Setting down the parameters

Published: Thursday September 24, 2009

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One of the major concerns about the agreement on bilateral relations negotiated between Armenia and Turkey is that it envisions an intergovernmental commission with a sub-commission "on the historical dimension." The concern is that the sub-commission will be asked directly or indirectly to determine whether the events of 1915–17 or 1915–23 constituted genocide. If the governments of Turkey and Armenia asked a commission to make such a determination, the government of Armenia would give credence to the untrue Turkish position that the answer to the question is unknown.

President Serge Sargsian has stated unambiguously that Armenia would never agree to question the truth of the Armenian Genocide. In so saying, the president is reflecting the collective will of the entire Armenian people. It is now essential for that position to be formalized.

This page has proposed that in Armenia's National Assembly, the resolution on ratifying the protocols include a provision stating that policy. We still believe this is the best course of action, one that can garner the support of the entire National Assembly. The leadership of the parliament, acting on the president's recommendation, could include such a provision in the resolution. It need not come as an amendment.

The effect of the provision -in some ways similar to presidential signing statements often attached to bills signed by the president of the United States - would be to remove any doubt about the terms of Armenia's participation in the intergovernmental commission. It is essential for all to understand that the establishment of bilateral relations is all about moving forward and maintaining peace, not about rewriting history.