Resolution on the Armenian Genocide is a way to show Turkey its place in the world community

PanARMENIAN.Net - It’s quite possible that we become witnesses of the “parade” of the Armenian Genocide recognition and successive recall of Turkish ambassadors from various countries for “consultations”. This attitude of the Turkish Government, obstinately reluctant to face the truth, may lead to just about closure of Turkish embassies in almost all the world countries. By the way, it is an old and tested trick of Turkish diplomacy to recall its ambassadors and after a while to pretend that everything is okay. An example of that is the case of France, with which Turkey tried to “quarrel” in the course of two months in 2001, but then everything resumed its normal course.

Resolution of the Swedish Parliament differs from other analogous statements in that it for the first time made mention of not only Armenians, but also of all the Christian population that became victims of genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, Sweden was the first country to recognize the Assyrian, Syriac and Chaldean Genocides, which in itself is worth praising. However, these cases of recognition, as we have already mentioned, are only a way to show Turkey its real place in the world community. Despite the fact that high-ranking European officials say they oppose such a resolution, in fact, such decisions untie their hands, and they, with a light heart, refuse Turkey’s EU membership. International recognition of the Armenian Genocide is somewhat illogical, as it’s the same as to recognize the World War II. It is history, it is a fact which Ankara has to accept, no matter she wants it or not. The thing is that the present leadership of Turkey, for some reason, identifies itself with the Ottoman Empire, and all that was done then is declared a taboo or a truth not to be questioned.

The world learned about the Holocaust thanks to the Nuremberg trials and thousands of surviving witnesses. In 1919 the Young Turks were brought to an analogous trial too. Talaat, Enver and Cemal were sentenced to death for embroiling the Empire in war and killing almost all the Armenian population of six vilayets. The verdict was executed by Armenian avengers, who called the operation of assassinating the butchers “Nemesis”. The term “genocide” did not exist then; it came into use in 1944, for which it is indebted to the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. And now, 95 years later, Turkey fears this term like she used to, not realizing that not terms but deeds matter. The April 24 address of the US President will change nothing. Neither will international recognition of the Armenian Genocide change anything. Nothing can change until this act of violence receives proper response in Germany and Turkey. For some reason they forget that without assistance of the Imperial Germany, Turkey couldn't have done what she did in 1915 – exterminating several nations, whose only guilt was being 'unfaithful'. For some reason everyone is silent about the dubious role of German generals, who trained the Turkish army and gave, in effect, carte blanche to Young Turks. Thus, in principle, recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as well as genocide of other Christian peoples of the Ottoman Empire, should be demanded from Germany first and only after that from Turkey.

According to popular belief, if the U.S. recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Israel and Turkey will immediately follow. However, even if Israel does so, the case with Turkey is not that simple: Ankara will continue its policy of blackmail until a “successful end”. But this end is unlikely to be truly successful for Turkey, as the theme of mass crimes against the humanity gradually passes from moral perspective to legal. That is, both moral and material compensation must be demanded in the form of Armenian Genocide recognition not from parliaments or governments, but the case should be immediately sent to the International Court of Justice in Hague, as was the case with the president of Sudan. Who knows, perhaps it is exactly what Ankara fears most?