Ex envoy: Armenians in US stronger than before
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 13, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The Armenian lobby is fully mobilized and highly motivated yet that does not mean BarackObama’s administration will recognize Armenians claims of "genocide" despite pledges made during election campaigns, says former US ambassador to Ankara, Marc Parris
Although the Armenian lobby in Washington has worked hard to have the 1915 events recognized as "genocide", one former U.S. ambassador to Turkey says that does not mean the White House is ready to endorse claims.
"The bad news is that the Armenian lobby is fully mobilized, highly motivated and in possession of unprecedentedly clear and unqualified commitments from leading members of the new administration that the events of 1915 will be termed 'genocide'," Mark Parris, retired U.S. Ambassador to Ankara said late on Wednesday at a dinner in Istanbul hosted by Turkey's International Investors Association.
U.S. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton all originally pledged that once in office they would recognize 1915 incidents as "genocide" during the election campaign.
The move helped them garner the support of the Armenian lobby, which is expected to push for another legislation in congress to have their claims recognized.
Parris, who is currently a consultant to the Washington-based Brookings Institute, said he did not think it necessarily meant either a resolution or a statement by the White House would be forthcoming.
Progress in Turkish - Armenian ties important
"It is not a pretty picture from where we sit tonight. At the end of the day someone in Washington will calculate where the American interest lies and make the case. I think there are strong and potentially compelling arguments that can be made that this is not the time and there will never be a proper time to approach this issue in this way," he said.
Parris said the progress in normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia was important for Washington.
"I understand from today's Hürriyet headlines there is something tangible and imminent if the promises are fulfilled, which could change the course of the discussions in Washington and we can talk about other issues I mentioned today," he said.
Hürriyet daily reported Wednesday that Armenia and Azerbaijan reached a partial agreement towards the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia over its invasion of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory in 1993.
PM Erdoğan’s Davos outburst not helpful
Parris confirmed the recent concerns in Turkey that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's outburst in Davos in late January could negatively effect Turkish-Jewish lobby relations.
"I think that there is some likelihood that there will be an impact to enthusiasm on which to address a potential action related to the genocide. If you had read their statements you would see that they had stressed the strategic importance of Turkey. But it would be inaccurate for me to suggest that there will not be effects from some of the things that were said and happened here. There might be some consequences from that," he said.
Parris said Turkey's reaction against the Israeli operations in Gaza highlighted "the dilemma that some in the United States see in Turkey's more assertive regional diplomacy."
On one hand Turkey appears behind the scenes to have been an active, creative and constructive contributor to negotiations leading to a cease-fire, he said.
"One the other hand, some of the rhetoric here has, I fear, undermined Ankara's hard-earned reputation for even-handedness. That has to be considered a loss as the Obama administration considers how, and with whom, to begin the process of re-engagement in pursuit of lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors," he said.
Parris said the issue that was on top of Obama administration’s agenda was the economy, but he said he was confident it would meet the challenge to ensure Turkey received the timely, senior-level attention it merited as a country that "can help or hurt the new administration’s efforts abroad."
The Obama administration came into office with recent and clear reminders that Turkey is very useful if Washington wants to provide assistance to Georgia or to support or withdraw forces from Iraq or in developing alternative supply routes for Afghanistan, said Parris.
Cooperation in energy more promissing compared to past
Among the challenges awaiting Turkey-U.S. relations, a partnership in energy is now a more encouraging subject after the "tragic lost opportunity of the last eight years," according to Parris.
"The hour is late. But Russia’s test of wills with Ukraine last winter could be impetus for a renewed commitment by the United States, Turkey and Europe to overcome the petty and self-interested squabbling that has frustrated rapid movement on Nabucco and other projects essential to the long-term energy security of the West. And that could return partnership on energy issues to a prominent place on the U.S.-Turkish bilateral agenda," he said.
The new administration will find that Turkish-Russian relations are not the same as they were eight years ago and the countries’ positions on various issues such as Iran, Iraq, Palestine and the Black Sea security have converged, and bilateral trade relations have mushroomed. "I’m not among those who believe Moscow will ever provide an alternative to a strategic partnership with Washington or the West generally. But as the Obama administration re-engages on issues like energy security or the security and independence of former Soviet territories like Georgia or Ukraine, it will find, I suspect, that it cannot count on Ankara’s simply following the United States's lead, as might have been the case in the past," he said.
"The bad news is that the Armenian lobby is fully mobilized, highly motivated and in possession of unprecedentedly clear and unqualified commitments from leading members of the new administration that the events of 1915 will be termed 'genocide'," Mark Parris, retired U.S. Ambassador to Ankara said late on Wednesday at a dinner in Istanbul hosted by Turkey's International Investors Association.
U.S. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton all originally pledged that once in office they would recognize 1915 incidents as "genocide" during the election campaign.
The move helped them garner the support of the Armenian lobby, which is expected to push for another legislation in congress to have their claims recognized.
Parris, who is currently a consultant to the Washington-based Brookings Institute, said he did not think it necessarily meant either a resolution or a statement by the White House would be forthcoming.
Progress in Turkish - Armenian ties important
"It is not a pretty picture from where we sit tonight. At the end of the day someone in Washington will calculate where the American interest lies and make the case. I think there are strong and potentially compelling arguments that can be made that this is not the time and there will never be a proper time to approach this issue in this way," he said.
Parris said the progress in normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia was important for Washington.
"I understand from today's Hürriyet headlines there is something tangible and imminent if the promises are fulfilled, which could change the course of the discussions in Washington and we can talk about other issues I mentioned today," he said.
Hürriyet daily reported Wednesday that Armenia and Azerbaijan reached a partial agreement towards the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia over its invasion of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory in 1993.
PM Erdoğan’s Davos outburst not helpful
Parris confirmed the recent concerns in Turkey that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's outburst in Davos in late January could negatively effect Turkish-Jewish lobby relations.
"I think that there is some likelihood that there will be an impact to enthusiasm on which to address a potential action related to the genocide. If you had read their statements you would see that they had stressed the strategic importance of Turkey. But it would be inaccurate for me to suggest that there will not be effects from some of the things that were said and happened here. There might be some consequences from that," he said.
Parris said Turkey's reaction against the Israeli operations in Gaza highlighted "the dilemma that some in the United States see in Turkey's more assertive regional diplomacy."
On one hand Turkey appears behind the scenes to have been an active, creative and constructive contributor to negotiations leading to a cease-fire, he said.
"One the other hand, some of the rhetoric here has, I fear, undermined Ankara's hard-earned reputation for even-handedness. That has to be considered a loss as the Obama administration considers how, and with whom, to begin the process of re-engagement in pursuit of lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors," he said.
Parris said the issue that was on top of Obama administration’s agenda was the economy, but he said he was confident it would meet the challenge to ensure Turkey received the timely, senior-level attention it merited as a country that "can help or hurt the new administration’s efforts abroad."
The Obama administration came into office with recent and clear reminders that Turkey is very useful if Washington wants to provide assistance to Georgia or to support or withdraw forces from Iraq or in developing alternative supply routes for Afghanistan, said Parris.
Cooperation in energy more promissing compared to past
Among the challenges awaiting Turkey-U.S. relations, a partnership in energy is now a more encouraging subject after the "tragic lost opportunity of the last eight years," according to Parris.
"The hour is late. But Russia’s test of wills with Ukraine last winter could be impetus for a renewed commitment by the United States, Turkey and Europe to overcome the petty and self-interested squabbling that has frustrated rapid movement on Nabucco and other projects essential to the long-term energy security of the West. And that could return partnership on energy issues to a prominent place on the U.S.-Turkish bilateral agenda," he said.
The new administration will find that Turkish-Russian relations are not the same as they were eight years ago and the countries’ positions on various issues such as Iran, Iraq, Palestine and the Black Sea security have converged, and bilateral trade relations have mushroomed. "I’m not among those who believe Moscow will ever provide an alternative to a strategic partnership with Washington or the West generally. But as the Obama administration re-engages on issues like energy security or the security and independence of former Soviet territories like Georgia or Ukraine, it will find, I suspect, that it cannot count on Ankara’s simply following the United States's lead, as might have been the case in the past," he said.