Highlights from the Epic of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols That Few Know About: Danielyan

On the eve of Independence Day, I would like to reflect on certain episodes from the epic of the Armenian-Turkish protocols that few are aware of. This was noted by constitutional expert and former member of the Constitutional Court, Gevorg Danielyan, on his Facebook page.

“Probably, many have not noticed that numerous responsible figures from great powers were present at the signing ceremony of the protocols, yet nobody, including the foreign ministers of the two states—Nalbandyan and Davutoğlu—deviated from the accepted protocol to make speeches. In his speech, Davutoğlu attempted to distort the protocols and link them in a way to neutralize the Armenian cause (in the form of a reconciliation commission composed of historians) and to present Artsakh within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. This had to be prevented, and it was prevented.

Unlike the current situation, where Erdoğan is already openly dictating conditions, even adding the issue of the Meghri corridor with a particular appetite, in those years, Erdoğan proposed those two prerequisites in a very cautious manner, using concealed editorial tricks. In this aspect, the Constitutional Court lived up to its responsibilities, as it recognized the protocols in accordance with the Constitution, stating an imperative legal position concerning the exclusion of the aforementioned two prerequisites, meaning that they are signed without any preconditions or predetermined outcomes.

Our applause and condemnation do not always have the right addressees, and this particular episode was no exception; after reading the decision, almost everyone, under the influence of inertia, unanimously shouted ‘shame.’ Meanwhile, the Turks read the Constitutional Court's decision more attentively and, accordingly, immediately froze the entire process of ratifying the protocols, which made them extremely vulnerable in front of the international community, as they fell into the pit they had dug for themselves.

It is natural that after this failure, the Turks would not rest, and the idea of a reconciliation commission composed of historians, unfortunately, seemed immensely attractive to some Armenian 'experts,' which led to various manifestations of it, including the supposedly joint development of textbook criteria, and so on. Well, everyone is already aware of these in detail and, unfortunately, is now facing them directly.

P.S. Thirty years ago, the movement succeeded because it was centered around the issue of Artsakh, people rallied, even chanting ‘Lenin, Party, Gorbachev,’ and the desire for independence was perceived as a pillar for resolving that same issue, rather than merely an independent idea,” wrote Danielyan.