’Joint commission a dangerous trap’

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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A U.S. historian with Armenian roots has said he will not take part in a joint commission to research the events of 1915, as the offer is a dangerous trap for Armenians, reported Armenian Reporter magazine.

"The creation of such a commission is very dangerous," said Richard Hovannisian from the University of California when asked about Armenian President Serge Sarkisian’s statement that Armenia would not oppose the creation of a joint commission if Turkey opened the border between the two countries.

Last month Turkey and Armenia agreed on a road map toward restoring relations. Although the content of the road map has not been disclosed, the prevailing view is that it includes the establishment of a commission to investigate the details surrounding the events of 1915. Armenians believe that the World War I killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans amount to genocide, a claim refuted by Turkey.

Hovannisian said if asked he would refuse to be part of the commission. He said that it would be a step backward for the Armenian side and that even the offer of a joint commission to examine whether it was an act of genocide or not suggested there is doubt surrounding events. "[The commission] is acceptable only under certain conditions. First of all, the genocide must be accepted as a fact, then we can study as to why the genocide happened, what were the factors, etc," he said.

According to Hovanisian, the Turkish side is relying on the 1948 UN Convention on genocide, where it states that genocides must be premeditated. "The Turks will stress that, yes, there were Armenian victims - 200,000 or 300,000, but you cannot prove that this was premeditated," he said. In Turkish archives and at that time it was already planned, to send telegrams from the provinces, where supposedly Armenian revolts and desertions from the Ottoman army were recorded, Hovanisian said, adding that Turkish historians can come up with these arguments and try, at least in part, to place the blame on the Armenians. "The Turkish side will never accept that what happened was genocide," he said.

Opening the border
Hovanisian also said that opening the Turkish-Armenian border would bring more benefits to Turkey than Armenia. "Of course, open borders will also be beneficial for Armenia, because we need access to the sea, toward the Western world. We will then have an alternative to the Georgian routes. Open borders is also good for Turkey, because its eastern regions will develop. It is also good for the Turks because they will have access to expand to the East. The Turks have always had their eye on the East," he said.

Hovanisian is the father of Raffi Hovanisian, the first foreign minister of Armenia, the daily Vatan reported yesterday.