by Sirocco
Fri Jun 17th, 2005 at 12:06:46 PM EST
Stormy weather ahead for Turkish EU aspirations.
From Deutsche Welle:
Ankara Haunted by Armenian Massacre
When the German parliament condemned the mass killing of Armenians by Turks 90 years ago, it sparked angry protest from Ankara. But if it wants to be taken seriously by the EU, it needs to face up to its past.
In a vote Thursday, Germany's main parliamentary parties joined forces to deplore the systematic murder of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1916.
[Snip]
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul described the resolution as one-sided and "provocative," and said German lawmakers had ignored repeated warnings of the harm the resolution would do to bilateral ties.
More from the same source:
Faruk Sen is the director of the center for Turkish studies in Essen in Germany. He feels disapointed [sic] by the Turkish Foreign Minister's harsh criticism of the resolution, and says Turkey has to look forward.
"80,000 Armenians live in Turkey," he told DW Radio. "Each year, more than 100,000 come to Turkey to work there. It is time for reconciliation. I think to look back on 90 years of history doesn't help at all. Turkey and Armenia need good relations today."
[snip]
President Jacques Chirac of France, home to Europe's largest Armenian diaspora, said failure by Turkey to recognize the genocide could harm the country's EU bid.
Faruk Sen, however, is critical of the EU's stance.
"If that's the opinion of the EU, it is a shame," he insisted. "Because then, Turkey and the EU cannot negotiate anymore. The EU would have to do without Turkey."
Yes, I am sure that would devastate the EU. Not.
It is the world's poorest kept secret that key EU leaders are none too keen on Turkish membership. (Their voters' unkeenness is hardly secret at all.) A laundry list of anxieties shared by elites and masses alike: fear of Islamism gaining ground in Europe; of massive social dumping; of demands for structural transfer funds proportional to those awarded Southern and Central Europe; and of landing the EU's frontiers smack in the Middle East. Whatever one feels about such fears, they do mean that Paris and even Berlin are not breaking down in tears if negotiations stall.
The EU has long been teasing Ankara with the prospect of inclusion, dangling the carrot before its longing eyes while presenting an ever growing list of conditions. Which is splendid - it has spawned a more relaxed approach to the Kurds as well as general human rights progress. But there remains the little matter of a horrific genocide so thoroughly dumped in the memory hole that Holocaust deniers would be proud.
If the Turkish establishment, including the powerful army jealously guarding Atatürk's legacy, persists in denying the atrocities of 90 years ago, then I think the EU will rightly conclude that the time is not yet ripe for Turkish entrance. It is all very well to look forward, but confronting the past is a matter of decency. It's a matter, in fact, of not whistling past the graveyard of some 1,5 million victims. Besides, Turkey might find that admitting what is well known anyway would improve, not worsen, its relations with Armenia.
But make no mistake: Whatever noises of regret are made, the EU, including Schröder or his successor, will sigh in relief if Ankara absolves it of the need to turn over the membership carrot.
My bet is that the Turkish government will budge and recognize the past during the next few years. The alternative would be a shame - for the vision of an inclusive Europe, yes; but above all, for the Turks.
