Where is the Beef? The Georgian misadventure and Russia’s decisive move unleashed a chain of events the description of which is beyond the scope of this essay. It’s hard to ignore, however, the ensuing flurry of diplomatic activity. Of relevance to Armeno-Turkish relations are Serzh Sargsyan’s meetings with Russian officials on Russian soil and subsequent acceptance of Turkey’s president to attend the soccer match in Yerevan. A verbal diarrhea followed that visit, and there is no end to it. As if a miracle has occurred and people are in a race to relate to the rest of the world the glimpses they have captured of that momentous event. Probably it’s evident more so in Turkey than anywhere else. The propaganda machine is in high gear. We are told that relations will get better: there is hope that the border may open, and that Turkey will pacify the Azeris, etc. etc. No president of a midsize country that commands the respect of major powers visits a tiny neighbour without an agenda to expand its influence and exert its will. And Turkey is not an exception. Indeed it’s an important regional power that mediates between enemies like Syria and Israel, and rattles sabers when the US Congress contemplates adopting a resolution recognizing the veracity of the Genocide of the Armenians. It mobilizes a slew of past and present US secretaries of state, a past president and a present-day commander-in-chief. Contemporary Turkey, irrespective of who its current representative happens to be, is the inheritor of almost six-hundred years of diplomatic experience. It is extensively versed in drawing and tearing up treaties--proclaiming and disavowing promises–ignoring international resolutions and not being even rebuked. How does Armenia stack against the above “credentials” of Turkey? One does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out the answer. There is no question that a good neighbourly relation is advantageous and preferable to confrontation. Yet it all depends on how that relation is defined. The devil is always in the fine print, as they say. At present it is not transparent. For years Armenians have been waiting for opening of the border between Armenia and Turkey, thus lifting the blockade. Need we remind ourselves why the blockade was imposed in the first place? The thorny issue was Karabagh. How come now, when Armenia is vulnerable more than ever, Turkey is
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