Recalling the Catastrophe of European Jews the world can't forget about the Armenian Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - At the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, Sunday, November 9 concerts, prayers and ceremonies were vowed to mark the 70th anniversary of the tragic Nazi-incited riots in Germany. German chancellor Angela Merkel, who was present at a ceremony in Germany's newly renovated largest synagogue, declared: "We must not be silent to any manifestation of extremism. The lessons of the nation's past were crucial in confronting a current increase in xenophobia and racism. Anti-Semitism and racism are a threat to our basic values - those of democracy and respect for diversity and human rights."

The words of Angela Merkel, as well as those of Konrad Adenauer and other German chancellors prove that a truly civilized nation will always be potent enough to recognize its bloody past and try to repair its relations with other nations. In 1969 then Chancellor Willy Brandt knelt in front of the Warsaw Ghetto memorial and asked forgiveness for the crimes committed by his people in Poland.

Hence how does it happen that the Holocaust, which is of utmost interest to Armenians since it occurred «thanks to» concealment of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, now draws more attention in the world than the first Genocide of the 20th century? One of the reasons, if not the key one, is the «silent» position of Official Ankara. For 93 years Turkey has not found itself strong enough to recognize this fact and put a full stop to vain disputes of politicians. Armenians might have their share of fault in all this, since unlike the Jews they tried to survive by escaping to sheltering countries. Be that as it may, today recalling the Catastrophe of European Jews, the world simply can't forget about the 1.5 million of Armenians slaughtered in the years of the World War I.

Historical facts, which Turkish politicians love to appeal to when it comes to the Armenian Genocide, state that Germany had its share in the process of extermination of the Armenian nation by simply offering the Young Turks a carte blanche for slaughter. Historian Toros Saryan adduces strong proof on a secret agreement between Germans and Turks, according to which Turkey was to take Germany's side against Russia. In exchange for it German diplomats were to shut their eyes to deportation of Armenians from Western Armenia. Moreover, according to another agreement of 2 August 1914 the Ottoman Empire expressed its consent to German General Liman von Sanders to be in command of the Turkish Army. Nevertheless, even with the German general the Turkish troops were unable to defend themselves against the Entente, and Russia in particular. And then they found a scapegoat in the person of the Armenian population.

However, we are more interested in the position of victim parties. Thanks to their solidarity the Jews were able to make Germans pay for the Holocaust, otherwise the latter would go down in history with the stamp of «murderers and tyrants». Germany did it and it is still paying off great compensation to the prisoners of concentration camps. And what are Armenians doing? Till 1991 it was only the Armenian Diaspora that struggled for recognition of the Genocide, but, of course, it could not do what a government can. Nevertheless, if we take into account the time limits and the greater resistance of Official Ankara as compared to Germany, it should be admitted that Armenia has achieved some progress, though no president or prime-minister of Turkey will ever lay a wreath on the Memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, even if it costs them a membership in the EU.

Karine Ter-Sahakyan