In his article entitled “Armenian resolution”, Amberin Zaman of Haberturk, addressed Turkish-Armenian processes in the light of Resolution 252 at the U.S. House of Representatives.

At the last moment, Armenians in the U.S. tried to get the draft resolution qualifying the Armenian massacres in 1915 as genocide put on the U.S. House agenda. However, more important issues were on the agenda, and the resolution remained undiscussed. It was also due to the Obama Administration. As during previous years, Turkey explored every avenue. Erdogan addressed a letter to President Obama, and Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu made it clear for Hillary Clinton Turkey would take steps if the Armenian resolution were adopted. So one more crisis over the recognition of the Armenian Genocide was resolved, the author writes.

It is common knowledge, however, that it was not the first instance nor will it be the last. U.S. Armenians will never give up their campaigns. On the contract, as the 100th anniversary of the tragedy nears, they will intensify their efforts.

So what is Turkey to do? Turks should ask themselves a question: what happened to the millions of Armenians that lived in the land for thousands of years. The subject was a taboo until the murder of Hrant Dink. There is hardly any information on the experiences of about 1,300,000 Armenians in the Ottoman Empire before 1915. A betrayal by a group of Armenians proved an occasion for Young Turks to punish the whole Armenian people. They were murdering women, children and old people or deporting them. The deportees were dying of hunger, diseases or at the hand of marauder gangs. Thousands of Armenians died in the Deir ez Zor. Some of them were converted into Islam, others saved by merciful Turks or Kurds.

The survivors’ victims are now justly demanding an end to the denial policy and expecting apologies. More and more of them demand restitution. Ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols would not have prevented the developments. It would have delayed the adoption of the Armenian Genocide bill for a while.

Turkish-Armenian relations must be based on actual developments. Peace and stability in the Caucasus requires implementation of the protocols, speeding up the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Neither the U.S. Congress nor Armenian or Turkish leaders should make the Armenian tragedy a political instrument. In this context, a number of Turkish NGOs are carrying out praiseworthy activities. Among them are Anadolu Kultur, TESEV and Hrant Dink, which are exerting efforts to build a bridge of friendship between Armenian and Turkish societies.

One nice day the Turkish Parliament will discuss the issue of the Armenian Genocide, Amberin Zaman writes.