BY ERDAL SAFAK
SABAH - Another April 24 is now finally at hand, but I believe it will be the calmest one yet, aside from a few unimportant incidents. More importantly, the possibility of the US recognizing the genocide claims, which has been hanging like a sword of Damocles each year and turned into an immediate threat after Barack Obama was elected president, is off the table, after Turkey and Armenia stated that they agreed to a road map towards normalized relations.
(A footnote: Where and when was it decided to make April 24 the day for commemorating the Armenian genocide claims? In Istanbul in March 1919. At that time, a 13-member committee of prominent Armenian figures in Istanbul was established. The committee adopted April 11 as the day of 'Tears and Commemoration of Genocide Victims.' April 11 on the old Julian Calendar is April 24 on the Gregorian Calendar. All the Armenian shops and schools in Istanbul were closed and ceremonies were held at churches on the first commemoration in 1919. Later, April 24 activities were spread all over in the world through the efforts of the diaspora. In short, April 24 was born in Istanbul in 1919, when Ataturk was getting ready to go to Anatolia).
Returning to our main issue, the risk of the US recognizing the claims has fallen greatly. The issue was even suspended until a proposed committee of Turkish, Armenian and other historians reaches a conclusion. This is a very important development. Yes, genocide claims have been recognized by more than 20 countries so far, but if the US did so, this would carry more weight. In other words, Turkey wouldn't be able to brush this off by a standard reaction such as recalling its ambassador for a short period of time, and it would cause irreparable rifts in bilateral relations.
Former Turkish President Ismet Inonu's prediction in a 1963 letter to US President Lyndon Johnson of a new world in which Turkey would take its place could become true. After the sword of Damocles' removal, a potential danger in Turkish-US relations and one of two great hurdles to normalized Turkish-Armenian relations (the other is Nagorno-Karabakh) has been ended, laying the basis for a calm and healthy discussion of the Armenian claims (more precisely, the diaspora claims).
All the parties should make good use of this, because unless this problem is completely solved, normalized Turkish-Armenian relations will bring nothing but a cold peace. But the two sides need to have a lively friendship for the Turkish and Armenian peoples and in order to bring peace and stability to the Caucasus.