The Times: Armenia has no claims on land in eastern Turkey once formed western Armenia

March 5, 2010 - 21:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - “The political battle in the United States over recognition of the Armenian genocide boils down to a simple calculation: is the cost in spoilt relations with Turkey outweighed by respect for the memory of 1.5 million victims?” The Times observer Tony Halpin wrote in the article “Pragmatism, politics and the festering wound of Armenian 'genocide'”.

President Obama promised during his election campaign to recognise the massacres of 1915-23 as genocide at the annual commemoration on April 24, saying: “I believe that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence . . . As President, I will recognise the Armenian Genocide.”

“As Nato’s only Muslim member, with an important US air base at Incirlik and involvement in key American defence projects such as the troubled F35 fighter jet, Turkey has numerous cards to play.

But while it continually threatens Nato allies with repercussions, relations with Russia, which has always recognised the Armenian genocide, have never been warmer. Pragmatism in cosying up to its principal gas supplier apparently trumps the tub-thumping employed in the US, “ the article wrote.

The British Government has been similarly spineless on the Armenian question, despite ample contemporary evidence, as a recent study, by Geoffrey Robertson, of Foreign and Commonwealth Office evasiveness showed. It refuses even to allow the Armenian genocide to be mentioned on National Holocaust Memorial Day for fear of upsetting Turkey.

The irony is that modern Turkey is not being blamed for the past. Armenia has recognised its current borders and has repeatedly stated that it has no claims on land in eastern Turkey that once formed western Armenia.

Reparations will be an issue for the reconciliation process. But for the dwindling number of survivors and millions of descendants in Armenia’s global diaspora, Turkish recognition of their suffering and an apology would be the most valuable reparation of all,” Tony Halpin wrote.

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.