The Assassination of Hrant Dink

[Joseph]

http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/com01270701.htm

Hrant Dink

By Garen Yegparian


What else could I possibly write about this week?

Hrant Dink’s murder may come to be a turning point in the history of Armenian-Turkish relations because so many things are at play.

The Turkey-EU angle. The government’s denial angles. The Armenians in Turkey visibility angle. The pressure on the U.S. Congress angle. The refocusing of Armenian attention on Western Armenia angle. The massive funeral turnout angle.

As is common, there’re even a distasteful, tacky aspects to the last few days, but the dignity of the moment proscribes addressing those until a later time.
Some may have had problems with what Dink had to say. Clearly many Turks did. And, part of the propaganda angle emanating from the Turkish side claims that some Armenians condemned his positions. Regardless of what anyone thought of the man, what must come through loud and clear through the sorrow, drama, and intensity of the moment is, as Robert Fisk said, Hrant Dink is the 1,500,001st victim of the Armenian Genocide.

The Turkish state’s culpability for his murder has to been emphasized in every conversation, from water cooler and kitchen klatch gossip to our organizations’ formal communications and media appearances.

Don’t you wonder how the police caught the offender so quickly? Isn’t it a wonder that his own father turned him in? And, they also know who armed the young racist. I wish the FBI or any U.S. police department was that effective. Could it be that they knew where to look? Could the local governor’s threat to Dink three years ago be suggestive? Could the years of free reign the Turkish government gave to right wing and religious groups to grow, to counterbalance the left, under the military’s subtle aegis, have something to do with this act and how easily the perpetrator was captured? Most importantly, didn’t Turkey’s prevailing attitude regarding the Genocide and Armenians, nurtured for years by the government and now taken up by rightists as the former works on getting into the EU, create the social conditions enabling such a murder? There are reports that gunman Ogun Samast shouted something to the effect of “I killed the non-muslim.” How much do you wanna bet that included the term “giavoor”?

Certainly, the funeral procession of reportedly more the 100,000 people is good sign. If you haven’t seen the pictures, find and view them. Clearly, many were Turks of conscience. I feel confident that most of those were from the political left of that society. This speaks to the need for us, Armenians, and particularly from the Diaspora, to engage that segment of society more closely, albeit with extreme caution. We’ve been burned by the Turkish left as well in the past. Developing that non-governmental connection from Armenia might be problematic because the Turkish government and rightists would hatch an absurd conspiracy theory the Armenia is trying to undermine Turkey, or some other such gobbledygook. But overall, Turkish media and societal response speak to the agonizingly slow progress that has been made in Armeno-Turkish relations.

However, watching the Turkish government doing backflips to distract attention from its culpability is almost amusing. This, of course, rises from the desire not to further complicate Turkey’s entry into the EU. The condemnation of the murder, inviting Armenia to send official representatives to Dink’s funeral, sending high level (though not the highest) functionaries to the funeral, are all desperate efforts by the government to avoid being tainted by this murder. But, again, they are clearly culpable. After being alerted by Dink that he was getting threats, why was no protection provided? It’s not as though Turkey has no history of politically motivated murder.

The level of seriousness with which we should take official protestations of innocence is also affected by other phenomena. Take Hugh Pope’s article “Armenia Haunts Turks Again” in the January 23 issue of the LATimes (a version of which also appeared in Lebanon’s Daily Star). This Turcophile plays a standard game, sound reasonable, throw in “the charge that its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, killed 1.2 million Armenian men, women, and children in a genocide that began in 1915.” Note how cleverly the G word is couched. Note the numbers game he plays. Then he proceeds to regurgitate that chestnut about Armenians siding with Turkey’s enemies and demanding lands during World War I, usual distortions and fallacies put out by Turkey’s propaganda machine. This guy was also invited to speak about Turkey (he was the Wall Street Journal’s bureau chief in Istanbul for years and his published a book of Turkish history) at the University of Madison-Wisconsin by Turkish interests on April 24th of last year. The Greeks have no love for this guy. So, do you think Turkey’s public relations lackeys had nothing to do with this “timely” article?

In New York, Turks held a counter protest, heckling and trying to disrupt our Hrant Dink vigil. We all know how “motivated” Turks in the U.S. are to engage Armenians. Clearly, that effort was instigated. Another instance of the Turkish government’s, and unfortunately society-at-large’s, prevailing mindset.

Finally, even as I was writing this piece, I received an AP article that speaks of the nationalist backlash to “leftists, Armenians, Kurds and those intellectuals who favor multiculturalism.”

So while the funeral provided glimmers of hope, the overwhelming Turkish reality —governmental and societal— is still far from where it must be for true progress to occur on our outstanding issues.

Speculation is also rife as to what the U.S. Congress will do about passing a Genocide commemoration resolution. Might Dink’s murder create a moral imperative that coupled with the power shift of the last election allow passage?

But a largely unaddressed aspect of this tragedy is the internal, Armenian, ramifications it presents. We have been forced into a much more real relationship with Western Armenia, the remaining Armenians on those lands, and the Armenians living in Constantinople— whose roots are all in that part of our country. Remember, Hrant Dink was actually born in Malatia. How many living Armenians can claim birth in our Western Armenia. Our roots are there, even many living in the Republic of Armenian (and even Javakhk). The Genocide was perpetrated on Western Armenian lands. Because of Armenia’s obvious and imperative needs, the Diaspora’s focus has shifted there since the Movement began in 1988. It must be a shared focus—both Eastern and Western Armenia are ours.

Hrant Dink’s murder by Talaat’s heirs may have been the worst thing those soulless brutes could have done for their cause. If we’re smart, it’ll catalyze our outreach efforts to decent Turks, provide appropriate attention to Western Armenia, and continue state building in our Republic in preparation for the reunification of all Armenian lands and Armenians on them. Let’s do it!

[Joseph]

http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/com01270701.htm

Hrant Dink

By Garen Yegparian


What else could I possibly write about this week?

Hrant Dink’s murder may come to be a turning point in the history of Armenian-Turkish relations because so many things are at play.

The Turkey-EU angle. The government’s denial angles. The Armenians in Turkey visibility angle. The pressure on the U.S. Congress angle. The refocusing of Armenian attention on Western Armenia angle. The massive funeral turnout angle.

As is common, there’re even a distasteful, tacky aspects to the last few days, but the dignity of the moment proscribes addressing those until a later time.
Some may have had problems with what Dink had to say. Clearly many Turks did. And, part of the propaganda angle emanating from the Turkish side claims that some Armenians condemned his positions. Regardless of what anyone thought of the man, what must come through loud and clear through the sorrow, drama, and intensity of the moment is, as Robert Fisk said, Hrant Dink is the 1,500,001st victim of the Armenian Genocide.

The Turkish state’s culpability for his murder has to been emphasized in every conversation, from water cooler and kitchen klatch gossip to our organizations’ formal communications and media appearances.

Don’t you wonder how the police caught the offender so quickly? Isn’t it a wonder that his own father turned him in? And, they also know who armed the young racist. I wish the FBI or any U.S. police department was that effective. Could it be that they knew where to look? Could the local governor’s threat to Dink three years ago be suggestive? Could the years of free reign the Turkish government gave to right wing and religious groups to grow, to counterbalance the left, under the military’s subtle aegis, have something to do with this act and how easily the perpetrator was captured? Most importantly, didn’t Turkey’s prevailing attitude regarding the Genocide and Armenians, nurtured for years by the government and now taken up by rightists as the former works on getting into the EU, create the social conditions enabling such a murder? There are reports that gunman Ogun Samast shouted something to the effect of “I killed the non-muslim.” How much do you wanna bet that included the term “giavoor”?

Certainly, the funeral procession of reportedly more the 100,000 people is good sign. If you haven’t seen the pictures, find and view them. Clearly, many were Turks of conscience. I feel confident that most of those were from the political left of that society. This speaks to the need for us, Armenians, and particularly from the Diaspora, to engage that segment of society more closely, albeit with extreme caution. We’ve been burned by the Turkish left as well in the past. Developing that non-governmental connection from Armenia might be problematic because the Turkish government and rightists would hatch an absurd conspiracy theory the Armenia is trying to undermine Turkey, or some other such gobbledygook. But overall, Turkish media and societal response speak to the agonizingly slow progress that has been made in Armeno-Turkish relations.

However, watching the Turkish government doing backflips to distract attention from its culpability is almost amusing. This, of course, rises from the desire not to further complicate Turkey’s entry into the EU. The condemnation of the murder, inviting Armenia to send official representatives to Dink’s funeral, sending high level (though not the highest) functionaries to the funeral, are all desperate efforts by the government to avoid being tainted by this murder. But, again, they are clearly culpable. After being alerted by Dink that he was getting threats, why was no protection provided? It’s not as though Turkey has no history of politically motivated murder.

The level of seriousness with which we should take official protestations of innocence is also affected by other phenomena. Take Hugh Pope’s article “Armenia Haunts Turks Again” in the January 23 issue of the LATimes (a version of which also appeared in Lebanon’s Daily Star). This Turcophile plays a standard game, sound reasonable, throw in “the charge that its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, killed 1.2 million Armenian men, women, and children in a genocide that began in 1915.” Note how cleverly the G word is couched. Note the numbers game he plays. Then he proceeds to regurgitate that chestnut about Armenians siding with Turkey’s enemies and demanding lands during World War I, usual distortions and fallacies put out by Turkey’s propaganda machine. This guy was also invited to speak about Turkey (he was the Wall Street Journal’s bureau chief in Istanbul for years and his published a book of Turkish history) at the University of Madison-Wisconsin by Turkish interests on April 24th of last year. The Greeks have no love for this guy. So, do you think Turkey’s public relations lackeys had nothing to do with this “timely” article?

In New York, Turks held a counter protest, heckling and trying to disrupt our Hrant Dink vigil. We all know how “motivated” Turks in the U.S. are to engage Armenians. Clearly, that effort was instigated. Another instance of the Turkish government’s, and unfortunately society-at-large’s, prevailing mindset.

Finally, even as I was writing this piece, I received an AP article that speaks of the nationalist backlash to “leftists, Armenians, Kurds and those intellectuals who favor multiculturalism.”

So while the funeral provided glimmers of hope, the overwhelming Turkish reality —governmental and societal— is still far from where it must be for true progress to occur on our outstanding issues.

Speculation is also rife as to what the U.S. Congress will do about passing a Genocide commemoration resolution. Might Dink’s murder create a moral imperative that coupled with the power shift of the last election allow passage?

But a largely unaddressed aspect of this tragedy is the internal, Armenian, ramifications it presents. We have been forced into a much more real relationship with Western Armenia, the remaining Armenians on those lands, and the Armenians living in Constantinople— whose roots are all in that part of our country. Remember, Hrant Dink was actually born in Malatia. How many living Armenians can claim birth in our Western Armenia. Our roots are there, even many living in the Republic of Armenian (and even Javakhk). The Genocide was perpetrated on Western Armenian lands. Because of Armenia’s obvious and imperative needs, the Diaspora’s focus has shifted there since the Movement began in 1988. It must be a shared focus—both Eastern and Western Armenia are ours.

Hrant Dink’s murder by Talaat’s heirs may have been the worst thing those soulless brutes could have done for their cause. If we’re smart, it’ll catalyze our outreach efforts to decent Turks, provide appropriate attention to Western Armenia, and continue state building in our Republic in preparation for the reunification of all Armenian lands and Armenians on them. Let’s do it!

There were several hundred Armenian and non-Armenia protestors, and literally 5 Turkish counter protestors at the event.

[Joseph]

http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/com01270701.htm

Hrant Dink

By Garen Yegparian


What else could I possibly write about this week?

Hrant Dink’s murder may come to be a turning point in the history of Armenian-Turkish relations because so many things are at play.

The Turkey-EU angle. The government’s denial angles. The Armenians in Turkey visibility angle. The pressure on the U.S. Congress angle. The refocusing of Armenian attention on Western Armenia angle. The massive funeral turnout angle.

As is common, there’re even a distasteful, tacky aspects to the last few days, but the dignity of the moment proscribes addressing those until a later time.
Some may have had problems with what Dink had to say. Clearly many Turks did. And, part of the propaganda angle emanating from the Turkish side claims that some Armenians condemned his positions. Regardless of what anyone thought of the man, what must come through loud and clear through the sorrow, drama, and intensity of the moment is, as Robert Fisk said, Hrant Dink is the 1,500,001st victim of the Armenian Genocide.

The Turkish state’s culpability for his murder has to been emphasized in every conversation, from water cooler and kitchen klatch gossip to our organizations’ formal communications and media appearances.

Don’t you wonder how the police caught the offender so quickly? Isn’t it a wonder that his own father turned him in? And, they also know who armed the young racist. I wish the FBI or any U.S. police department was that effective. Could it be that they knew where to look? Could the local governor’s threat to Dink three years ago be suggestive? Could the years of free reign the Turkish government gave to right wing and religious groups to grow, to counterbalance the left, under the military’s subtle aegis, have something to do with this act and how easily the perpetrator was captured? Most importantly, didn’t Turkey’s prevailing attitude regarding the Genocide and Armenians, nurtured for years by the government and now taken up by rightists as the former works on getting into the EU, create the social conditions enabling such a murder? There are reports that gunman Ogun Samast shouted something to the effect of “I killed the non-muslim.” How much do you wanna bet that included the term “giavoor”?

Certainly, the funeral procession of reportedly more the 100,000 people is good sign. If you haven’t seen the pictures, find and view them. Clearly, many were Turks of conscience. I feel confident that most of those were from the political left of that society. This speaks to the need for us, Armenians, and particularly from the Diaspora, to engage that segment of society more closely, albeit with extreme caution. We’ve been burned by the Turkish left as well in the past. Developing that non-governmental connection from Armenia might be problematic because the Turkish government and rightists would hatch an absurd conspiracy theory the Armenia is trying to undermine Turkey, or some other such gobbledygook. But overall, Turkish media and societal response speak to the agonizingly slow progress that has been made in Armeno-Turkish relations.

However, watching the Turkish government doing backflips to distract attention from its culpability is almost amusing. This, of course, rises from the desire not to further complicate Turkey’s entry into the EU. The condemnation of the murder, inviting Armenia to send official representatives to Dink’s funeral, sending high level (though not the highest) functionaries to the funeral, are all desperate efforts by the government to avoid being tainted by this murder. But, again, they are clearly culpable. After being alerted by Dink that he was getting threats, why was no protection provided? It’s not as though Turkey has no history of politically motivated murder.

The level of seriousness with which we should take official protestations of innocence is also affected by other phenomena. Take Hugh Pope’s article “Armenia Haunts Turks Again” in the January 23 issue of the LATimes (a version of which also appeared in Lebanon’s Daily Star). This Turcophile plays a standard game, sound reasonable, throw in “the charge that its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, killed 1.2 million Armenian men, women, and children in a genocide that began in 1915.” Note how cleverly the G word is couched. Note the numbers game he plays. Then he proceeds to regurgitate that chestnut about Armenians siding with Turkey’s enemies and demanding lands during World War I, usual distortions and fallacies put out by Turkey’s propaganda machine. This guy was also invited to speak about Turkey (he was the Wall Street Journal’s bureau chief in Istanbul for years and his published a book of Turkish history) at the University of Madison-Wisconsin by Turkish interests on April 24th of last year. The Greeks have no love for this guy. So, do you think Turkey’s public relations lackeys had nothing to do with this “timely” article?

In New York, Turks held a counter protest, heckling and trying to disrupt our Hrant Dink vigil. We all know how “motivated” Turks in the U.S. are to engage Armenians. Clearly, that effort was instigated. Another instance of the Turkish government’s, and unfortunately society-at-large’s, prevailing mindset.

Finally, even as I was writing this piece, I received an AP article that speaks of the nationalist backlash to “leftists, Armenians, Kurds and those intellectuals who favor multiculturalism.”

So while the funeral provided glimmers of hope, the overwhelming Turkish reality —governmental and societal— is still far from where it must be for true progress to occur on our outstanding issues.

Speculation is also rife as to what the U.S. Congress will do about passing a Genocide commemoration resolution. Might Dink’s murder create a moral imperative that coupled with the power shift of the last election allow passage?

But a largely unaddressed aspect of this tragedy is the internal, Armenian, ramifications it presents. We have been forced into a much more real relationship with Western Armenia, the remaining Armenians on those lands, and the Armenians living in Constantinople— whose roots are all in that part of our country. Remember, Hrant Dink was actually born in Malatia. How many living Armenians can claim birth in our Western Armenia. Our roots are there, even many living in the Republic of Armenian (and even Javakhk). The Genocide was perpetrated on Western Armenian lands. Because of Armenia’s obvious and imperative needs, the Diaspora’s focus has shifted there since the Movement began in 1988. It must be a shared focus—both Eastern and Western Armenia are ours.

Hrant Dink’s murder by Talaat’s heirs may have been the worst thing those soulless brutes could have done for their cause. If we’re smart, it’ll catalyze our outreach efforts to decent Turks, provide appropriate attention to Western Armenia, and continue state building in our Republic in preparation for the reunification of all Armenian lands and Armenians on them. Let’s do it!

There were several hundred Armenian and non-Armenian protestors, and literally 5 Turkish counter protestors at the event.

[Joseph]

Head in the sand

http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-22150.html

Parties trade charges in Article 301 debate

The New Anatolian with Anka / Ankara
31 January 2007


Ultranationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, in an interview with Turk Solu (Turkish Left) magazine, said, "Regarding the Armenian genocide claims, Turkey can stand against the EU and the rest of the world, based on this article. Instead of annulling the article, Turkey should seek a way to overcome the pressure caused by other countries."

[Joseph]

urkey/Ankara - Prime Minister ErdoÄ=9Fan among those offended by
`We are all Armenians' slogan of hundreds of thousands.
Sendika.org
Labornet Turkey
January 27, 2007
_http://www.sendika.org/english/yazi.php?yazi_no=3D9479_
(http://www.sendika.org/english/yazi.php?yazi_no=3D9479)

Showing solidarity with the Armenian minority who were able to survive
from the 1915 genocide and condemning the murder of an Armenian
journalist by a Turkish nationalist, hundreds of thousands had marched
last week shouting`We are all Armenians.' This brotherly demonstration
has shocked the Turkish nationalists who claim either the genocide was
justified, never happened or that Armenians are a `loyal' minority who
should accept Turkishsuperiority. Some even went so far as warning all
oppositionists to Turkish superiority would face the same fate the
Armenian journalist received.

Turkish prime minister Erdogan found the funeral march for the
slain Armenian journalist Hrant Dink remarkable, yet, he found the
solidarity slogan shouted by hundreds of thousands, `We are all Hrant
Dink, We are All Armenians' offensive. He spoke against the slogan
aimed at bringing two different religious groups of Turkish citizens
together, saying, `This type of slogan, indicating we are all
Armenians may spark off a reactionary event. We needto prevent such
reactions. That is why that slogan is wrong.'

The words used by the prime minister were exactly the same ones used
by the racist nationalist front who have been screaming that `they
were being provoked' by such slogans.

The right wing press has been targeting the solidarity slogan last
week. The right wing Tercuman's headline was, `If you can't say you
are a Turk, then get the hell out!' Cumhuriyet, on the other hand, a
pro-military nationalist daily wrote, `Due to this slogan, Turks, the
real owners of this land, have fallen to the level of minorities in
their own land.' This approach demonstrates the mentality of the
nationalists, pretending to be leftists,which places the Greek,
Armenian and Kurdish nationals in Turkey as only being guests and not
equal citizens of Turkey.

The Fotospor daily paper wrote in support of the Turkish soccer
player, Emre Bebeloglu , who is on trial for racism in England, on
its headline the day after the funeral, `We are all Turkish, we are
all Emre,' showing the open racist, nationalist mentality.

These were followed by the collective attack on the slogan by the
right wing. The head of the fascist-nazi party, BBP, Yazıcıoglu, who
is involved in the assassination, joined forces with the other
fascist-nazi party MHP's leader Bahçeli and others, saying, `Where we
are from is very obvious,' rejecting the solidarity call of `We are
all Armenians.'

It was reported that those who attacked the brotherhood of both
nations claiming to be the `real Turks' are the ones who have soiled
the Turkish identity the most.

[hitite]

http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/com01270701.htm

Hrant Dink

By Garen Yegparian

...................

If we’re smart, it’ll catalyze our outreach efforts to decent Turks, provide appropriate attention to Western Armenia, and continue state building in our Republic in preparation for the reunification of all Armenian lands and Armenians on them. Let’s do it!

I was all OK until this point. If you want to approach the Turkish Left with banners and maps of your "Greater Armenia" you lose before you even begin. This last statement was plain stupid, cheeky but utterly revealing. And its sad to see an Armenian dribbling over Hrants death seeing it as an opportunity to pursue a "lebensraumish" agenda. This is another guy Hrant would have spat on.

[1.5 million]

Hitite I actually (fully) agree with you on this one.

[Joseph]

Hitite I actually (fully) agree with you on this one.

For the most part I agree too. I believe Turkey should open the border and facilitate Armenians being able to visit the lands/religious sits of their ancestors.

[Vogelgrippe]

Hallelujah!

For the most part I agree too. I believe Turkey should open the border and facilitate Armenians being able to visit the lands/religious sits of their ancestors.

1) Turkey should undoubtedly reform its penal code 301, and stop prosecuting its Nobel winning authors, as well as journalists such as Hrant Dink, who was heinously butchered. It is also a complete shame that Turkey still (overtly and discreetly) discriminates against its Christian minorities, and fails to embrace them as full citizens.

2) On the other hand, Turkey should be very careful with the intentions of Armenia. Given that a)Armenia still occupies 20 % of Azerbaijan (in addition to Karabagh), and b)does not recognize the present Turkish-Armenian borders.

Feeling ashamed for Turkish government's inability (or unwillingness) to protect the life of Hrant Dink is one thing, defending the undefendable & arguing for unilateral concessions to Armenia is another. These positions of many liberal or social-democratic Turks are, in most cases, not meant to please or appease Armenian diaspora or Armenian government. These feelings and arguments are the most sincere reactions to the shortcomings and mistakes of Turkish state and its successive governments.

While it is probably a good idea for well-meaning Armenians to try to establish contact with the saner majority of Turkish people, Armenians seem to be carefully avoiding such contacts and dialogs. My guess is, by doing so, Armenians are afraid to lose the 'other', the 'nemessis', and the 'threat' they are facing, which has long shaped the identities of Armenian diaspora.

This is not to say, of course, that those Turks (one of which I hopefully am) are not doing any mistakes or skipping important facts due to their ignorance or prejudices. For Armenian intelligentsia and opinion leaders, however, it is very very obvious that these well-meaning Turks are prone to dialogue, self-criticism, and even apology if they are treated with minimum dignity. By insulting and mercilessly attacking them, the Diaspora leaders are deliberately achieving the opposite result, and then go on to shift the blame to Turkish 'intransigence'.

Even though I despise the efforts of these Diaspora 'opinion leaders', I admire and acknowledge their current success in twisting the meaning of well-meaning efforts and putting the entire blame on Turks. And they are absolutely correct! Unless we find a way to effectively counter these worldwide defamation efforts, nobody but Turks are to blame (as usual!)

[Joseph]

1) Turkey should undoubtedly reform its penal code 301, and stop prosecuting its Nobel winning authors, as well as journalists such as Hrant Dink, who was heinously butchered. It is also a complete shame that Turkey still (overtly and discreetly) discriminates against its Christian minorities, and fails to embrace them as full citizens.

2) On the other hand, Turkey should be very careful with the intentions of Armenia. Given that a)Armenia still occupies 20 % of Azerbaijan (in addition to Karabagh), and b)does not recognize the present Turkish-Armenian borders.

Feeling ashamed for Turkish government's inability (or unwillingness) to protect the life of Hrant Dink is one thing, defending the undefendable & arguing for unilateral concessions to Armenia is another. These positions of many liberal or social-democratic Turks are, in most cases, not meant to please or appease Armenian diaspora or Armenian government. These feelings and arguments are the most sincere reactions to the shortcomings and mistakes of Turkish state and its successive governments.

While it is probably a good idea for well-meaning Armenians to try to establish contact with the saner majority of Turkish people, Armenians seem to be carefully avoiding such contacts and dialogs. My guess is, by doing so, Armenians are afraid to lose the 'other', the 'nemessis', and the 'threat' they are facing, which has long shaped the identities of Armenian diaspora.

This is not to say, of course, that those Turks (one of which I hopefully am) are not doing any mistakes or skipping important facts due to their ignorance or prejudices. For Armenian intelligentsia and opinion leaders, however, it is very very obvious that these well-meaning Turks are prone to dialogue, self-criticism, and even apology if they are treated with minimum dignity. By insulting and mercilessly attacking them, the Diaspora leaders are deliberately achieving the opposite result, and then go on to shift the blame to Turkish 'intransigence'.

Even though I despise the efforts of these Diaspora 'opinion leaders', I admire and acknowledge their current success in twisting the meaning of well-meaning efforts and putting the entire blame on Turks. And they are absolutely correct! Unless we find a way to effectively counter these worldwide defamation efforts, nobody but Turks are to blame (as usual!)

-----

1). I agree with you.

2). Armenia does recognize the current border

I have read over and over again many Turks saying that Armenia calls Eastern Turkey as “Western Armenia” in its constitution. Armenia's current
constitution includes no such provision. Furthermore, the President of Armenia has stated publicly that Armenia does not claim any of its ancestral homelands from Turkey. The Turkish government has been using this as one more excuse to withhold diplomatic relations. The only thing that can be seen (remotely) as hostile in terms of land claims is Article 13 of the Armenian constitution:

Article 13
The flag of the Republic of Armenia is tricolor made of three
horizontal and equal strips of red, blue, and orange. The coat of arms
of the Republic of Armenia depicts, in the center on a shield, Mount
Ararat with Noah's ark and the coats of arms of the four kingdoms of
historical Armenia. The shield is supported by a lion and an eagle
while a sword, a branch, a sheaf, a chain and a ribbon are portrayed
under the shield. The national anthem of the Republic of Armenia is
the "Our Fatherland." The capital of the Republic of Armenia is
Yerevan.


I don't find it hostile as I believe they should be able use any symbol in their coat of arms. If there exists any truth to "Western Armenia"
claims in previous constitutions of Armenia, I couldn't find them
online nor do I know if Armenia had any previous constitutions between 1920 and 1991 (the Soviet period). Ararat is a very important symbol of the Armenians, will Turks start requesting that Armenians not name their daughters Ani?

Turks have this paranoia of land claims (Sevres syndrome) and I think it’s the responsibility of the Turkish government to try to show that this perception is not in line with reality. Will they? Probably not, it helps keep the myth of the siege mentality and hyper nationalism alive. It has served them well. And speaking of land claims, it appears that Turkey has land claims of their own regarding Northern Iraq but that is another issue altogether.

As far as Turkey making any unilateral moves to Armenia. Why should Turkey not open the border and/or exchange ambassadors with Armenia? Armenia has been victimized by Turkey's current policies, and you would expect them to give more? Turkey has been bullying Armenia, Turkey is the exponentially larger and more powerful state, do they want Armenian souls too? Armenia has called repeatedly for diplomatic relations with no conditions. All other dialouge between peoples is practically meaningless at this point. Armenians have every right to feel threatened by a militaristic neigbhor, especially one who can so easily slough off the Genocide.

When you hear/read Turks making claims that Turkey is not rascist, all one has to do is think about Turkey's relations with Azerbaijan. They are certainly based upon race. Furthermore, Turkey is extermely hypocritical regarding relations between Armenian and Azerbaijan. We could bring up the Cyprus issue. I will be glad to discuss the Karabakh issue in another thread.

Any well-meaning efforts by Turks towards Armenians have been few and far between and very recent for that matter. There has been decades of silence and denial from Turkey/Turks. The TARC effort was a disaster and after the ICTJ recognized the Genocide, (this, after the Turkish side had requested a judgement from that body) the Turkish delegation left the table
when the verdict did not please them.. This gives Armenians futher pause as to why they should even try to go throught the further insult, again, of having to "prove" the Genocide. There is zero basis for trust and the argument from the Turkish liberal establishment seems to be "ok, whatever happened, just forget about it". That only serves the Turkey and it does not solve any of the problem between the two peoples.

If you want to further antagonize Armenians, please continue to make the claims that the Genocide shapes our identities. Certainly, what happened to Armenians in the 1890's and during WWI has effected us all; you won't find a single Armenian family that was not effected by what happened but at the same time, what has kept Armenians together for centuries, through all the invasions and masscres, has been our church, our language, our music, our literature, and basically or culture. We have built our existence on those aspects, not war and conquest.