Ankara tries to convince international community of good attitude to Armenia
Turkey opens a church but outlaws praying in it. Turkey speaks of tragedy of 1915 but stubbornly denies the term "genocide."
The inauguration of the St. Cross Church, forethought by the Turkish government as counterbalance to the Armenian lobby throughout the globe, has taken place. Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan of Constantinople attended the inauguration ceremony although representatives of the Echmiadzin and Cilician Catholicosates did not arrive.
The Patriarch could nothing but attend the inauguration, since his absence might have negative consequences for the Armenian community of Istanbul. According to the Turkish Constitution, an Armenian Patriarch is merely an official and any step against Turkey may harm the 70-thousand Armenian community of Istanbul.
Ankara failed to reach its goal to make the inauguration a universal event. Neither the Turkish Prime Minister nor the Minister of Foreign Affairs appeared at the ceremony. Furthermore, representatives of the Armenian Diaspora refused to arrive. However that may be, Turkey is doing its utmost to convince the international community of its good attitude to Armenia. The latest example is the condolences expressed on the death of Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan. Turkish Ambassador to Georgia attended the funeral; Turkish MFA officials made notes in the mourning book in the Armenian Embassies. Thus, we can say that Turkey gave a lesson to Azerbaijan on the conduct accepted in the civilized world. Turks' attitude towards Armenian is scarcely better than Azeris' but sometimes one should observe the rules accepted in diplomacy. Unfortunately, Baku has not mastered them yet.
Turkey proceeds with the policy launched in mid 1990-ies. Despite the sad experience of the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Committee, Turkey still calls on Armenia to form a joint commission of historians, now with participation of a third party. "I propose to form this commission with participation of a third party, including the United States, to cast light on this tragedy and pave ways for joint work," Turkish FM Abdullah Gul writes in the articles titled "Politicization of the Armenian tragedy" published in The Washington Times.
According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, such a commission may promote normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. However, what Turkey says is not that what it does. Turkey opens a church but outlaws praying in it. Turkey speaks of tragedy of 1915 but stubbornly denies the term "genocide." Moreover, it speaks of "Muslims and Turks who died during the World War I", not to mention spelling Akdamar instead of Akhtamar. The Armenian MFA says it did want to describe the opening of the St. Cross Church as a real move towards reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish peoples. "However it's extremely hard to do this if the Turkish government doesn't recognize the true value of civilization and the people, who built this monument. Armenia thinks that lifting of the blockade imposed in 1993 may facilitate real progress in the Armenian-Turkish relations," the RA MFA statement says.
Ankara failed to reach its goal to make the inauguration a universal event. Neither the Turkish Prime Minister nor the Minister of Foreign Affairs appeared at the ceremony. Furthermore, representatives of the Armenian Diaspora refused to arrive. However that may be, Turkey is doing its utmost to convince the international community of its good attitude to Armenia. The latest example is the condolences expressed on the death of Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan. Turkish Ambassador to Georgia attended the funeral; Turkish MFA officials made notes in the mourning book in the Armenian Embassies. Thus, we can say that Turkey gave a lesson to Azerbaijan on the conduct accepted in the civilized world. Turks' attitude towards Armenian is scarcely better than Azeris' but sometimes one should observe the rules accepted in diplomacy. Unfortunately, Baku has not mastered them yet.
Turkey proceeds with the policy launched in mid 1990-ies. Despite the sad experience of the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Committee, Turkey still calls on Armenia to form a joint commission of historians, now with participation of a third party. "I propose to form this commission with participation of a third party, including the United States, to cast light on this tragedy and pave ways for joint work," Turkish FM Abdullah Gul writes in the articles titled "Politicization of the Armenian tragedy" published in The Washington Times.
According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, such a commission may promote normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. However, what Turkey says is not that what it does. Turkey opens a church but outlaws praying in it. Turkey speaks of tragedy of 1915 but stubbornly denies the term "genocide." Moreover, it speaks of "Muslims and Turks who died during the World War I", not to mention spelling Akdamar instead of Akhtamar. The Armenian MFA says it did want to describe the opening of the St. Cross Church as a real move towards reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish peoples. "However it's extremely hard to do this if the Turkish government doesn't recognize the true value of civilization and the people, who built this monument. Armenia thinks that lifting of the blockade imposed in 1993 may facilitate real progress in the Armenian-Turkish relations," the RA MFA statement says.
