YEREVAN—“Armenia did its utmost to normalize relations with Turkey, it was impossible to make more concessions,” Turkish publisher Ragip Zarakolu said during a discussion on “The Turkish View on the Karabagh Conflict,” organized by the Civilitas Foundation. “Turkey, in turn, did its best to frustrate the process,” he added.
“There is a thick folder with the sins Turkey has committed against the Armenian people. Instead of redeeming the sins of the past, Turkey continues to violate the rights of the Armenian people,” said Zarakolu. “The Pan-Turkic positions are still strong in my country, and they affect the Armenian-Turkish relations.”
“Instead of redeeming the sins of the past, Turkey is trying to interfere with the Karabagh issue and impose its position. What’s interesting is that by supporting Azerbaijan, Turkey is attempting to become a party in an issue it has nothing to do with and raise the Karabagh issue in international structures with a view of pressuring the right of the people of Artsakh [Karabagh] to self-determination. At the same time, Turkey wants to deprive Armenia of the right to interfere with the Karabagh settlement process. This is a vivid example of Turkey’s double-faced policy,” he explained.
According to Zarakolu, by adopting a just position Turkey would contribute to the settlement of the Karabagh issue. “However, Turkey’s practice of setting preconditions speaks to the fact that pan-Turkic sentiments are still there. Besides, let’s not forget that there is a strong Azerbaijani lobby in Turkey,” he said.
“Turkey frustrated the Armenian-Turkish protocols as it did in 1990’s. This attitude of Turkey is becoming dangerous to the Caucasus region. Turkey is conducting an adventurist policy on the Syrian issue, as well,” he added. “It should change its policy and act for the sake of peace in the region. The civilized society is the only hope of change in the country. The ice on the genocide issue has started to melt inside the Turkish society. We must work to have the Turkish public separate the genocide issue from the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.”
Zarakolu said he feels shame for Turkey’s behavior. “Turkey highlights the issue of its own security, but creates serious threats for Armenia’s security by keeping the shared border closed. In this situation I admire the courageous and self-confident stance of Armenia. Your country has become a unique island in the region, which heroically survives,” Zarakolu said.
Zarakolu founded the Belge Publishing House with his wife Ayşenur in Istanbul in 1976, and has published a number of books on the harassment against national minorities in Turkey, as well as the Armenian Genocide. It has long been a focus of Turkish censorship. Charges brought against the couple resulted in imprisonment for both Ayşenur and Ragip Zarakolu, the wholesale confiscation and destruction of books, and the imposition of heavy fines. In 1995 the Belge Publishing House offices were firebombed by a far right group, forcing it to be housed in a cellar. Since his wife’s death in 2002, Zarakolu has continued to face prosecution.
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