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German-Jewish Reconciliation: Only Acceptable Model for Armenians
Van Z. Krikorian, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Armenian Assembly of America, and Ozdem Sanberk, as members of the recently formed Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC), were invited last week to address the annual convention of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) in Washington, D.C.
Krikorian began his remarks by quoting from the poem, "Mending Wall," by Robert Frost: "Something there is that doesn't love a wall." He went on to say, "the wall that exists between Armenians and Turks is massive. Built over the generations, this wall needs to start coming down if we are going to do right by any standard - past, present, or future."
While there is no doubt that someday the wall between Armenians and Turks will come down, the question is, under what circumstances? It can not be brought down by some individuals who simply would like to explore the road "less traveled," in Frost's words. The wall resulted from the murder of a nation. Until this crime against humanity is properly acknowledged, the wall will not come down. No amount of Turkish and Armenian cultural exchanges or touristic visits will succeed in making anyone forget the unpunished murders of 1.5 million innocent people.
Eighty-six years later, the victims of the first genocide of the 20th century are still crying out for justice. There can be no reconciliation without an admission of the truth! Until Turkey acknowledges the Genocide of 1915, Armenians would do well to heed the advice offered in another part of Frost's "Mending Wall" poem: "Good fences make good neighbors!"
Krikorian, in his remarks, tried to explain to his Turkish audience why TARC was not dealing with the issue of the Genocide. He said, TARC is not a "tribunal which will pass historical judgment on whether or not there was an Armenian Genocide. Rafael Lemkin made such a debate unnecessary by using the Armenian experience to define the term. This chapter in our history, more than any other, clouds Turkish-Armenian relations - no question. It clouds relations between Armenia and Turkey; between Turkey and third countries; between Armenian-Americans and Turkish Americans; [and] between each of us and ourselves."
In explaining the extent of the losses suffered by the Armenians during the Genocide, Krikorian said, "we are going to have some awkward, difficult, and painful moments. None, though, should compare to the loss of the Armenian presence on the homeland where our nation was born, and our culture grew, and our families lived and died for three thousand years. In 1914, there were 2,538 Armenian churches and 451 monasteries on this land. I cannot bring myself to believe that the elimination of these churches and the rest of the Armenian physical presence is something that gives anyone pride, a tragedy that can be justified, or a precedent that any of us would want followed."
Krikorian then compared TARC's efforts to reconcile Turks and Armenians to other attempts elsewhere in the world: "This is a new approach for all of us, but we are trying to learn the lessons of other Track 2 and reconciliation commissions around the world - those that succeeded, and those that failed, and those along the range.. Other commissions have taken form on similar issues in Australia, Canada, the United States, Argentina, South Africa, Chile, Northern Ireland, and many other countries.
Track 2 efforts have succeeded in many more." Unfortunately, none of these comparisons applies to the Turkish- Armenian case. The other situations entailed oppression, conflict, killings and even massacres, but not genocide. The only comparison which is relevant, but not mentioned by Krikorian, is that of Jewish-German relations after the Holocaust. The Jews were not asked to forget the past by being invited to attend concerts by visiting German bands.
The only reason that Jews and Germans are "somewhat" reconciled now is that the German government acknowledged the Holocaust, repeatedly apologized for it, and paid billions of dollars in compensation. It's even a crime, under German law, to deny the Holocaust. The Turkish government, on the other hand, has undertaken none of these steps. On the contrary, in Turkey, acknowledging the Genocide is a crime! Ironically, the Turkish members of TARC, who are supposed to help bring reconciliation between Armenians and Turks, are themselves some of the staunchest deniers of the Genocide.
Toward the end of his remarks, for some strange reason, Krikorian tried to convince the Turks that TARC is indeed good for them. He said, "To the extent that you may feel that the Turkish side has nothing to gain from this, I would ask that you reserve judgment until the process is complete. You will find that many Armenian families are grateful for the compassion and even heroism shown by many Turkish families in saving those facing certain death. I also know that many of you are apprehensive or worse about the stigma that may come with the Armenian Genocide Museum to be opened in Washington or further international reaffirmations."
The Turks don't need any encouraging advice on TARC. They must be perfectly happy with the early results. TARC has already borne good fruits for them beyond their wildest dreams. As planned, they have succeeded in using TARC to discourage the European Parliament and the U.S. Congress from dealing with the Armenian Genocide.Furthermore, the controversy over TARC has completely split and undermined the Armenian lobby in Washington. The latest victim is Section 907.
Rather than trying to reconcile with Turks, the Armenian members of TARC should first reconcile with fellow Armenians, and seek to reverse the damage that they have already caused to Armenia's interests.
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