ellspacing="0" ce�ÿî:CAN TURKEY USE DINK TRAGEDY TO OPEN DIALOGUE WITH ARMENIA?n

The tragic and devastating 1999 earthquake that hit western parts of Turkey, killing thousands of people, which was followed by a relatively minor earthquake in neighboring Greece brought the two countries closer in what was dubbed "earthquake diplomacy." Though deep rooted sovereignty disputes in the Aegean Sea and over Cyprus continue to deter complete normalization of relations between NATO members Turkey and Greece, at least we are witnessing more mature relations between both the military and the political leaders of the two countries.

©itical leaders of the two countries. It was the 1999 earthquake tragedy that paved the way for opening a dialogue between Ankara and Athens.

Now is it possible for Turkey and Armenia to open a dialogue, moving up from the existing undersecretariat levels to, for example, ministerial levels, following the tragic murder of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in January?

The Turkish people have already helped to create a positive image by displaying their disgust with the murder when hundreds of thousands attended his funeral, strongly protesting his slaying and carrying placards in many cities of the country condemning this ethnic violence.  

However, we have not yet seen the reflection of the Turkish people's outcry against the Dink murder at the official level, a reflection which could be demonstrated, for example, by opening a high level dialogue between the two neighbors in an attempt to make something positive out of  the tragedy of Hrant's slaying. Perhaps we may see some gestures on both sides following the end of the 40 days of mourning for Hrant Dink. Who knows? The 40-day mourning period for Dink will come to an end soon. But we may also soon see the adoption of an Armenian genocide resolution by the Democrat Party-dominated Congress, carrying the potential of inflicting another blow on relations between Turkey and the USA. The two NATO allies have had to heal the wounds of the Turkish rejection of a decree in March 2003 that did not allow the opening of a second front for US troops invading Iraq from the north through Turkey.

Turkey denies allegations of genocide while urging Armenia to sit at a table and discuss the issue with Turkish historians. But the balance in both the US Senate and the House of Representatives has changed in favour of the Democrats following the November mid-term elections last year, increasing prospects for the adoption of the so-called Armenian genocide bill by US lawmakers.

Turkey recognized Armenia together with all the other states of the Caucusus and Central Asia that declared independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, Turkey has not yet resumed diplomatic ties with this country due to Yerevan's ongoing claims over some parts of the Turkish territory, as well as Armenia's participation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, with whom Turkey attaches special importance in relations. Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian-dominated enclave officially located within Azerbajian and had been the scene of fierce clashes between Yerevan and Baku until a ceasefire was announced in May 1994.

Though at the moment there are several thousand Armenian workers based in Turkey and charter flights are flying between Yerevan and ?stanbul, because of the above mentioned disputes the Turkish-Armenian borders remain closed, standing as one of the main factors preventing humane interaction between the two neighbors.
Despite the Turkish constraints on opening a tangible dialogue with Armenia, the Turkish-Greek rapprochement following the tragic 1999 earthquake could set an example for both Ankara and Yerevan to start a high level dialogue. After all, Turkish-Greek "earthquake diplomacy" has not yet contributed to the resolution of deep-rooted disputes but at least helped both countries to solve disputes through dialogue rather than threats.

If we could not prevent Dink's murder then we must develop our capacities and, despite this tragedy, open a dialogue with Armenia. Equally, Armenia should act sincerely in improving ties with Turkey that would benefit the peoples of both countries.