In the last several months there has been a softening of Turkish-Armenian relations, and the pace of these developments has gained momentum. TurkishPAC has followed these developments with great interest. All indications to date are that the Turkish Government, under external pressure, is seriously considering opening the Armenia-Turkey border toward normalization of relations between the two countries. Armenia, on the other hand, while viewing such normalization very favorably, appears to make no concessions in return.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has stated that normalization of relations between the two states should have no preconditions, and that Turkey and Armenia has a mutual understanding to that end.

TurkishPAC firmly opposes normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations without preconditions. It believes that normalization should depend on Armenia's agreeing to certain conditions. In particular, Armenia should:

   1. Comply with the UN resolution to withdraw from the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabagh, which it illegally occupies,

   2. Drop false “genocide” claims against Turkey that go back almost 100 years and agree to the establishment of a joint committee of historians, as proposed by Turkey, to study and judge the 1915 events. As Turkey has declared it would do so, Armenia should declare that it would consider the findings of such a committee binding.

   3. Withdraw its support to the Armenian Diaspora on the latter’s campaign to disseminate “genocide” propaganda, and,

   4. Remove indirect reference to a Greater Armenia in its Constitution by amending Article 13 of Chapter 1 that describes its national coat of arms.

With regard to items 3 and 4, note should also be made that in its Declaration of Independence in 1990, Armenia declared its support to false “genocide” claims against Turkey and has referred to Eastern Anatolia as “Western Armenia,” and as such, considers this area as part of Armenia. That is not a friendly posture toward a neighbor.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, disturbed by Turkey’s recent moves, has refused to attend the UN Alliance of Civilizations held in Istanbul recently. TurkishPAC applauds Aliyev’s principled stand. Azerbaijani and Turkish people are two brotherly nations, and Turkey should fully respect Azerbaijani people’s sensitivities.

TurkishPAC has viewed with apprehension press reports that the Turkish Government’s recent gestures toward Armenia without any preconditions is an attempt to forestall the passage of Armenian “genocide” resolution in the US Congress and discourage President Obama from using the word “genocide” on April 24. TurkishPAC firmly believes that the merits of Armenian “genocide” allegations should be judged by historians according to historical facts, not by politicians driven by ethnic interests. Turkish-American relations should not be held hostage to ethnic politics. The value of a strong, lasting Turkish-American partnership is too great to risk by narrow political considerations and gamesmanship.

TurkishPAC Board of Directors

 

---

TurkishPAC reservedly welcomes President Obama’s avoidance of the term “genocide” in his statement on the occasion of the Armenian Remembrance Day, but deeply regrets his use of the nearly-as-offensive term "Medz Yeghern” to characterize the historical events. President Obama’s statement portrays a one-sided view of the historical events by grossly exaggerating the number of Armenian casualties while not mentioning Moslem, and even Jewish, sufferings. It is hoped that an impartial international commission of scholars, which we understand is envisioned in the road map prepared by the Armenian and Turkish parties in Switzerland, will pave the way for establishing historical truth related to the tragic events that took place nearly a century ago. Turkey has opened all its historical archives, while the Armenian archives remain mostly closed.

TurkishPAC supports President Obama’s call for a dialogue between Turks and Armenians and normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. It is hoped that this will contribute toward a long-term strategic alliance between Turkey and the United States. As outlined in our April 16 announcement, however, TurkishPAC believes that such normalization should be predicated on Armenia withdrawing from the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabagh and renouncing anti-Turkish reference in its constitution and modifying its stance toward Turkey in general.

TurkishPAC regrets that President Obama, while calling attention to the contributions of Americans of Armenian descent to the American society, has omitted a similar attribution to Turkish Americans, whose contributions have been no less significant.

TurkishPAC Board of Directors                                                        

 

---

TurkishPAC is pleased to inform you about Professor Türkkaya Ataöv’s Houston seminar, "How to Come to Terms with One's Own Past",  sponsored by Turkish Heritage Society and Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA).

Professor Ataöv will also be visiting several other US and Canada cities for a series of lectures which will also be organized by FTAA and local Turkish-American or Turkish-Canadian organizations. Detailed information will be posted here as they become available.

Please click here for a short biography of Professor Ataöv and here for the abstract of his seminar, "How to Come to Terms With One's Past: A Probe into History Including Armeno-Turkish Relations".

Cornell, Ithaca, NY: February 10, 2009 (details)

New Jersey: February 11 2009 (details)

New York City: February 12, 2009 (details)

Rochester, NY: February 14, 2009 (details)

Toronto, CA: February 18, 2009 (details)

Montreal, CA: February 20, 2009 (details)

Washington DC: February 23, 2009 (details)

Pittsburgh, PA: February 25, 2009 (details)

Philadelphia, PA: February 27, 2009

Hartford, CT: March 1, 2009

Boston, MA: March 4, 2009

Chicago, IL: March 6, 2009 (details)

Bloomington, IN: March 09,2009 (details)

Atlanta, GA: March 11, 2009

Denver, CO: March 13-14, 2009

San Francisco, CA: March 16, 2009

Los Angeles, CA: March 18, 2009

San Antonio, TX: March 20, 2009 (details)

Houston, TX: March 21, 2009 (details)

Dallas, TX: March 23, 2009 (details)

Boca Raton, FL: March27, 2009 (details)

Ft. Lauderdale and Gainesville, FL: March 25-28, 2009

---