armeno-turkish dialogue

Over the past decade, new communication has emerged between Armenians and Turks, who previously had been prevented from honestly discussing their relations by Turkey's monolithic denial of the Armenian Genocide. Meanwhile, US state policy views the total impasse of Armeno-Turkish relations as a hindrance to integrating its sphere of influence in Transcaucasia and Central Asia, as it seeks to cultivate an East-West corridor from Turkey to the Caspian Sea and beyond--a design that effectively would cut off Russia from Iran. Through initiatives like the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission, the US brought together selected Armenian and Turkish figures, who side-stepped the controversy of the Armenian Genocide and offered an illusion of dialogue and good-neighborliness for external consumption, particularly as Turkey seeks to polish its image as it prepares for possible admission to the EU.

This effort has sought to force reconciliation "from the top" through a false dialogue between individuals representing political and economic elites on both sides – including several active members of the Turkish “deep state.” Other Armenians and Turks, e.g. historians, scholars, opinion makers, and human rights activists, who share a critical perspective of history and a progressive political vision, have begun to engage in a more authentic dialogue, which doesn’t preclude highly charged topics like reparations and self-determination.

This panel will examine the potential for expanding the scope of genuine dialogue to include grass roots civil society forces such as political and community activists on both sides of the Armeno-Turkish divide. It will explore the possibility of establishing links and alliances between individuals, organizations and political movements that share a common progressive outlook. Can one expect “genuine” leftists in both societies to arrive at a fundamentally identical understanding of social and historical justice and, by extension, of the Armenian Cause? To what extent is Kemalist ideology, as embodied in the Turkish “deep state,” the common adversary? Is there a need for a progressive understanding or reevaluation of the Armenian Cause? And finally, what do progressive political forces on both sides need to do in order to increase the influence of their voices within their respective communities?