And on Sept. 6, 2008, Turkish President Abdullah Gul traveled to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, at Armenian President Serge Sargsyan’s invitation, and attended a soccer match between Turkey and Armenia.
It was that big—the first-ever soccer match between the two countries, the first-ever time the Turkish and Armenian heads of state have shaken hands, and certainly the first time the Turkish national anthem was played in the Armenian capital, in front of 35,000 Armenians, while the Turkish flag flew high above the stadium. The fans booed their hearts out, but that was besides the point. "I believe my visit has demolished a psychological barrier in the Caucasus," Gul said.<p] That was the point.
How Russian Tanks Gave Turkey and Armenia an Extra Incentive
That, and the sound of Russian tanks crushing nearby Georgia, which was a wake-up call for Armenia to make nice with its other neighbors. Iran? Not an option. Azerbaijan? Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakhinvaded for years. That leaves Turkey, whose historic enmity toward Armenia pales in comparison with its enmity toward all things Russian and Soviet.
It’s because of that long enmity that Turkey was eager to join NATO in 1952, and is eager to join the European Union today. It’s also because of that long enmity that it’s now ready to deal with Armenia—if, besides the potential economic advantages of a rapprochement between the two countries, Turkey can also antagonize Russia without losing a soul or a dime.
Turkey and the Armenian Genocide
Turkey recognized Armenia when the small, landlocked country on Turkey's northeastern frontier broke away from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991. Armenia was ready to establish diplomatic relations then. Turkey refused. The century-long enmity between the two countries dates back to the Ottoman-Turkish genocide of Armenians during World War I and through the early 1920s, by which time up to 1.5 million Armenians are believed to have perished. Ronald Reagan never had an issue calling the Armenian genocide by name. Nor have most members of Congress. Nor have the overwhelming majority of historians.
On April 22, 2008, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, the Massachusetts Democrat, said on the floor of the House:
By denying the truth, Turkey undermines its own standing throughout the world, blocks its own acceptance into the European family, and increases regional tensions, especially with neighboring Armenia. Turkey's recognition of the Genocide , its reconciliation with the past, would widely be viewed as the act of a mature democracy, which the world would rush to embrace and reward.Turkey, however, never admitted to the genocide. To this day it claims it never took place. Turkey agrees that hundreds of thousands of Armenians died, but as did hundreds of thousands of Turks, and only as a result of the collapsing Ottoman Empire, World War I and war with Russia, <em]not</em] as a result of an intentional eradication campaign. Those in Turkey who dare question the official Turkish line are liable to face charges, as Turkish writer and Novel Laureate Orhan Pamuk famously did when he told a Swiss interviewer that Turks were responsible no only of genocidal wars on Armenians, but on Kurds, too. Pamuk was slapped with charges of "offending Turkish identity" (and spent months fighting them until international pressure forced Turkish authorities to drop the charges on contrived technicalities).
Still, Turkey exerts pressure of its own when it wants to prevent the world from officially acknowledging the genocide--as Turkey did last year, when it managed to stop the U.S. House of Representatives from passing a resolution commemorating the genocide. It was one of the Nancy Pelosi-led House's most craven cave-ins.
Georgia on Both Turkey’s and Armenia’s Mind
The issue continues to divide Turkey and Armenia. But in September 2008, Turkey’s and Armenia’s president chose to begin to see past it. Why? One word: Georgia.
Armenia is bordered by Iran, Azerbaijan on two sides. Turkey and Georgia to its north. When Russian tanks rolled into Georgia, Armenians got nervous. They have close economic relations with Russia, but not so close that Armenians want to feel the Russian bear’s breath down their neck. Russia’s brief invasion of Georgia was a wake-up call, especially with the vast economic opportunities that would open up should Armenia and Turkey patch things up: Oil and gas pipelines from the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, running through Armenia and Turkey, would be hugely lucrative to both, and would bypass turbulent Iran, Iraq, and now Georgia.
That’s why Turkey and Georgia have already agreed to find ways to reopen borders long closed and move toward fully normalized diplomatic relations.
Soccer Diplomacy
As for the soccer game that started it all: It was a World Cup qualifying match. Turkey and Armenia find themselves in the same group, along with Belgium, Belgium, Estonia, Spain and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The teams play each other twice in home and away games in hopes of qualifying for the finals in South Africa in 2010. Turkey is a European football powerhouse (it made it to the semi-final of the 2008 European championship). Armenia isn’t expected to advance.
But that’s not really the point, either. Nor was Turkey’s 2-0 win (behind goals by Tuncay Sanli and Semih Senturk) the point of the really historic meeting taking place in the stands between the Turkish and Armenian presidents. The point was to move both countries, which have been stuck in the throes of the early 20th century as far as each other are concerned, into the 21st century. It may well have worked (with a little help from Russia’s tanks in Georgia).
Turkey and Armenia meet again on the last day of qualifying competition, in Turkey (probably in Istanbul), on Oct. 14, 2009.
