Armenian-Turkish relations
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Armenian-Turkish Relations in modern times have strongly been affected by the emotions surrounding the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
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[edit] Before Turkish Migration to Anatolia
Armenians had few to no contacts with Turkic tribes prior to the Turkic invasion of the Armenian-inhabited areas towards the 10th and 11th centuries. The Persian Empire sometimes employed ethnic Armenians as generals in its armies, and have sent them to Turkestan on a number of occasions.
[edit] After Turkish Migration to Anatolia (circa 1000 AD)
The nomadic Turkic tribes moved towards the Middle East and Anatolia in expense of the local populations of Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians and other natives.
The Armenians suffered from persecution and forced assimilation under Seljuk, and later Ottoman rule. The Armenians lived in their own villages, separate from the ethnic Turks. In the big cities, on the other hand, like Istanbul (anciently called Constantinople) and Izmir (anciently called Smyrna), Armenians played an important role in the lives of these cities. Even though following the First World War many of the remaining Armenians have immigrated to other countries, there remain active Armenian communities in these cities.
Armenians have made tremendous contributions to Ottoman society, notably in in the field of architecture, for example, the Balyan family. The Armenians were very skilled craftsmen and artists, and thus contributed greatly to the cultural life of the Empire. Arguably, it is also said that Mimar Sinan, the best Ottoman architect and arguably Islamic architect, was an ethnic Armenian Christian who converted to Islam. [1], [2]
During the Armenian patriotic movement of the late 19th century some Muslims didn't hesitate to help the Armenians in their national resurrection.
[edit] During the Armenian Genocide (~First World War)
The Ottoman Empire, under the command of the Young Turks at the time, carried out a genocidal campaign that uprooted all of the Armenian population of Eastern Anatolia, that took, depending on estimates, between 500,000 and 1.5 million lives. Since then, the relations between the two communities have been tense, and it is still the greatest stumbling block towards a true peace in the Caucasus region.
[edit] Today
Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence in 1991. Despite this, for most of the 20th century and early 21st century, relations between the two countries remain tense for many reasons. Some bones of contention include the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan (which has resulted in Turkey imposing a blockade on Armenia that is still in effect today), the treatment of Armenians in Turkey, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and the Armenian claim of Turkey's holding of historic Armenian lands (ceded to them in the Treaty of Kars, a treaty which Armenia refuses to recognize to this day since it was signed between the Soviet Union and Turkey, and not between Armenia and Turkey proper). At the forefront of all disputes, however, is the Armenian Genocide issue. The killing and deportation of some hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians from the territory of the Ottoman Empire orchestrated by the Young Turks is a taboo subject in Turkey itself. Denial is regulated by both the Turkish government and media. However, since Turkey has become a candidate to join the European Union, limited discussion of the event is now taking place in Turkey. The European Parliament suggests that one of the provisions for Turkey to join the E.U. should be the full recognition of the event as genocide, though this has yet to happen.
Recently, however, relations have begun to ease and both Turkey and Armenia seem to be willing to settle their differences through peaceful talks. On June 5, 2005, Armenian President Robert Kocharian announced that he was ready to "continue dialogue with Azerbaijan for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and with Turkey on establishing relations without any preconditions." [1].
[edit] References
Armenian-Turkish relations ARF View
[edit] External links
- EurasiaNet Brief history of Armenian-Turkish relations after the Armenian Genocide.
