Turkish Retaliation Against Armenian Genocide Resolution HR106
Armenian-Turkish border, Khor Virap, Ararat Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2004
Following on news that illegal immigrants from Armenia are being detained in Istanbul, PanArmenian.Net reports that those held have not yet been deported. Thousands of Armenians are believed to work in Turkey, but as a sign of how House Resolution 106 might affect Armenian-Turkish relations, the Associated Press reports that other measures are currently being considered.
As the border between Armenia and Turkey remains closed and that there are no official diplomatic relations between Yerevan and Ankara, proposed retaliatory measures will include prohibiting and frustrating those commercial links which do exist.
Turkey should not punish the U.S. administration over a resolution in the U.S. Congress that calls the World War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide, but instead should impose sanctions against Armenia for supporting the measure, a top Turkish official said Tuesday.
[…]
“Bush and his team should not be punished,” Egemen Bagis, a foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on CNN-Turk television. “The reaction should be against Pelosi and her team.”
[…]
Bagis said Turkey should impose sanctions against Armenia because it supported the resolution.
“Turkey must impose sanctions against Armenia,” Bagis said. “Turkey has already done a list of what and when it will do, and the prime minister has already given necessary orders.”
The border between Turkey and Armenia is closed. But Turkey could cancel flights between Istanbul and Yerevan, as well as stopover flights to Armenia, and also prevent around 4,000 trucks from hauling goods to Armenia through neighboring Georgia.
Ironically, nationalists in Armenia and the Diaspora as well as Turkey will be the first to welcome such a move. This is yet another irony about the continuing discussion, debate and argument surrounding recognition of the Armenian Genocide. One supposes that not many Armenians will worry about the threat of “sanctions” although the possible effect on the economy is unclear.
Why should Armenia worry about sanctions when they have no relations with Turkey to begin with? What, will they put a double lock on the already locked border, can’t get much more sanctioned than that.
These sanctions would have to be 100% in the form of taking it out on the illegal Armenians in Turkey. I have heard personally from a Turk in Istanbul who has a maid from Gyumri who lives with them and is like part of the family. This is not the only example of such a person I heard and don’t think they’d willingly give these valued members of the family up to the government. It makes for a curious situation in which we might find individual Turkish families harboring Armenians from their deportation-minded government for the second time in a century. If this becomes wholesale deportation, as some of the Turkish officials have demanded, it’d hardly be a PR boon to Turkey. Turkey already looks like a big crybaby for refusing to own up to the past and creating this whole problem (though a disturbing number of commentators in America blame the Democratic leadership and/or Armenian-Americans for trying to put our troops in harm’s way- or as one particularly idiotic loudmouth Glenn Beck put it “are attempting to kill us all” with this resolution). On top of that they are taking what is a Turkey-US problem out not only on the Kurds but the poor Armenian community in Turkey as well. Such a scene of tens of thousands being deported from the country (even though in the current case they are illegals) is an eerie echo of the very past they deny more than it is a strong political protest.
Comment by Paul — October 17, 2007 @ 12:52 am
Paul, and the point is?
That Turkey is locking an already locked border? No, it seems that they have control over trade that goes through Georgia.
That a Turkish family you know with an Armenian maid said that they’d like to keep their house-slave? And these people are “harboring Armenians from their deportation-minded government for the second time in a century.” Wow, that’s exactly how like my race to be seen: House-slaves “protected” by Turks against deportation.
But this is even better: “If this becomes wholesale deportation, as some of the Turkish officials have demanded, it’d hardly be a PR boon to Turkey. ” Really? That Turkey’s attack against the genocide bill is going to have no consequences on US-Turkish relations supposedly means that the US media is going to all over its consequences to Armenians? So the US media cares about Armenian-Turkish relations more than it does US-Turkish relations. Interesting.
And: “Turkey already looks like a big crybaby…” Does it? Please show me where, in what article in mainstream US publications the Turkish reaction has been interpreted as a “crybaby” reaction. The part where they cower over “what Turkey could do”? Turkey might seem like a crybaby—to you—but that doesn’t mean that it looks like a cry in US media.
And: “Such a scene of tens of thousands being deported from the country (even though in the current case they are illegals) is an eerie echo of the very past they deny”
Really? You just got done saying: “Why should Armenia worry about sanctions when they have no relations with Turkey to begin with? What, will they put a double lock on the already locked border”
Well, I guess you answered that question, didn’t you? Answer: “[T]ens of thousands being deported from the country…is an eerie echo of the very past they deny”
It seems to me that you, and a lot of Armenians, in the Diaspora especially, are confused about this issue. Which ultimately means that as good a job that the Armenian lobbies have done in the Congress, they haven’t done a very good job with the Armenian Diaspora public. This could be a sign of more than one thing. And, beyond that, it could be that there is a rift in the Diaspora between the kind of people that sponsor the lobby and the kind of people who hear about its activities on the news.
Comment by Armen Filadelfiatsi — October 17, 2007 @ 5:26 am
I don’t understand about the point regarding trade through Georgia? Yes Turkey does have trade through Georgia, but how exactly are they going to clamp down on the Turkish trucks that do end up in Armenia via Georgia (do they have to file a ‘flight plan’ beforehand?)
And no I in no way like to see the fact Armenians as houseslaves (though there are servants in every country, and while I’m not saying every Armenian working in Turkey is treated great the cases I know of don’t sound like a ‘houseslave’ relationship.) Is there a reason to be less proud of your nationality because there are many amongst it who are impoverished, in no small part due to Turkey and its blockade. There is no shame in being poor and I don’t feel lesser about my nation because of it, though we should all be resolved to help them change that.
I don’t know, your reply to me just seemed so overtly hostile. Is it coming from the frustration I share at the American media for making this 100% about Turkey and not so much as even talking to an Armenian about it or reflecting their view? It’s all about Turkey and it’s threats, not a word to us. I am very disappointed, but why take it out on me? What exactly are your feelings because I can’t get a read for what you think is right or actually want to be done. Are you against the bill because you are worried about Armenians in Turkey, or are you for the bill in the name or history, or what? That’s not an ultimatum it’s a legitimate question.
Comment by Paul — October 17, 2007 @ 7:45 pm
Ok, let’s try to keep things civil and less heated. Armen, raise your points, but try to explain your perspective rather than assume everyone should know them and therefore, something is wrong that they don’t. People will listen to you and consider the points you make that way as well.
Paul, point about Armenia is taken although it’s interesting isn’t it? General consensus of opinion is that actually this resolution actually has very little to do with Armenia and more to do with the next elections in the U.S. and American policy in Iraq and the surrounding region.
Actually, I think it’s always been like that which is why Turkey probably is the focus as it is central to U.S. foreign policy objectives. Indeed, both Turkey and Iraq take precedence over Armenia in the way everyone views this resolution and some suspect the same goes for Pelosi herself.
I think I gave up believing in “justice” a long time ago. All countries and politicians first of all have their own personal and political interests in mind, and then that of their respective countries. It’s always been like that and it will always remain so.
Pelosi says she’ll still go ahead with the resolution, but one expects that the way things are going it will be defeated. Chigidem. Let’s see.
Comment by Onnik — October 17, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
Turkey made a good move for its interests by threatening Armenian interests exclusively. Its goal is to sink a wedge between native Armenians and diasporans. One thing that the diaspora can do now to eliminate that wedge and is to provide aid to all those Armenians that will be effected by this: I’m thinking, political asylum. Is that possible? Can the ANCA and AAA lobby for something like that? I think that solution would be ideal because it would reverse what Turkey is trying to do by making the end result of their actions be the enlarging of the Armenian Diaspora.
I don’t believe that mass deportations would constitute bad PR for Turkey because they would play into the illegal immigration issue in the US, which, like everything else, is dominated by the hate-mongering right in the mainstream media; on the contrary, it might even garner more support for them.
Comment by Armen Filadelfiatsi — October 18, 2007 @ 6:52 am
I think threats that additional “sanctions” will be put into place by the Turkish government against Armenia is just hot air. The Turks are making I would dare guess tens of millions of dollars off Armenian traders importing household goods, construction materials, and clothing that flood the markets of Armenia. Turkish goods are everywhere, and Turkish businessmen are not going to allow such sanctions to take effect. Business always comes before politics, no matter how nationalist you may be. Perhaps Istanbul-Yerevan flights will momentarily stop but not for long. Turkish-French relations before and after France’s genocide resolution passage are a good example. In other words, they normalized not very long after the resolution was passed.
In terms of Armenian nationals being deported from Turkey–come back home, or if you really have to work outside the country at least go to Europe, the US, or Russia. Really, what are you doing there in the first place?
Comment by Christian — October 18, 2007 @ 10:33 am
RFE/RL has more.
Comment by Onnik — October 19, 2007 @ 12:35 am