BDP, ARF Hold High-Level Meeting in Istanbul

YEREVAN— A high-level meeting between delegations representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) of Turkey was held in Istanbul on Nov. 12. This was the first time since 1923 that an official ARF delegation visited Istanbul.

A scene from the meeting in Istanbul
A scene from the meeting in Istanbul

The BDP delegation was led by Nazmi Gür, head of BDP’s foreign relations committee and member of the Turkish Parliament, elected from Van. The ARF delegation was led by Mario Nalpatian, member of the ARF Bureau and vice-president of Socialist International.

The Istanbul meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue about the possibilities of Armenian-Kurdish cooperation, Western Armenia and Kurdistan, as well as the national and democratic aspirations of the Armenian and Kurdish nations.

A previous meeting was held on Oct. 29, in Washington, D.C., between delegations led by BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and ARF Bureau member Hagop Der Khatchadourian.

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7 Comments

  1. Hopefully not to commit the 1908 mistake.The one conducted between the Young Turk Ittihadist party and the ARF…
    Their tactics have not undergone any changes at all.In all fronts they still insist in “taking us in”.One thing is to be INTERNATIONALLY A SOCIALIST, another to become a fist *like in France,all political parties do,regardless their beliefs,whjen faced with international issues that may badly,adversely affect LA FRANCE!!!!
    Stick to that and we’ll travel,”ungers”.No ,I ‘m not a socialist unger Tashnag,respect them, and all armenian political parties, yes indeed.But on premise only ARMENIA,ARMENIANS FIRST AND FOREMOST!!!

  2. A request to all Hayortis,
    Go to panarmenian.com of today Nov.12 and read declaration of pres. of great Turkey Gul to Axeri counterpart…then reflect on what went on today at the Armenian National Assembly, when ¨¨Atta girl¨¨ Postandjian pled the Armenian parliament to recognize the Legitimacy of Artsakh-Nagornyi Karabagh.Only a few responded their consent,Armen Rustamyan,Pashinyan and another.The majpority kept silent…
    In light of above ref. to Gul/Aliev declaration…I ask you Hayorties isn´t it high time RA should immediately do so!!!!
    Also in Switzerland mr. DAvoutoghlou is as yet beating the same drum!
    She is a member of Raffi Hovhannisian´Heritage party.A brave woman.

  3. Well, it is turkey time again, and many diplomatic challenges for Armenia’s foreign policy, such as EU, CU talk, Turkey and EU talk, Turkey and Genocide, Turkey and Axeri talk….I wonder what kinds of new turkey stuffing The White House preparing for this Thanksgiving?? that is a puzzle ?? All I hope that Ahmad and Rajab, Baghis and Abdullah won’t fool and screw Serge and Edward’s head this time, as they did in 2009, where fake road map end up to nowhere!!

  4. Heard it too long, too much, that 1908 was just a trick, and Armenians got “sold” to it for very cheap. Yet, have you heard the saying that goes “beggars can”t be choosers”? What else could one do? Armenians had lost their war for centuries; weakened; outnumbered; out-powered; defenseless… And what else could you do? Choose Sultan Hamid over Talat & Enver? Choose Ittihad Ve Terrakeh over Tzarist Russia? Choose Lenin over Wilson? Who cared for us? Who cares for us? We saw them all: From Persian Shahs, to Arab Memluks, to Byzantine Emperors, to Sultan Fatihs & Hamids, to Tzarist as well as Bolshevik Russians, to brothers-in-faiths Georgians, to Stalins and Brezhnevs, to Wilsons through Obamas, to the French & the British…. Which of these were Armenophilic humanitarians? Enough calling the Armenians of 1908 immature: Tell me what options did they have? Trust in Sultan Hamid? Believe in Ittihad Ve Terrakeh? Czar Nicholas, Lenin, Stalin or Putin? WE ARE WEAK. WE ARE OUTNUMBERED. WE HAVE LOST LOOONG AGO. SCATTERED. But at least let’s not play party-politics; blame some party for “treason”. And if they were youthful & unexperienced, what better had the Armenian mind. In a nutshell, an Empire got partitioned; the peripheries in the Balkans, in Africa, in the Arabic Peninsula… were able to secede. BUT ARMENIANS WERE AT THE CORE!!!! They had no means to defend theirs. AND NOBODY STOOD FOR THE “FIRST CHRISTIAN NATION” : Neither the Czarist, nor the Communist, nor the Democrat or the Republican, nor the Papal, nor the German/French/British… Enough playing politics in our Armenian circles, and blaming each other for treason or failure… At least let’s honor those, who against all odds, DID NOT SELL THEIR SOULS!!! In a conceived republic called Turkey, Armenians simply had no place to stay, & no place to go!! Today is not much different too, other than a U.N. recognized Republic born on May 28, 1918. TO THEIR MEMORY, I HUMBLY KNEEL DOWN!!!

  5. Well Done ARF ! If we cannot force Turkey to recognize the Genocide by external pressure then we should be looking for friends who can help us from within.
    We need this recognition by Turkey not only for the sake of justice for the ones who perished during the genocide but also for the future of our country.

  6. To above two posts and continuing on mine.I never said(wrote)anything in opposition to such like MEETINGS!!!
    Just warned.I like GB´s joke like post of its again turkey time…
    If you read my first post above,especially,I only suspect the rat…
    otherwise,care much care to be taken to be more listening to what the Turkish side offers and contemplates,rather than express our demands.WE have set forth our ¨demands¨ lots of times and sorry to say ERRONEOUSLY…that of (may I remind all) Land ,always land!!!
    Whereas land is there(I´have said this before)it will not pull the disappearing act…We await to see outcome of Kurdish issue,then act.
    As to my ¨suggestions¨
    that no one seconds-I admire their negativeness and /or ignoring my suggestions-that of opting to prepare File and PRESENT IT AT VARIOUS COURTS OF JUSTICE(iNTERNATIONAL OF COURSE) FOR B L O O D M O N E Y .For …this has precedent and is much more easier to resolve.What´s more every one know Land is not given away, it is taken over,or like cases such as ours/kurds,when great Turkey is brought to respond at the Int´l courts,other instances and their response is rejected and sentence passed upon the,m as CULPRIT,then act (together this time with KURDS)
    Otherwise today (I roam into many sites) came upon Civilnet.am that yet another delegation of CIVILITAS IS IN ISTANBULLA to conduct such like negotiations with Turkish counterparts.
    Good luck to both and plenty of Cautiousness!!!!

  7. Gobble,gobble, time to serve the Turkey. While you’re talking to the Kurds, who have many mapped versions of the future Kurdistan, could you please ask them why there are several tiny areas INSIDE the present day borders of Armenia they’re claiming as part of their “homeland”? I noticed this on a couple of maps posted on YouTube.
    Also, some of them are claiming Mt Ararat and Lake Van, that’s not going to work either.
    Someone needs to sit down with a map and discuss these areas (and others) with them to avoid any future
    misunderstandings.
    The only thing Turks and Armenians can unanimously agree upon is that neither of us wants the Kurds for an enemy.

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