Turkey extends hand, but no apology, to Armenia
Below are excerpts from an article by Fehim Taştekin, published in Al-Monitor.
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols aimed at normalizing ties in Zurich on Oct. 10, 2009, attended by the US and Russian foreign ministers. Even though the protocols made no reference to Nagorno-Karabakh, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan put forward a condition that Armenia should take a step toward resolving the conflict. In Armenia, meanwhile, the Constitutional Court approved the protocols with reservations before sending them to parliament for ratification. Turkey protested that the court’s reasoning went “against the spirit of the protocols.”
“We are open to all creative ideas that could pave the way for regional peace,” one diplomat said, stressing Ankara’s hope that the Azeri and Armenian governments would be also open to “creative” ideas, now that they have both overcome their election tests. “For every step we take, we speak with Azerbaijan and reach consensus,” the diplomat added. The failure of the 2009 protocols owed much to Azerbaijan’s tough objections.
For any Armenian, recognition of the genocide is the one and only doorstep to friendship, whereas Turkey is scrambling to go a different route.
Davutoglu’s new Armenian opening has little chance of success. The initiative will no doubt be seen as a maneuver to counter the pressure that will pile up on Turkey ahead of 2015, the 100th anniversary of the genocide.
Yerevan has fully delegated its security to Russia with a decision to extend the Gyumri Base treaty until 2044 and decided to join the Russian-led Eurasian Union instead of entering into a free-trade agreement with the European Union.
Restoring the 2009 momentum seems difficult in any case. Sadly, the barrier in front of Turkish-Armenian peace is rising even higher ahead of 2015, rivaling Ararat Mountain itself.