s chance to shake off Baku’s pressure on the way to Protocols ratification, according European Integration NGO chairman Karen Bekaryan.

“Probability for Protocols ratification is dwindling, but the final result of Armenia-Turkey rapprochement could be forecasted only in case Ankara fails to ratify protocols before April 24,” he told a news conference in Yerevan.

The expert linked the slump in rapprochement process with Turkey’s internal political situation, rather than the passage of H.Res. 252.

Commenting on recent statement by Turkish Foreign Minister on the possibility to open borders with Armenia within 3 days, and closing them, should Karabakh war break out, Karen Bekaryan stressed that Ankara’s statements contain a threat of force and a message to Azerbaijan.

Commenting on the reaction of US Administration on resolution passage, the expert emphasized there was nothing new in Obama Administration’s statements. “Compared with previous administration’s reaction, this time, official Washington’s response was less harsh. The statements of US Department of State leave US some space for further maneuvers,” Bekaryan said.

On March 4, US House Foreign Affairs Committee's passed a resolution recognizing and commemorating the Armenian Genocide. The resolution was passed by a vote of 23-22.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

The Armenian-Turkish Protocols

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.

Commenting on the CC ruling, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “it contains preconditions and restrictive provisions which impair the letter and spirit of the Protocols.” ”The decision undermines the very reason for negotiating these Protocols as well as their fundamental objective. This approach cannot be accepted on our part. Turkey, in line with its accustomed allegiance to its international commitments, maintains its adherence to the primary provisions of these Protocols. We expect the same allegiance from the Armenian government,” the Ministry said.