Dr. Faruk Logoglu , Buyukelci (E), Turkish forum danisma kurulu Uyesi
faruklogoglu@gmail.com
The Turkish government’s attitude and response to recent developments in the United States and Sweden regarding Armenian claims are off the mark and counter-productive. Without a counter-strategy, Turkey is closing down its shutters and painting itself into a corner.
Moreover, the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, leadership, by arguing and exploiting the issue domestically, is making a mistake because it could backfire. The current approach, if not altered soon, may hurt our national standing and interests.
The Turkish contestation and protests of American and Swedish decisions on Armenian claims are certainly justified because parliamentary bodies have no business or competence in legislating history. However, the official reaction by Turkey, heavily laden with anger and resentment, is self-damaging and dysfunctional.
Recalling our ambassadors for consultations is a legitimate exercise and quite appropriate. Yet not sending them back until and unless certain conditions are met is another thing entirely and serves no useful purpose.
Other countries, including Russia and France, took similar decisions in the past, a considerable number of them during the time AKP had been in power. Indeed, the same House Committee in the U.S. had approved similar resolutions twice before in the last five years. The reactions then were more measured and calculated.
Today the government should explain to our people why this time the official reaction is so vehement and insular and what and how they expect to gain from this self-aggrandizing stance.
In foreign relations, we need diplomacy most in time of crises. Even under the most challenging circumstances, one must keep its channels of communication open, try to reverse the damage done, and limit further damage to national interests. Even in today’s Internet and telephone age, ambassadors are still prime agents in diffusing tensions and in resolving problems between countries.
The U.S. is still our ally and partner and Sweden is a strong friend of Turkey. With both countries, we have vital interests at stake. Their governments have both disavowed the decisions of their legislatures. In the U.S., it is a resolution of the full House of Representatives that counts, not a vote in one of its committees. The right thing to do, therefore, is to seek to work with the U.S. and Swedish authorities on how to protect and promote our relations and mutual interests under the prevailing circumstances.
The first step should then be the return of our ambassadors, both highly capable diplomats, to their duties without undue delay.
The more important task is to develop a coherent and sophisticated foreign policy. On the Armenian issue, we need a broader strategy. Angry reactions to the aberrations of foreign parliaments do not constitute a foreign policy and are self-defeating. The first order of business is for to press for progress on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Turkey did the right thing in signing the two protocols with Armenia, but failed to factor the Azeri-Armenian conflict into the Turkish-Armenian opening. Progress there would make room for Turkey to restore the process of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.
Whatever the provocations and setbacks emanating from Armenia or any other source, Turkey must keep the protocols with Armenia “on line.” And we must keep Azerbaijan on our side.
Armenia’s lukewarm ownership of the protocols and the January ruling of its Constitutional Court have stalled the process. However, if we want to normalize our relations with Armenia and the Armenians, we too must avoid making mistakes.
Especially saddening is the idea of expelling Armenian citizens working illegally in Turkey. The notion, while legally justifiable, is morally wrong and unacceptable, politically unwise and socially unbecoming for Turkish people who always extend a helping hand to those in need. We would be doing incalculable harm to our social conscience if we send these people back as our image in the world would suffer irreversible damage.
Our leaders are often fond of resorting to traditional sayings. One to remember in this context is “who rises in anger, sits a loser.”
We will not achieve anything useful by turning inward or by posing conditions that cannot be fulfilled. There is no way for the U.S. administration to give any guarantees involving the Congress or for the Swedish government to reverse the decision of their parliament. What we can do is to prevent further damage to our relations and to check further progress of Armenian claims. We must therefore be calm and calibrated in our responses, in the certitude that we are always ready and willing to face the facts of our history.