Questions linger over Swiss assurance for normalization talks

A top Turkish diplomat will travel to Switzerland to seek support against an Armenian court ruling that Ankara says threatens the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia. Questions linger over his efforts, however, because Bern considers it a crime to deny the Armenian “genocide.”

Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the Foreign Ministry undersecretary, will seek assurances from Swiss authorities that Armenia’s constitutional court will not legally prevent discussion of the validity of Armenian “genocide” claims by a historians’ commission that will be established as part of the Turkish-Armenian deal.

Sinirlioğlu's visit will also take place just a few days before a final verdict is issued for three Turks who were found guilty of denying genocide claims, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has learned.

After months of Swiss-mediation and U.S. encouragement, Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols in October to establish diplomatic ties and reopen their shared border. It was a historic step toward ending decades of hostility due to World War I-era killings of Armenians.

But the process hit the rocks after the Armenian court upheld the legality of the protocols, but underlined that they could not contradict Yerevan's official position that the Armenian mass killings during the late days of the Ottoman Empire constituted “genocide.”

Sinirlioğlu will visit Switzerland and the United States “to express our concern” over last month’s ruling, Foreign Ministry's spokesman Burak Özügergin told reporters Wednesday.

The Armenian court said the interpretation and application of the protocols should be in compliance with the Armenian Declaration of Independence, which states: “The Republic of Armenia stands in support of the task of achieving international recognition of the 1915 Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia.”

The protocols noted the parties’ agreement to launch a dialogue process, including the formation of a committee of historians, to handle historical issues. If the Armenians continue to consider the events of 1915 as an undisputable “genocide,” in the Turkish view, the court’s verdict in effect renders the historians’ work obsolete.

Following the decision, Turkey asked Switzerland and the United States for clarification, the Daily News learned from official sources. Both said the decision would not hamper the commission’s discussions but refused to give an assurance in writing, according to diplomatic sources.

Sinirlioğlu will try to convince Swiss authorities at talks in Bern on Friday to give a binding assurance that the historians’ commission will work without any prejudice about the final outcome. This could prove difficult, however, because denial of the Armenian “genocide” is a crime according to Swiss law.

The decision to outlaw denying the Armenian “genocide” carries the signature of Switzerland's Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, who held a different ministerial post in 1998 when the denial amendment was passed. Calmy-Rey, however, has played a key role in Turkish-Armenian normalization talks, including the decision to create a commission to discuss “historical issues.”

Meanwhile, a final verdict is expected Feb. 9 on an appeal from three Turks found guilty of denying Armenian genocide claims. Turkish politician Doğu Perinçek was the first Turkish citizen to be found guilty by the Swiss court. He is also among the suspects in the trial of an alleged gang called Ergenekon that is suspected of seeking to topple the government by staging a coup.

/Hurriyet Daily News/