Konstantin Zatulin: "Turkey should really take into account the fair demand of the descendants of Genocide victims to compensate their damage"

The fact that the Swiss Parliament joined the countries that recognized the Armenian Genocide in the beginning of the XX century in the Ottoman Empire is a victory of both Armenians and the Armenian Diaspora world wide and of all the human beings knowing the history. Director of the Russian CIS Institute Konstantin Zatulin made this statement in his article entitled "Nothing Should Be Forgotten" published in the newspaper "Rossia".

"The extermination of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire was the first act of mass genocide of a whole people in the XX century. Lack of timely and proper assessment of the fact of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire served as a favorable environment for Fascist Germany, which carried out acts of genocide in respect of the Jewish people," Zatulin writes. He notes the fact that today these events so far away from us are recognized by parliaments of the countries world wide and are called by their proper names allows once more remembering and assessing the aftermaths of this damage and confirming that no one and nothing is forgotten. "It is very important for such crimes be never repeated and those who participated and are participating in them have no hopes for avoiding punishment," the author says.

"I would like to draw the public attention to the fact that in 1995 the Russian State Duma was one of the first state structures to recognize the fact of the Armenian Genocide with a special decree and announce April 24 the Day of Mourning for the Genocide Victims after the collapse of the Soviet Union and independence of the Republic of Armenia. That event gave new impetus to attempts of the Armenian Diaspora to draw the attention of parliamentarians and authorities of civilized states to the problem," Zatulin writes. He adds, "Turkey should really take into account the fair demand of the descendants of Genocide victims to compensate their damage." "Indeed, it cannot be done fully, but it must be done at least symbolically, I think. Otherwise, I repeat that even the act of recognizing the very fact of the genocide will not be full-fledged. If Turkey did it itself without waiting for the world to join this opinion, it would emphasize the European nature of Turkey and create a new impression of that country," Zatulin writes.

Nevertheless, the author writes: "Unfortunately, I cannot see any symptoms of refusal from counteracting the recognition of the genocide and of beginning cooperation in this connection in the current acts of the Turkish Government." "Moreover, the Turkish party, factually, blackmails the Armenian party, demanding that the latter refuse from any rhetoric and its activity on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. I know that even in the course of confidential consultations held between the Turkish and Armenian public representatives by the people close to the authorities or ex-authorities (there were several rounds of meetings) with the mediation of the American party, the Turkish representatives stated they were ready for some compromises in the bilateral relations subject to the Armenian party's refusal from its activity to reveal the fact of the genocide," Zatulin writes.

While it is quite inadmissible for Armenians, he writes. "Today Turkey aspires to the European Union and other European structures. However, its admission to the EU was, factually, blocked because of the special position of France and a number of European states. They consider Turkey not enough democratic and Europe-oriented. I think the issues connected with the recognition of the Genocide are far from being the latest reason for this," the Director of the CIS Institute concludes.