Last week, in criticizing the HDP, Turkey Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu said: “They are collaborating with Russia, just like the Armenian gangs. They are going and opening a representation in Moscow”.
This statement of the Turkish PM sent a new wave of negative vibes not only to Kurds but also to Armenians. That statement hardly provoked a challenge in anyone’s mind since it was neither the first time nor certainly the last time that a member of a ruling elite in Turkey, in this case, the head of the government, continued the good-old tradition of using clichés and the language of the Kemalist historiographical school. The AKP, which somehow overhauled the Kemalist legacy, keeps embracing the old historiography. As a result, heads of the Turkish state and government, various ministers, top and minor government officials, local officials keep using racist and xenophobic language. The PM’s comment had three layers the HDP/the Kurdish problem, Russia and the Armenians, hence, each of them will be addressed below.

It is now exceedingly doubtful whether the Turkish government grasps the complexity of the situation that they have created in the past few years. With unflinching determination, the Turkish PM and the president complicated things beyond repair. The engrossing questions that Turkey is facing keep exacerbating. Dehumanization and a chronic distrust towards “eternal others” keep shaping the backbone of the Turkish politics. Tracing the hands of Moscow, Brussels, Washington, Yerevan in the past and current troubles re-attests the prevailing narrow-minded approach that guided the Young Turks’ and Kemalist thinking for decades. That attitude certainly did not help to transform the fundamental problems that Turkey had for decades.

Instead of addressing the root causes of the Kurdish and Armenian problems the Turkish government keeps displaying unceasing suspicion towards everything that Kurds and Armenians do. Blind prejudices keep guiding the Turkish politics towards anything related to them. As a result, the policy options and implementation strategies are hopelessly detached from the premises. Instead of finding solutions to the domestic and foreign pressing problems, the Turkish government keeps breaching the confidence of the “eternal others” and alienating them even further. In this regard, one thing should be made clear. The AK party should accept the HDP with utmost seriousness as it amplifies the voices of millions of people. A mere ignorance of the HDP and the movement behind it is like skating over thin ice. Silencing the HDP and accusing it of all possible sins would make it only stronger.

Instead of changing the tactics and solving its own Kurdish problem the Turkish government has received a few new ones on its border. Destructive radicalism dominating in the region have expanded the spectrum of security for Turkey. Instead of handling problems skillfully, the Turkish government pursues aggressive policies. A crisis of unparalleled proportions is unfolding around and in Turkey, which the latter refuses to acknowledge. Resorting to inane behavior and blame-game would not solve the deep-rooted problems of Turkey.

Myriad of circumstances shape the Turkish policy towards Armenia and the Armenian nation. Some of them reflect geopolitics, some history, while others are conditioned upon poor judgment and reflect injured psyche. Instead of distorting the history and quoting much criticized and groundless ideas, the leaders of Turkey should display exceptional qualifications and vision. Statements like this do no favor to anyone. The Turkish government should acknowledge, that “he who proves too much proves nothing”. Negative statements in a negative atmosphere of mutual distrust nourish only more reluctance and misgivings.

Another important dimension of PM’s comment has to do with the fact of how Turkey is repackaging its criticism and apathy towards Russia. Last December, the Turkish government had the chance to criticize the HDP for its visit to Moscow in the height of tensions between Moscow and Ankara. Last time it failed to see that the HDP was interested in developing its relations not only with Russia, but also with Iran and China. The Turkish government revealed its increasing sense of displeasure with the growing foreign recognition of the HDP. This time again, by criticizing the HDP and by recalling Armenians, the Turkish government condemned Russia in no uncertain terms. The latter is unequivocally accused of supporting the HDP through allegedly the same methods as during the last century. It is not the first time either the Turkey accuses Russia of supporting the Kurds. It happened time and again in the past and now history repeats. These statements go contrary to other claims of the Turkish government emphasizing the need to normalize the relations with Russia.

The reaction of Demirtaş to the PM’s statement was not only clear and concise, but also reflected the policy that the HDP has been pursing for quite some time now. Since 2007, the Kurdish parties keep discussing the question of the Armenian Genocide in the Turkish Parliament. Being in the parliament the HDP is poised to raise the question more often than before. Moreover, Garo Paylan, a key member of the HDP with Armenian roots, was elected to the parliament during last elections. It implies that the HDP now views Armenians in Turkey as it constituency too. Paylan and Seline Doğan, another Armenian MP from the CHP, started to raise questions concerning the long-forgotten problems of minority in Turkey.

There are all the indications to claim that the Turkish government has lost the sight and is in the edge of sinking all the efforts beyond hope of salvage. Upholding the “finest” traditions would not take Turkish current government too far. Instead, it should seek an arrangement by reviving the process of drafting the new constitution. It was one of these rare bonds that kept the AKP relevant to the country’s problems. Although the previous efforts of drafting a new charter did not seem to have made much of a difference, the AKP can revisit its tactics and accommodate some reformist demands. The alternative to it would be infinite postponing if the arrival of the fourth republic with all the unpredictable scenarios attached to it. As a way out and as impossible as it may sound, the AKP should contemplate of either forming a coalition with the HDP or call new parliamentary elections.

Vahram Ter-Matevosyan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the National Academy of Sciences.

This views are his own.