We have been there before and we are almost there again. Twice during recent history, when US administrations were coming close to recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Turkey thwarted it through diplomatic maneuvering.
It first happened during the “soccer diplomacy” between President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia and President Abdullah Gul of Turkey. The second time was during the signing of the protocols in Zurich between Armenia and Turkey in the presence of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Both times, it was stated by Turkey that the parties were negotiating and third-party involvement could endanger the process.
Today we are facing the same scenario and we are afraid the Armenian government is on the verge of falling for it a third time and playing into the hands of Turkey.
We learn from political analyst Ian Bremmer’s statements on GZero Media and Twitter that White House sources have told him that this April, the Biden Administration will recognize the Armenian Genocide as conducted by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, becoming the first US president to publicly do so.
Indeed, this well-respected analyst of the Eurasia Consulting Group announced on March 22, 2021 on the GZero site: “But the big news is that Erdogan is about to face another diplomatic challenge, which is from the United States, as I’ve heard from the White House, that President Biden is going to recognize the 1915 killing of Armenians under the Ottomans’ rule as a genocide.”
Bremmer then delves into the history of this issue during the Obama Administration.
President Biden’s recognition will complete and complement the overwhelming support of both legislative houses of the United States for recognizing the Armenian Genocide in 2019.
But at this very crucial moment, we find a hesitation by Armenia’s government bordering on a form of diplomatic blunder.
The world Armenian community has to be alerted that once again the Armenian government is stepping into a trap set by the Turkish government and Armenia is bound to lose an historic opportunity.
Indeed, on March 23, 2021, the talk show host Bedros Ghazaryan on Armenian Public TV 1 interviewed Mr. Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia. To a direct question by Mr. Ghazaryan as to whether Armenia considers Turkey to be an enemy, Mr. Grigoryan answered: “If we are heading towards deblocking the region, we must introduce some changes in our approaches and they are moving in that direction.”
When the talk show host rephrased the question as whether Turkey is no longer an enemy, Mr. Grigoryan’s answer was, “It would be wrong to state that Turkey no longer poses a threat. However, the developments in the entire region present other prospects.”
These statements coming from a most authoritative source have alarmed political circles in Armenia and many political groups have been mobilized to avert the danger.
A news item in the Azg newspaper of Yerevan did attract much attention at the time, but in the light of further recent developments, the situation appears even more serious. Samson Özararat, a French citizen of Armenian descent who was born and grew up in Turkey, visited Yerevan. Özararat has played the role of messenger every time the Turkish government has initiated backdoor diplomacy with Armenia.
It is anyone’s guess what message Mr. Özararat carried from Yerevan to Ankara, but his appearance in Armenia must give cause for concern in all quarters in Armenia and the diaspora.
The ADL Supreme Council would like to sound the alarm and caution the Armenian authorities that the entire Armenian world is on vigil to not allow another historic catastrophe.
ADL Supreme Council
Boston
March 28, 2021
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