Twice confirmed: Armenia ‘ready’ to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey.
Via AKI - After visiting the parent of murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink Armenia’s deputy foreign minister Arman Kirakosian announced, that Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey without preconditions. Although I did not find any reports in the Armenian media regarding the announcement of high rank Armenian official made in Istambul till the moment I’m writing this lines, I have no basis to doubt that. Moreover, earlier on the day the website of the Armenian Foreign Ministry had released the text of the Message of Sorrow by Minister Oskanian to Hrant Dink’s Family in which we read:
“…Armenians and Turks together can ensure Hrant’s desire for peace across borders, dialogue among peoples and understanding between individuals…”
“…Indeed, we have a responsibility to do this so that his death takes on meaning, just as his life was so meaningful and significant for so many. We have a further responsibility to make sure that the life we live together, in the same region, is a life of peace and understanding.”
Of course we have been hearing similar announcements multiple times before and everybody understands that the decision to establish diplomatic relations at this point lies entirely with the Turkish authorities, as was the decision to break those relations and close the border back in April 1993.
At any rate, today, of all times, both sides have everything to gain: politically, economically and morally above all, from the decision to reestablish diplomatic relations. Armenia can once again ask for Turkey to lift the blocade, but do it with dignity - associating it with the life-cost of Hrant Dink, whearas Turkey can make a pretty face in front of the whole wide Europe by making the noble gesture and simultaneously solving a couple of other problems of its own, including that of economically developing its eastern regions and thus somewhat stabilizing the Kurdish situation on the mentioned area. And the fact is - when I concider the economic benefits that the open border can bring to thousands of Armenian and Turkish people in newly created jobs and gains resulting from reduced transportation costs of basic goods, I do not care anymore who gains what - for this is what Hrant Dink’s fight was all about - reestablishment of trust and relations between the people of these two countries. Face it - we are here, in this region, with this neighbor countries - and we have nowhere to go!
Of course the situation is a highly complex one, and there are forces in Armenia (and I belive there are even more such forces in Turkey), who consider the issue of opening the border premature as we can read here and here or at least that was the perception before the tragic events of January 19th and the response that followed to it in the Turkish and Armenian societies likewise. And again, the Armenian offer has been reestablished, it is now Turkey’s turn to act.
PS: I just found an excellent post by the Armenian Economist on the issue as well.
This post was an excellent analysis. Thanks for the post, we can only hope Turkey can step up to the plate a bit on this one…
Comment by Paul — 1/25/2007 @ 5:17 pm
Armenia Blog has updates on the issue:
Comment by Observer — 1/26/2007 @ 12:34 am
The voices opposed to the opening of the border with Turkey are at the margins of the society in Armenia. The two links you have are for ARF mouthpieces. ARF is a minor force in Armenia and cannot affect the processes in this direction even though they have a few ministers and the president is a closet ARF, too. Time and time again they have refused to take responsibility for the actions of the government they are part of so I highly doubt that they will do so in the case for opening the border.
Comment by nazarian — 1/26/2007 @ 7:02 pm
The mood of piece and friendship doesn’t seem to have lasted long, and what’s even worse the possibility of dialogue is fading away as fast as it was coming, read more at Turkish Daily News: “Armenian offer should not be rejected” and Turkish Weekly: “Armenia Exploits the Funeral”.
Comment by Observer — 1/27/2007 @ 12:17 pm
I hope Turkey’s government should realize that this is a golden opportunity for both sides,it will benefit Turkey’s EU aspirations since normal relations with all neighbours is a precondition for EU membership.And it will benefit Armenia as well.Now that Armenia confirms it is ready to open border without any precondition (ie. genocide recognition)it would be unfair if Turkey sticks to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,after all Azerbaijan is only a third party and should not meddle in with the relation between countries,besides if closed borders with Armenia would benefit Azerbaijan in the confrontation with Armenia in these 14 years something should have happened,but nothing happened in favor of Azerbaijan and the land is still in Armenian hands and certainly will remain in Armenian hand since the international community never recognized Armenia as a aggressor,Armenians were being killed in Azerbaijan and any responsible government in Yerevan would do the same and would help them,so Turkey wake up and move on………….
Comment by Aris Arakelian — 1/28/2007 @ 7:59 pm
Sadly, the vast majority of Turks are not psychologically ready to accept the fact that the founders of the modern Turkish state, in collusion with their new western allies, saw fit to conveniently cover up the mass killings and deportations at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Hrant Dink summed it up best when he said that, and I paraphrase, “Yes, the vast majority of Turks are familiar with the concept of GENOCIDE and would agree that it is a horrific act against humanity. Thus, it is almost out of the realm of possibility that the Turk of today could ever contemplate that his antecedents were responsible for such an act.”
We can all hope that things change for the best in Turkey. But the issue of the Armenian Genocide will remain a MYTH for most in that country for decades to come, regardless of whether or not their govt is pressured from the outside to accept its reality.
Comment by arapo — 2/3/2007 @ 1:14 am