Armenia’s Roadmap to Disaster
[ 2009/04/28 | 00:11 ]By David Boyajian
Just days before April 24, the annual commemoration of the Armenian genocide, Armenia and Turkey agreed on a so-called “roadmap” that from all indications is a betrayal of the Armenian people, both in the homeland and around the world.
The roadmap – approved by Armenia’s president – calls for the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of the border between the two countries, which Turkey closed 16 years ago.
But the roadmap reportedly goes much further. A joint Turkish-Armenian historical commission would decide whether there really was, as Turkey maintains, no Armenian genocide. And Armenia would formally accept Turkey’s continued occupation of Western Armenia.
The Burden of Illegitimacy
An Armenian president that has not, however, been fairly and democratically elected lacks the requisite legitimacy to negotiate roadmaps, treaties, or anything else with Turkey. Such a leader is often compelled to do what certain major Western and regional countries ask of him lest they continue to point to his illegitimacy and abuse of his citizen’s civil rights.
Those countries can also threaten to stop providing Armenia economic support, much of which people close to the Armenian administration have siphoned off and become dependent upon.
Neither can an illegitimate Armenian leader tell such countries that the Armenian people will not permit him to make major concessions to Turkey. After all, those countries know very well that a leader whose authority is derived through the misuse of power, rather than through the ballot box, can make concessions without the consent of the Armenian people.
The Historical Commission Farce
Armenia’s president has given in – though we don’t know the precise details – to Turkey’s demand for a historical commission on 1915, as if even he questions the veracity of the genocide. As a result, the world now erroneously believes that the Armenian people are putting the genocide up for debate.
No serious person would ever have fallen for the idea of establishing a joint historical commission – first proposed four years ago by Turkey. (See the author’s “The Genocide Study Trap” on Armeniapedia.org.) This year, however, Armenia’s president did.
Are he and his advisors unaware, for example, that the International Association of Genocide Scholars (Genocidewatch.org) sent a letter to the Turkish prime minister explaining that “the scholarly and intellectual record” and “hundreds of independent scholars” had long ago proven the factuality of the genocide?
U-Turn on “No Preconditions”
Armenia has long stated that it would agree to a normalization of relations with Turkey only if there were no “preconditions.” Yet the president has now made a U-turn by agreeing to Turkey’s precondition of a historical commission.
The historical commission gave the new U.S. president yet another excuse to not use the word “genocide” in his April 24 statement.
Even worse, Armenia’s president recklessly undermined the decades long, and largely successful, efforts of Armenian Americans and the Diaspora for genocide acknowledgment.
It appears that the Armenian president may also agree to another Turkish precondition: formal recognition of Turkey’s borders, thereby possibly throwing away Armenian legal and historical rights and the chances of, for example, regaining much needed direct access to the Black Sea in the future. One wonders whether Armenia will also be selling off Artsakh (Karabagh) at bargain basement prices.
The Armenian president has also allowed the American president, his Secretary of State, and the international media to depict a mere border opening as “reconciliation,” as if somehow Turkey and Armenia had been “reconciled” before Turkey closed the border in 1993, and as if reopening the border would return the countries to that wonderful state of “reconciliation.” The Armenian government has done nothing to correct this absurd misperception.
Taking Responsibility
Armenian political parties that have long had the Diaspora’s support must also take responsibility for the Armenian president’s errors.
The parties were warned many years ago that Armenia, buffeted by powerful outside forces, was headed down the road of losing its legal and historical rights. They were also repeatedly warned, even before Armenian independence, that allowing the Armenian national cause to be erroneously perceived as simply a matter of achieving genocide acknowledgment, rather than as also gaining reparations and territory, was inviting disaster. Now we see that disaster coming true via the “roadmap.”
The discord that the president has sown, and the injustices that the roadmap would perpetuate, must not be allowed to continue.
A strong and united response by the people of Armenia and the Diaspora is needed now to steer Armenia and its president away from the final destination of the roadmap: capitulation and yet another Armenian genocide.
The author is an Armenian American freelance writer. Several of his articles are archived at Armeniapedia.org.
April 28th, 2009 at 02:06
Public protests must be organized … in Armenia and abroad … now!
April 28th, 2009 at 14:55
This is a good article. President has created a dangourace situation, which easily Armenia can be blamed for failure of talks and so called “reconciliation” !
Armenian political parties ( i do not speak of Artur Badasayan) better do not act with “emotions” and should avoid aggressive statements, without analyzing the whole situation…
April 28th, 2009 at 20:08
such rubbish.
president was not elected by people?
well we all know that but why say it now? and why did you not say it few month ago when he came to power?
happy to say dashnaks are on their own. you can organize what you want but rest assure the Armenian’s will not participate in your scams.
dashnaks out
April 29th, 2009 at 01:42
I hope and pray that there is more to this agreement than what meets the eye. I implore the influential members of Armenian decision-making circles to require of the president to provide full disclosure of the conditions of the agreement. We may be jumping the gun here, the president, whether elected or not must speak on behalf of the Armenian interests. If there is any legitimacy to my opinion, I think that the president may be making secret agreements with the Turkish President in favor of the Armenian interests with the concession of our strong position of the Obama government not using the term “genocide”, which we all know Obama fully supports. This game of politics may be kept from the general masses, so that the overall agreements between the leaders of Armenia and Turkey are not derailed before they happen, and so that the Turkish president may save face with his people. Again this is my hope and prayer that there is more to this Armo-Turk “brotherly love”. If not, than the selling out of the Armenian interests must be stopped, even at the cost of a presidential recall, a last resort to the problematic situation out homeland finds itself.
April 29th, 2009 at 14:18
Protests don’t do anything. Only physical and mind-set revolutions. The revolution of human rights, democracy, and ultra-nationalism.
April 29th, 2009 at 19:48
President Sargsian said in a recent Wall Street Journal interview that he is agreeing to a historical commission. He said that Armenia could bring up the issue of historical monuments in Turkey, and that Turkey could bring up the genocide. It really does not matter, therefore, what the Roadmap formally says. Sargsian has agreed, in effect, that the studies up to this time may not be adequate. Once he conceeded this, Armenia lost the battle. This is the sort of “president” that Armenia has. God help us.
April 29th, 2009 at 21:45
The voice of reason can be found in the following press release. All homeland and diaspora organizations and individuals should see about co-signing this as a formal letter, and send it to the Armenian government as well as Armenian Embassies around the world.
Press release – Communiqué de presse – Medienmitteilung
April 24, 2009
Switzerland – Armenia Association
Association Suisse – Arménie
Gesellschaft Schweiz – Armenien
Case postale 497
3000 Berne 14
Email: asa@armenian.ch
Joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministries of Armenia, Turkey
and Switzerland
The following statement is a declaration of disaccord whereby the
Switzerland-Armenia Association (SAA) expresses its deep concern over
the perfunctory joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministries of
Armenia, Turkey and Switzerland late on the evening of April 22nd,
2009. The undue haste with which the statement was drafted, and its
lack of transparency, can only be met with grevious reservation and
skepticism.
The vague nature of the alleged “agreed basis”, and the disadvantaged
position from which the Armenian government was obliged to negotiate
from, leaves no alternative but to immediately renounce any agreement
which relinquishes the fundamental rights of Armenians world-wide.
The April 22, 2009 Armenian – Turkey – Switzerland joint statement is
unacceptable for the following reasons:
1. The statement’s timing is grossly inopportune as it falls just
two days before April 24 ─ the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:
on this day, Armenians worldwide commemorate the Genocide perpetrated
by the government of Young Turks in 1915 against the unarmed, civilian
population of Armenians within the Ottoman Empire.
2. The urgency in announcing said joint statement, feeds further
suspect that Armenia has been pressured to make concessions which
could compromise the Armenian Republic’s national security. Such
concessions are unacceptable, most especially with regards to the
process of recognizing the right of Karabakh’s self-determination.
3. The government of Armenia was put under pressure by major powers
seeking to advance their own (narrow) interests; presently Armenia’s
leadership is struggling to establish its legitimacy at a time of
political, economic and financial crisis.
The Switzerland – Armenia Association is in full favor of
normalization of ties between Armenia and Turkey, but, along with
other Armenian communities within the Diaspora, Republic of Armenia
and Karabakh, unequivocally rejects any agreement that compromises the
fundamental rights of the Armenian nation. This is a formal
declaration to the officials of the Republic of Armenia who engage in
the alarming and undeniably questionable settlements leading to the
mentioned joint statement.
http://www.armenian.ch/index.php?id=saa_pr&L=2
April 30th, 2009 at 00:03
It is perfectly normal to disagree and criticize the present administration, government and the president.
However, it is wrong and out of line to call the government and the president as “illegitimate”.
The current government and president are the legitimate authority in Armenia.
It is way out of line to call the authorities “illegitimate”; it plays straight into the hands of those who bode ill to Armenia.
It is all in the approach – feel free to disagree and criticize the authority. At the end of the day, we have to sort it out with the authorities without risking the security and the safekeeping of the country.
We will not become a lawless country and we will not sink into chaos, and we refuse to become another Sierra Leone or Somalia.
April 30th, 2009 at 01:16
Armenian Government should resign quietly.
Turks have a “new road map” regarding the Genocide of Armenians.
May 2nd, 2009 at 02:37
The Armenian Government must FIRST commit itself to open and honest elections with outside monitors. Without it, those of us who support them in the Diaspora, will continue to do so with serious limitations.
Secondly, we MUST get involved. Protests help only when they are large enough to garner attention in order to educate the public around the world.
I would like to see 1.5 million people show up at night with candles in Washington DC . . . it has to be something big.
Finally, we should write letters and express our concern over the “Roadmap” to the Government in Armenia:
Republic Square
Government House 1
0010 Yerevan
Republic of Armenia
Ultimately we Americans hold a greater responsibility because the “roadmap” was pushed by the Obama Administration that was widely supported by the Armenian American community.
May 4th, 2009 at 05:31
No diplomatic relations should be established with denialist Turkey on the Armenian Genocide. Up to 30 nations around the world have recognized the well documented Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 by the Turkish Government, but what bothers me is that the Armenian Government has made no effort to get the U.S. to come on board. America must wake up to the fact that 5 Jewish Organizations are doing the dirty work for the Turkish Government to not recognize this well recorded tragedy. Pres. Obama as well as other past presidents have failed the Armenian People and Nation.