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18 The Armenian Reporter | April 25, 2009EditorialCommentarythe armenianreporterA shared commitment, deep and unshakableAs we write these lines on April 24, practically the whole population of Armenia is once againheading for the monument at Tzitzernakaberd to remember the people and patrimony destroyedand lost in the Armenian Genocide 94 years ago. Throughout the world, Armenians are holdingvigils and protests, concerts and book readings, and saying prayers at home or in church.It has been an extraordinary April.On the sixth, addressing Turkey’s Grand National Assembly, President Barack Obama recalledthe treatment of Native Americans and Blacks by the United States and urged Turkeyto address the “terrible events of 1915” in a way that is “honest, open, and constructive.”It was a historic moment: the president of the United States, right there in Turkey’s parliament,was giving a powerful message to the people of Turkey, inviting them to come to termswith the terrible legacy of the annihilation of the Armenian people.The president demonstrated leadership in making that statement. But he too should haveaddressed the terrible events of 1915 in a way that was “honest, open, and constructive.”Evil’s greatest co-conspiratorHe knows that. Speaking on April 23 at the Holocaust Days of Remembrance ceremony, heasked, “How do we ensure that ‘never again’ isn’t an empty slogan, or merely an aspiration,but also a call to action? I believe we start by doing what we are doing today – by bearing witness,by fighting the silence that is evil’s greatest co-conspirator.”Back in Istanbul, the president also urged Turkey to normalize relations with Armenia.That means, above all, establishing diplomatic relations and opening the border crossings. Healso invited Turkey to play a “constructive role” in the Karabakh peace process.The president went on to make an argument that did not demonstrate the level of leadershipwe have come to expect from him. He noted that Turkey and Armenia were talking toeach other about normalization of relations. The talks could bear fruit very soon, he said, andhe did not want to torpedo them by using the word genocide.In other words, he acquiesced in “the silence that is evil’s greatest co-conspirator.”It was, of course, true, that the recognition of the Genocide by President Obama wouldhave angered those in Turkey who are opponents of normalizing relations with Armenia.And it is possible that the normalization process could have been delayed as a consequence.Unsound linkagesIt is unsound policy, however, to link something nonnegotiable – in this instance, the recognitionof historical truth – with something negotiable, like opening a border or exchangingambassadors. Negotiations can be dragged out. A border ultimately opened can be closedagain; ambassadors can be recalled. And thus, under this unsound policy, silence about theGenocide can be enforced indefinitely.The unsoundness of the president’s approach was immediately apparent. Abdullah Gül, theStatement of PresidentBarack Obama on ArmenianRemembrance DayThe White House released the followingstatement on April 24.Ninety four years ago, one of the greatatrocities of the 20th century began. Eachyear, we pause to remember the 1.5 millionArmenians who were subsequently massacredor marched to their death in the final days ofthe Ottoman Empire. The Meds Yeghern mustlive on in our memories, just as it lives on inthe hearts of the Armenian people.History, unresolved, can be a heavy weight.Just as the terrible events of 1915 remind usof the dark prospect of man’s inhumanity toman, reckoning with the past holds out thepowerful promise of reconciliation. I haveconsistently stated my own view of whatoccurred in 1915, and my view of that historyhas not changed. My interest remainsthe achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgmentof the facts.The best way to advance that goal rightnow is for the Armenian and Turkish peopleto address the facts of the past as a part oftheir efforts to move forward. I strongly supportefforts by the Turkish and Armenianpeople to work through this painful historyin a way that is honest, open, and constructive.To that end, there has been courageousand important dialogue among Armeniansand Turks, and within Turkey itself. I alsostrongly support the efforts by Turkey andArmenia to normalize their bilateral relations.Under Swiss auspices, the two governmentshave agreed on a framework and roadmap fornormalization. I commend this progress, andurge them to fulfill its promise.Together, Armenia and Turkey can forge arelationship that is peaceful, productive andprosperous. And together, the Armenian andTurkish people will be stronger as they acknowledgetheir common history and recognizetheir common humanity.Nothing can bring back those who were lostin the Meds Yeghern. But the contributionsthat Armenians have made over the last ninety-fouryears stand as a testament to the talent,dynamism and resilience of the Armenianpeople, and as the ultimate rebuke to thosewho tried to destroy them. The United Statesof America is a far richer country because ofthe many Americans of Armenian descentwho have contributed to our society, many ofwhom immigrated to this country in the aftermathof 1915. Today, I stand with them andwith Armenians everywhere with a sense offriendship, solidarity, and deep respect. fpresident of Turkey, did not even pretend to be acting in good faith.In the very press conference where Mr. Obama spoke of Armenia-Turkey talks that could bearfruit very soon, Mr. Gül noted that a breakthrough in Armenian-Turkish talks was not imminent.He proclaimed in particular that “issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan” must first be resolved.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated that point on April 19. He said a decisionto open the border with Armenia “will depend on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue being solved.”To reiterate Turkey’s 16-year-old condition for opening the border is to indicate that talksbetween Armenia and Turkey have seen little progress.The joint statement issued by Turkey and Armenia on April 22 (see story on page 1) confirmedthat Turkey continues to hold up normalization of relations. While the tone of thestatement is upbeat, the substance is that normalization has been held up, and what we haveinstead is an “on-going process” requiring a “road map.”Speaking to the Wall Street Journal on April 20, Armenia’s President Serge Sargsian said,“Both we and the Turkish side in the negotiations supported the idea that we are negotiatingwithout any preconditions.”In welcoming the joint statement, the U.S. State Department likewise said, “Normalizationshould take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe.”Turkey’s bad faithThe Turkish side is showing its bad faith by insisting on its long held preconditions, however.The statements of Mr. Gül and Mr. Erdogan aside, the simple fact remains that if Turkeyjoined Armenia in having no preconditions, it would have opened the border already.As we look ahead to the coming months, two points are worth emphasizing:First, the United States government must act on its belief that “normalization should takeplace without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe.” While Armenia pursuesrecognition of the Armenian Genocide, it sets no preconditions for normal relations. AsTurkey has refused U.S. appeals to normalize relations with Armenia since independence, a“reasonable” timeframe should be measured in months and not additional years.President Sargsian announced a deadline this week: October 14. That’s the date of the Armenia-Turkeysoccer match in Kayseri. He said he would not go unless the border was open.That’s more than long enough.Second, Mr. Obama and Armenians throughout the world share the view that we mustbear witness and fight “the silence that is evil’s greatest co-conspirator.” The Turkishgovernment and its friends are promoting the view that recognition of the Genocide is anArmenian-diaspora priority not shared by the people of Armenia. That is simply not true.As we witness the hundreds of thousands of Armenians, young and old, traveling from nearand far, line up to pay their respects at Tzitzernakaberd today, and as we listen to them speak out,we know that our shared commitment to recognition and justice is profound and unshakable. fA second lost opportunityThe following statement was issued on April 24by Ross Vartian, executive director of the U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee (USAPAC).President Obama’s April 24 statement ishis second lost opportunity to affirm theArmenian Genocide.On the first occasion, his visit to the Republicof Turkey, the President stated thathis view on the Armenian Genocide waswell known and remained unchanged, yethe chose not to utter the word “genocide”.The President then urged the Turkish governmentand people to face this history, justas America had done with African-Americansand Native Americans.On the second occasion, the solemnremembrance day of April 24, PresidentObama failed to affirm his record as Senatorand his repeated pledges as candidate forthe presidency to characterize this crimeagainst humanity by its proper name, theArmenian Genocide.Instead, the President committed his administrationto fully support the normalizationof relations between Armenia and Turkey“without preconditions and within a reasonabletimeframe”. While a laudable objective,normal relations between these nations andan open Armenian-Turkish border are notsubstitutes for the United States affirmingits own voluminous history on the ArmenianGenocide and its directly linked global responsibilityto help end the scourge of genocide.President Obama knows very well andhas eloquently acknowledged that as longas genocide denial is tolerated that the actof genocide itself continues, as it does forArmenians on this day of commemorationand remembrance, April 24, 2009. fTell us what you think.Write to letters@reporter.amVisit us at reporter.amArmenian Reporter (ISSN 0004-2358), an independent newspaper,is published weekly by Armenian Reporter llc.Copyright © 2009 by ArmenianReporter llc. All Rights ReservedGerard L. Cafesjian, President and ceoPeriodicals postage paid at Paramus, N.J., andadditional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PO Box129, Paramus, NJ 07652-0129.The views expressed, except in the editorial, arenot necessarily those of the publishers.Editor Vincent LimaAssociate editor Maria TitizianWashington editor Emil SanamyanEastern U.S. editor Lou Ann MatossianAssistant to the Editor Seda StepanyanCopy editor Ishkhan JinbashianArt director Grigor HakobyanThe Armenian Reporter is your newspaper. We urge you to send us your news and yourviews.News. Please send your news to .Letters. Please send your letters to Letters should be no morethan 250 words long and may be edited for clarity. Please include your mailing addressand daytime telephone number.Commentary. Please send your essays to Essays and articlesnormally should be no longer than 900 words.Photos and artwork. We require high-resolution originals. 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