They wanted as better, it came out as always… for Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Actually, one could say that Obama's speechwriters took care that 'Peter is paid without robbing Paul', although Turkey remained dissatisfied. Sharp criticism from President Gul and Premier Erdogan, together with the call of US Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey addressed to the Foreign Ministry of Turkey, gave the impression that Ankara was troubled even by such an address of the US President to the Armenian community of America. Even the community itself is discontent at the President's words. Chairman of the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) Hirair Hovnanian sent an open letter to President of the USA Barack Obama, in which he expressed the profound disappointment of the Armenian Assembly of America at the fact that the American President did not pronounce the words "Armenian Genocide" in his statement issued on the 94th anniversary. The letter particularly said: "Your use of the phrase 'Mets Yeghern' was an inadequate substitute for 'the Armenian Genocide'. It was a retreat from the promises you made as a Presidential candidate. Armenians around the world applauded your forthright stance when, on January 2008, you promised, "As President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide." Both in Turkey and in today's statement, you asserted that your view of history with regard to what happened to the Armenian population in Ottoman Turkey had not changed. Yet you clearly acquiesced to Turkish demands to avoid using the word Genocide."

"Recently, Turkey has started to perceive Armenia in a more positive light, though this is more the case with the European part of Turkey. The majority still gives preference to Azeris, who're closer. But Armenians are close to us too," said Professor of Isik University International Relations Department Bulent Aras. At the same time the Turkish professor noted that no one in the world can hamper normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations: neither Russia, nor the US. "The negotiation process should involve Turkey and Armenia only," he stressed.

As far as the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is concerned, the Turkish professor stated: "During the years of the First World War in the Ottoman Empire not only Armenians, but also other nations, including Turks suffered greatly". "The past should be left to historians, and we should go on living in present. Why should we pass through Georgia to visit Armenia or Turkey when there's a shorter way?" Aras noted.

The Turkish professor considers that after 1915 the Turks lost their friends, Armenians. "Armenia, in the essence, is part of Anatolia," Aras believes. It is difficult not to reproach the professor for the ignorance of his own history, especially that of the past 100 years.

But let us leave all these statements on the conscience of Aras. Another point is important here: in the last 10-20 years the policy of world powers, be it the USA or Russia, has not changed towards the region, let alone towards the "Armenian question". The opening of the Armenian-Turkish border is necessary for Russia to withhold Turkey, while the USA needs it in order to reorient Armenia towards the West and to pull it away from the Russian influence.

Most likely, changes are outlined in the region in the near future. And it is connected not only and not so much with normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, but also with the general changes, in which the European Union with the program "Eastern Partnership" can play rather an important role. No matter how hard the European Union tries to convince, the above-mentioned program is directed towards weakening the positions of Russia in the region. And if the Nabucco project should be realized too, one might as well speak of just another failure of Russian diplomacy and geopolitics in the region. As a result, Armenia will again be forced to lose something, obtaining in response ephemeral statements about "friendship"…

Karine Ter-Sahakyan