The famous quote by the former Liverpool FC manager Bill Shankly, “Football's not a matter of life and death ... it's more important than that,” came to life this week in Yerevan, Armenia, when the Armenian President Serzh Sarksyanof was joined by Abdullah Gul, the President of Turkey to watch their respective national soccer teams battle it out in a World Cup qualifying match. Gul had been invited to Armenia by Serzh Sarksyan to watch the World Cup qualifier, something that would not cause a ripple in most nations but Turkey and Armenia have regarded each other with open hostility and animosity since WW1.
Whilst the modern Turkish Republic has no direct linage back to the Armenian genocide, as it was not founded until 1923. The heirs of the founder of that State, Mustafa Kemal, (Ataturk) have always refused to come to terms with this crime. One of the reasons is their refusal to accept the multi racial nature of the modern Turkish State, as this would mean extending the democratic rights of Turkey's largest minority the Kurds, along with other minorities within Turkey. Unlike the modern German State, which took moral responsibility for the crimes of the Hitlerite regime, the Turkish Republic has attempted to airbrush from history the Armenian genocide.
This has proved disastrous both for the international standing of the Turkish Republic, the Armenian’s who still live within it, and relationships with its neighbor Armenia. Hence President Gül's visit to Armenia to watch a football game. As the Turkish Parliament’s only socialist MP, Ufuk Uras said,
“The steps taken because of the soccer match between Turkey and Armenia should be a beginning of a new era”
After urging the governments to open the border between the two nations and develop economic relations between the two countries, he went on to say,
“Our Armenian citizens should feel themselves equal citizens of this country; they should not face any discrimination in social life, especially in public life. Their history should be discussed freely; all the restriction should be removed. An atmosphere of discussion without any prejudices should be encouraged.”
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7 comments:
“Unlike the modern German State, which took moral responsibility for the crimes of the Hitlerite regime”
When the Red Army Faction punished Hanns-Martin Schleyer they showed that the modern German state was riddled with Nazis. The RAF, whatever their shortcomings, took moral responsibility for the crimes of their parents and paid a high price in the prisons.
The F-Type prisons in Turkey are based on the isolation regime of Stammheim prison, the Turkish government defends such practices by saying that they are ‘modern’ and measure up to ‘European standards’.
If you are a socialist in Turkey you are more likely to end up in an F-Type prison than parliament and let’s not forget that Germany and Turkey are NATO allies.
RP
You are absolutely correct in what you write, middle ranking nazi party members were offered a comfortable berth within the West German state bureaucracy etc, although I doubt given the circumstance it could have been otherwise. Not least because the americans were hovering up ex nazis to work in the new states intelligence services etc.
Never the less, when I wrote it took moral responsibility I was mindful of the reparations it paid to Jewish people, etc. [although sadly much of this was channeled through the State of Israel]
Whereas to this day the Turkish republic refuses to accept the Armenians were victims of a holocaust in 1915 which was perpetuated by the Ottoman state. Indeed the families of the leading members of the CUP who organized the Armenian holocaust were later given pensions by the Turkish Republic.
The Germans were made to by military defeat. The Allies believed that the Dolchstosslegende ("stab in the back legend") after WW1 prepared the way for WW2, and so forced ordinary Germans to confront war guilt. However, senior ex-Nazis remained in prominent positions.
The Republic of Turkey was founded in an atmosphere of intense nationalism. The dying Ottoman Empire had consented to war crimes investigations re the Armenians, but this was merely taken by the Republic as a sign of the Empire's weakness and collapse, not as a sign of any quest for justice.
Just before Gul's visit, a Turkish satellite station broadcast an "exclusive" that a member of the reception committee for Gul in Armenia was linked to ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia) and specifically to a fatal bombing of a Turkish Airlines desk at Orly Airport in the 1980s. Whether true or not, it seemed designed to spoil the Gul visit or at least fire a shot across his bows.
TTVwatch
I'm not surprised about the Armenian spoiler, as apparently in Yerevan they were protesting against the visit.
There is currently a rather good article on Turkey in the London Review of Books, by Perry Anderson.
TTVwatch
Yes I have seen it I put it to one side as I thought I might blog on it, thanks all the same.
Take care
Mick
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