Ferai Tinc: "I would have headed for Baku"

The genocide debates make not only ethnically-Armenian citizens of Turkey uncomfortable, but me too. And I can only imagine how our citizens currently living outside of Turkey feel about this all. But the fact we all have to accept is that these debates will rage on, divisive as they are.

This is because the real aim of the Armenian diaspora is to transform the genocide allegations into an international platform. They want to spread the debate around. All the while aware that Turkey will never accept the allegations. There is a desire to turn the genocide allegations into a trump card which can be played against Turkey at every possible opportunity. A trump card which anyone can use.

Last week, news from the diaspora indicated a shift in focus on the international platform, with a revived underlining of the allegation that "the Nagorno Karabakh region is an independent Armenian state." In the plans drawn out by this diaspora force, both the genocide and the Nagorno Karabakh questions are in the spotlight, with the goal of having them under control by 2025. And so we see that, in their essence, the genocide allegations have political implications, and are headed towards being an important factor in the ongoing clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Caucasus are heating up again. Just as the Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes interest us, so do the rising tensions between Russia and Georgia. Just as Turkey's and Azerbajan's borders with Armenia are sealed off, it looks like Georgia's are also headed that way. This situation is likely to create even more unhappiness in Armenia, which is already experiencing economic problems.

Meanwhile, Armenia watches with worry, as Azerbaijan reveals it has boosted its defense spending by 17.8%. But what is Azerbaijan really doing? It's trying to have its voice heard on the international platform. The only problem is, no one is listening.

These are some of things which came to mind when I heard that Prime Minister Erdogan was headed to Saudi Arabia this weekend for a one day visit. Right on the heels of the French President's visit to Armenia, where he underscored the importance of Turkish acceptance of Armenian genocide allegations, there was the incident in the Netherlands, where several Turkish candidates in Dutch parties were removed from their parties' candidates lists after refusing to recognize the Armenian genocide. And now the French Parliament is preparing for the October 12 debates on the bill which would outlaw the denial of the Armenian genocide. And during such a critical period, where do you think the Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic should have been insistently ringing the doorbell? Baku or Jiddah?

By Ferai Tinc

/www.hurriyet.com.tr/