Obama’s April 24 address will not change anything

PanARMENIAN.Net - If not to take into account many factors pro et contra, then by universal criteria the U.S. must say what is long known to everyone. The most interesting thing is that this term will change nothing in the world, and even in Turkey itself - but America, or rather the previous administration, allowed Ankara to do whatever she likes, such as to dictate rules of treating the Armenians. The trouble is that Obama now has to clear up the mess made by the Bush policy in the Middle East and Asia. And he goes from one extreme to another: he refuses to support Israel and wants to “make friends” with Muslim countries. By the way, no conflict unleashed by the Bush administration has yet been settled. In short, heavy is the legacy of Obama, not to mention the crisis. And at this difficult time, Armenians are demanding that the U.S. President call the events of 1915 a ‘genocide’...

As for Ankara, she believes that she makes accurate steps, although in fact it is not so. The truth is that despite all the declarations of the Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister of Turkey about the desire to “normalize relations and live next to the rich and prosperous Armenia” they remain mere words. In fact, Ankara is reluctant to deal with a country whose people were brutally slaughtered 95 years ago. When last year on April 23 the Armenian people were acquainted with the text of the Armenian-Turkish agreement that took shape in the Protocols of August 31, signed in Zurich on October 10, majority of the nation took it as a mockery and insult, which, in essence, was truly so. But now, almost a year later, we are thinking about what “surprise” we should be waiting for from the world powers that are interested in restraint of Turkey and Azerbaijan and in full reorientation of Armenia to the West. It is the “too bad” that may happen if Obama anyway utters the word “genocide”. However, there is little hope that the U.S. president would risk to say what the Armenian-American community expects from him, but who knows what America may need in the region in a week? If the White House is to decide that Turkey is a vital strategic ally and it is inappropriate to quarrel with her now, then everything is clear. And if not - Armenia will have to prepare for a war with Azerbaijan.

But there is still time to consider what the Armenian nation should be demanding - recognition of something already well-known to the whole world, or opening of the archives and claim for the tribunal. But who should be taken to court? Perhaps the State of Turkey? No, because the present Turkey is not responsible for the deeds of the Ottoman Empire, let alone for the Young Turks. Incidentally, the latter have already been tried in the military court in 1919 and sentenced to death “for drawing Turkey in the World War II and destructing the Armenian people.”

There is almost nothing in the Ottoman archives - most of the documents were destroyed in 1918 and whatever was saved was sent to the Library of Congress thanks to the personal merit of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau. The same is true about the documents kept to a European archives.

But the most unpleasant point which we have repeatedly been discussing is that the tragedy of the nation has become the only trump card in almost a century-old disagreement with the world.