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TURK POLITICIAN AND JOURNALIST HOLD A HEATED DEBATE

Politics

“Even God cannot change the past”, declared Cem Toker, Turkish politician and Leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Turkey at the international conference organized by the Eurasia Foundation Representative Office in Armenia and Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation.

Quite surprisingly frank ideas were heard at the conference. The Turk politician, whose party is not included in the Turkish Parliament, presented the process of his country’s integration into the EU. He stated that Turkish national parties were not even willing to converse with the representatives of European Institutions.

Toker also noted that he had been in close relations with the assassinated Armenian journalist Hrant Dink who, having spent his childhood with Armenians, had devoted all his life to the democratization of Turkey.

“Turkey proudly states that 99.9% of its population are Muslims. And where are the Armenians, Jews, Greeks? Why are they gone? Doesn’t it mean that something is definitely wrong? You can see the investments of the Armenian people while walking in Istambul. I am greatly displeased with Turkey’s attitude towards Armenians”, declares Toker.

Amber Zaman, a Turkish journalist, contradicted him in the description of the current situation in Turkey. Zaman, who introduced herself as a free journalist, is the wife of Joseph Penington, the US temporary Chargé d’Affaires in Armenia. Mrs. Zaman stated that Turkey’s steps towards Democracy are quite evident.

“Turkey still has much to do but it has made a great progress towards democracy lately. Ten years ago the Kurds were imprisoned simply for calling themselves Kurds. Whereas, today they are even allowed to have broadcasts in their mother tongue. Besides, the capital punishment has been abolished in my country. You give a tough assessment of the situation, Mr. Toker”, noticed Amber Zaman.

In reply to the journalist’s views Cem Toker noted: “The abolition of the capital punishment has nothing to do with Democracy. Does it mean the USA is not a democratic country? As for the Kurds they are only 30 minutes on the air.” Meanwhile politician and diplomat Davit Hovhannissian was making a report on the current state of Armenian-Turkish relations. The politician noted that the First President of RA Levon Ter-Petrossian carried out a very reserved and cautious policy, taking into consideration Turkey’s attitude towards the Genocide of 1915, whereas Robert Kocharian put the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the agenda of foreign relations. However, in neither of cases did Turkey change its attitude towards Armenia.

Davit Hovhannissian also declared in his speech that the tense relations between Armenia and Turkey were profitable for the latter. “Firstly because it keeps Armenia out of the regional projects and consequently Armenia’s influence in the Region is weakened. Secondly, Turkey can use the absence of diplomatic relations and the tension in threatening actions of diplomatic level.”