Hayk Babukhanyan: Turkish elite still has genocidal mentality

March 12, 2010 - 19:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - US House Foreign Affairs Committee passage of H.Res. 252, as well as Swedish parliament’s recognition of Armenian Genocide, proved RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s initiative policy effective, Constitutional Right Union party leader Hayk Babukhanyan stated.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, currently Turkey fails to demonstrate constructive approach in rapprochement process, yet there is a possibility for it to ratify Protocols before April 24. “Turkey has to understand that refusal to acknowledge the Genocide will be used against it. Year after year, more countries recognize the Armenian Genocide. Turkey can’t keep recalling its ambassadors from all over the world,” he emphasized.

Babukhanyan urged Armenian authorities to exercise vigilance while normalizing ties with Turkey, as Turkish elite still has genocidal mentality. “Until Turkey recognizes the Genocide, it will be considered a hostile state in Armenia,” Constitutional Right Union party leader stated.

Hayk Babukhanyan expressed his disagreement over the statement of President Emeritus Goran Lennmarker on Azerbaijan being more interested in Karabakh conflict settlement so as Azeri refugees could return to their homes. “Armenian Foreign Ministry is to blame for allowing such views, never having raised the issue of Armenian refugees’ return during negotiations,” he stressed.

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.