Turkey can go ahead and ratify the protocols that have been signed between the Armenian and Turkish governments. The Turkish government could issue an apology for the unfortunate acts of the past that it was not responsible for, writes Dogu Ergil in his item in Today's Zaman.
Armenia and Turkey signed the "Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations" and the "Protocol on the development of bilateral relations" in Zurich on October 10. Following Turkey's unwillingness to ratify the protocols and attempts to link ratification with the Karabakh conflict made President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan sign a decree on suspension of the procedure of ratification of the Armenian -Turkish protocols. After the protocols were removed from agenda of the Turkish parliament in August 2011 as the term of the parliament of the previous convocation expired, in some two months they were returned to the agenda of the Turkish national assembly. However, the term of their ratification has not been determined yet.
Ergil thinks that Turks have 3 reasons not to recognize the Armenian Genocide: "1 -- As a matter of identity. They do not want to be recognized as the grandchildren of people who have been labeled criminals. 2 -- As a matter of the founding myth of the state. The fact that the Turkish state is built on extermination and assimilation of other peoples is a frustrating notion. 3 -- As a matter of enforcement that may entail criminal charges and retribution (in kind or liquid assets for property and businesses lost, as well as children left behind)." He writes that "Turkey has not developed any legal definition of the past (1915) events and there is no plausible explanation why Anatolia as a whole was depopulated of Armenians and that their losses were not compensated."
