Turkey unfairly maligned for atrocities of former regime

Published: Saturday, May 13, 2006
Re: Turkey calls home diplomat after Harper marks Armenian genocide, May 6.
By Ronald Cleminson

Stephen Harper's support of the House of Commons and the Senate's motion acknowledging that a genocide took place in Armenia in 1915 is regrettable. His statement to that effect is as inappropriate as it is shortsighted.

The extensive fighting and atrocities that took place in the Balkans and in the Middle East between ethnic groups were not unique to the Armenians. They took place on all sides. Repressive actions undertaken by Turkey at that time were under the authority of the imperial and theocratic regime of the Ottoman Empire. That ruthless empire was subsequently dismantled by Kemal Ataturk and in its place he established the modern Turkish republic, of which he is a national hero. As a secular Islamic republic, Turkey is now a flourishing democracy and serves as a model for what other Islamic nations in the area might aspire to, given half a chance.

Mr. Cleminson shows an incredible lack of knowledge on what happened in the Ottoman Empire with regards to the Armenian minority. While admitting the ruthlessness of the "theocratic regime of the Ottoman Empire" he lauds Kemal Attaturk who after admitting the calamitous events against Armenians, for political expediency to increase his power base, included in his regime, members of the "theocratic regime of the Ottoman Empire". Some dismantling indeed. Kemal Ataturk continued the strong nationalistic policies under which not only Armenians but all other ethnic groups have suffered and are still suffering to this day. Can Turkey really wallpaper its past. Indeed not!

We should be aware that the Canadian Armenian community fostered a period of discontent in this country during which a terrorist attack was carried out on the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa and a security guard killed. Later, another terrorist attack succeeded in the assassination of the Turkish military attache on the streets of our nation's capital.

This is a most calculated and vicious attack on the Armenian Canadian community. Anyone who stereotypes a whole community for the acts of the misguided few owes an apology to the community. Although I had no hand in those misguided acts, I had expressed my disgust and apologized for them at every occasion. Why cannot Turkey do the same for the acts committed by the "theocratic regime of the Ottoman Empire"? This has everything to do with human rights and nothing to do with self interest or political expediency.

The modern republic of Turkey has been a friend and close ally of Canada for many years bilaterally and through our mutual association in NATO.

During the Cold War, Turkey took on many additional risks for the alliance as the only NATO country that bordered on the Soviet Union. The Turks stood up to great pressure as they administered transit in the Dardanelles -- the Mediterranean gateway to the Black Sea.

In the first Gulf War, Turkey was an indispensable member of the U.S.-led coalition. Turkey's stalwart defence of the principles of freedom is worthy of recognition, particularly when, as a result, it was faced with internal strife.

Today, Turkey is a modern Islamic nation in a geopolitically strategic area. It remains a solid supporter of western values. It is one of the few Middle Eastern countries that share political and defence ties with Israel. Let's not, for purposes of political expediency, take pot-shots at this valued NATO ally.

All the above are indeed true but also not relevant. Mr. Ronald Cleminson knows it very well. Political arguments like his created the Rwandan genocide and now are causing the Darfur genocide. It is the human rights advocates and not diplomats who have carried the torch against the repeated occurrences of genocides. I think it is about time that diplomats learn this lesson from the human right activists.

Ronald Cleminson,

Ottawa

Mr. Cleminson has been a Canadian diplomat and member of the UN Special Commission in Iraq.


Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.