320) Evaluating The Turkish-Armenian Relationships In Terms Of The Psychological War

Dr.Yaþar Kalafat
Hatem Cabbarli
ASAM - The Desk of Caucasian Investigation


There have been wars of thirty or one hundred years throughout the history of mankind., the first and second World Wars caused millions of people to lose their lives and to be injured. Nations or governments on opposite sides looked for re-establishing normal relationships after the war had ended and they achieved this target in a short period of time.

They tried to forget all negativity, pains and loss experienced by people during the war years, and new projects were developed to improve relationships. However Armenian views of Turkey have not changed since the beginning of the 20th century, on the contrary their views of hostility towards Turks have increased. This has resulted from the fact that the hostility towards Turks has been the basis in the formation of Armenian national identity.

Armenians, who have been Turkish citizens for hundreds of years , have lived quite comfortably and free of problems. But Armenians who had turned out to be a serious problem for the Ottoman Empire since the end of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century, became a threat for the security of Ottoman Empire by cooperating with the Russian Army in Caucasian Front in World War 1. This situation led Ottoman government in 1915 to take Armenians out of the front region and make them immigrate to the interior regions. For about 90 years Armenians have been trying to convince the whole world that the deportation of 1915 was an act of genocide performed against Armenians. This point of view reflecting an other-oriented, mystic-orientalist mentality provokes the revenge psychology.

The Republic of Armenia which declared its independence in 1991, brought about the issue of genocide in the 11th section of the Declaration of Independence. Armenians claim their right on the land of Azerbayjan, Turkey, Georgia(in the Caucasus), Iran who are their neighbours and -despite having no connection through land- of Russia to put their project of "Tsviç tsov Hayastan" (Armenia from Sea to Sea) into practice as envisaged by their national Hay Dat Doctrine. Armenia has invaded 20 percent of the land of Azerbayjan within the framework of Hay Dat Doctrine.

Despite Turkey's attempts with good intentions to establish economic and diplomatic relationships with Armenia after his independence, Armenia has not put an end to his propaganda of the so-called genocide, he did not respect Turkey's unity of land and has been continuing his propaganda for cancellation of Kars Agreement.

Due to Armenia's insistence on his propaganda of genocide, not respecting Turkey's unity of land and his not making a borderline agreement , Turkey had to close Akyaka Borderline Entrance in 1993. Both Armenians living outside the mother land and the Armenian government, by asking for the cooperation of civilian public organizations , demand for Turkey's opening the borderline entrance.Demanding this, they lay stress on the economic problems of Turkey's eastern cities , which they accept as the Western Armenia rather than on the economic problems of Armenia and they claim that Kars and other eastern cities will make a serious progress in economic terms if the borderline entrance is opened. Sometimes this issue is brought into the Turkish and Armenian agenda by the press. Also some of Turkey's npress and broadcast organizations become the mouthpiece of Armenia in this issue. It can be said that Armenians who live in Turkey and whose number is estimated to be about 50-70 thousand have a serious effort in this period.. Though they are small in number, Armenians have a serious potential of being organized. This responsibility of being organized is taken by the Armenian Patriarchate. The Patriarchate does not only respond to the religious needs of the Armenians, but it also plays an important role in the protection of Armenian national identity., traditions and customs and in the establishment of relationships with Armenia which they define as the mother land.

Armenians can easily make some media organizations publish news and essays -written through their own perspective – abut the necessity of the opening of the borderline entrance . Some essay writers in Turkey also try to affect Turkish public opinion in this subject with essays supporting the ideas of Armenians. Meanwhile media organizations also reflect the ideas of the Council of Turkish – Armenian Business Developmentwww.ermenisorunu.gen.tr/english/articles/article17.html
.

Mehmet Altan , in his essay named “Is newspaper sold in Kars?” which was published in an internet newspaper –www.gazetem.net.-on July 2004 , tried to maintain that 56 thousand citizens in Kars, which had a population of 325 thousand collected signatures for the opening of borderline entrance with Armeniaand he also expressed his worry and disturbance, due to its not being brought into the agenda by the Turkish press and he even made some economic calculations to prove the fact that the opening of the borderline entrance was necessary.

Actually some eastern cities of Turkey have developed less when compared to other regions. However the opening of the borderline entrance wiith Armenia will not be effective in terms ofthe development of these cities.If Turkey’s neighbour in the East were a more developed country than Armenia , Kars would perhaps be able to experience a serious economic development in a short period of time. But if the fact thatthe minimum monthly wage in Armenia is 9 dollars, monthly pension is 7,5 dollars and the medium wages are 38 dollars but that the monthly expenditure of a family is 66-70 dollars is considered, it can easily be seen that it is impossible for the Armenian economy to contribute to the economy of Kars. If Armenia had a developed economy, fifty percent of the population would not leave the country and an estimated total of 50-60 thousand Armenians would not come to Turkeyn each year to work as a seasonal worker. Considering the fact that Gümrü and Talin which have a borderline with Kars are engaged with agriculture and stock raising, it is easy to estimate that opening the borderline entrance will give great harm to the economy of Kars.

A comment of Hrant Brink , the general publishing manager of a newspaper called Agos, about the opening of the borderline entrance was published in Birgün ( a newspaper published in Turkey) on 15 July 2004 under the name “Let Medzamor be closed, let the borderline entrance be opened”. Brink by decreasing the problems between Armenia and Turkey to the level Metzamor Nuclear Power Plant and the borderline entrance , by making people unrealize the real problems such as the genocide propaganda, Armenia’s disrespecting Turkey’s unity of land and his propaganda for the cancellation of 1921 Kars Agreement ,tries to affect Turkish public opinion. Metsamor is the weak side of Armenia whose insecurity has been registered.

Some romantic, touristic opportunities are given to certain circles, groups in Turkey who are engaged with the issue of the opening of the borderline entrance and in this way- in case that the Armenians bring it up to the agenda-Turkish people are made to create certain diplomatic issues which have the potential of causing problems and disadvantages in Caucasia as if these were the desire of Turkish intellectuals and Turkish nation.

Turkey should be able to explain what the opening of the borderline entrance means withthe statements he makes. As Armenia defines this region of Turkey as the West Armenia , what they want is not opening the borderline entrance between Turkey and Armenia, but opening the entrance , belonging to Armenians and which is prevented from making way between the two sides of Armenia by being occupied.

Dr.Yaþar KALAFAT- The Chairman of the Desk of Caucasian Investigation
Hatem CABBARLI- a researcher