Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

[egeli]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

I always felt it was in Turkey's interest to accept the Armenian Genocide, as it would signal a more tolerant and less chauvinistic Turkey. Obama in today's speech to the Turkish Parliament did refer to the Ottoman Islamic driven massacres of Anatolian Christians (which shows he is no push-over, he could have easily not brought it up at all), but was short of saying the politically charged G word.

This in the short term was very smart. Who says he had to fulfill his campaign promise of awknowledging the Armenian Genocide right away? As Obama said, relations between Armenia and Turkey are improving, the border might even eventually be opened. Describing the massacres as genocide now would embolden extreme Turkish nationalists and support their claim that reconciliation of Armenia and Turkey is part of the USA's grand scheme to weaken Turkey.

This is a very optimistic view, but perhaps Obama is waiting for relations to be normalized between Armenia and Turkey before awknowleding the Armenian Genocide. And anyway, the American-Armenian Lobby has no interest in peace between Turks and Armenia and is thankfully now in a very weak position.

Perhaps, the term "Genocide" will be replaced with the "Great Calamity", as the massacres were originally referred to. As Bell suggested, Genocide is a legal term, and implies reparations by the Turkish government, which in all honesty I am against. My main desire is to see Turkish citizens of Armenian descent be in peaceful co-existence, as Armenians, with the Turkish people and government.

[Alexandros]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

I always felt it was in Turkey's interest to accept the Armenian Genocide, as it would signal a more tolerant and less chauvinistic Turkey. Obama in today's speech to the Turkish Parliament did refer to the Ottoman Islamic driven massacres of Anatolian Christians (which shows he is no push-over, he could have easily not brought it up at all), but was short of saying the politically charged G word.

This in the short term was very smart. Who says he had to fulfill his campaign promise of awknowledging the Armenian Genocide right away? As Obama said, relations between Armenia and Turkey are improving, the border might even eventually be opened. Describing the massacres as genocide now would embolden extreme Turkish nationalists and support their claim that reconciliation of Armenia and Turkey is part of the USA's grand scheme to weaken Turkey.

This is a very optimistic view, but perhaps Obama is waiting for relations to be normalized between Armenia and Turkey before awknowleding the Armenian Genocide. And anyway, the American-Armenian Lobby has no interest in peace between Turks and Armenia and is thankfully now in a very weak position.

Perhaps, the term "Genocide" will be replaced with the "Great Calamity", as the massacres were originally referred to. As Bell suggested, Genocide is a legal term, and implies reparations by the Turkish government, which in all honesty I am against. My main desire is to see Turkish citizens of Armenian descent be in peaceful co-existence, as Armenians, with the Turkish people and government.

This in the short term was very smart. Who says he had to fulfill his campaign promise of awknowledging the Armenian Genocide right away? As Obama said, relations between Armenia and Turkey are improving, the border might even eventually be opened. Describing the massacres as genocide now would embolden extreme Turkish nationalists and support their claim that reconciliation of Armenia and Turkey is part of the USA's grand scheme to weaken Turkey.

This is a very optimistic view, but perhaps Obama is waiting for relations to be normalized between Armenia and Turkey before awknowleding the Armenian Genocide.

I kind of agree.It seems like it`s heading in this direction.However I do think that the AG resolution will have a better chance to pass next year since it will be Congressional elections in USA which means that Senators and Representatives will be fishing for (Armenian) votes - especially in California(which is big state with many Reps.) - and the Armenian lobbies will be out in full force.

Anyway, I hope I`m wrong and that the AG resolution passes this year and that Obama uses the "G" word so we could see an end of this circus.

[Alexandros]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

This official White House photograph shows President Barack Obama meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian (L), Swiss Foreign Minister (and mediator) Micheline Calmy-Rey (2L), Turkish undersecretary of the foreign ministry Ertugul Apakan (C), and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan (2R) during a reception in Istanbul

Here`s an interesting pic.

[UrMistake]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

ow men if Armenia were not in CSTO i could tell that Turkey would have no negotiations with USA cause Armenia would send some BigAss troop to Afganistan so US will be hapy and dont need Turks in the ragion.

[KanadaHye]

Obama On Tour In Turkey

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/090406/w040651A.html

Earlier, Obama said he stood by his 2008 assertion that Ottoman Turks had carried out widespread killings of Armenians early in the 20th century, but he stopped short of repeating the word "genocide."

Gul said many Turkish Muslims were killed during the same period. Historians, not politicians, Gul said, should decide how to label the events of those times.

In his 2008 campaign, Obama said "the Armenian genocide is not an allegation," but rather "a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence."

Now that he is president, the genocide question may not be Obama's best issue for taking a tough stand that antagonizes a key ally. It is important in U.S. communities with large numbers of Armenian-Americans, but it has a low profile elsewhere.

In his speech to the parliament Monday, Obama said the United States strongly supports the full normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. He also noted that the United States "still struggles with the legacy of our past treatment of Native Americans."

[hrai]

Re: Obama On Tour In Turkey

It's all very good for Obama to say the US "still struggles with the legacy of our past treatment of Native Americans" but what would be the reaction in the US if foreign governments started issuing genocide statements against them. I'm guessing:

a) they would laugh
b) they'd tell you to mind your own business,
c) or they would simply ignore it!

I'm guessing, retrospectively applied, the 'genocide definition' could also be quite easily applicable to the appalling treatment of the Native Americans.

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Of course it should, but stop using it as a brick to divert attention and focus on the AG and turkey's responsibilities and blame.

[UrMistake]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

So maybe if we pust in UN that Great Calamity in Armenian its same with Genocide or,if u say in Armenian "Great Calamity" u mean the word Genocide,so if we pass it in UN (lets just for a moment say that we are the J ews) then Obama or all other US presidents will turn out that thet realy said the Genocide word.


Ruben Safrastyan: Obama excelled his predecessors
25.04.2009 14:44 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. President Barack Obama excelled his predecessors in his annual April 24 statement and this fact is welcome, an Armenian professor said.

“Obama employed the term Genocide, which is used by Armenians and has no legal power, while Genocide is the term used in international law. Nevertheless, I think progress has been fixed and adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution will not be opposed by the White House any longer,” Ruben Safrastyan, director of the NAS RA Institute of Oriental Studies, told PanARMENIAN.Net.

At that, he thinks that the joint statement issued by the Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministries was not the key reason for Obama’s not saying ‘genocide’.

“Turkey is an important ally for U.S. in case with Afghanistan and Iraq. The Armenian-Turkish relations have nothing to do with it,” prof. Safrastyan said.