What Will Change If the President of Turkey Changes? Expert

The Armenian people, as a nation with statehood, should not be concerned about whether Turkey's political stance towards Armenia will change depending on the victory of a particular candidate. This was stated by Turkish expert Ruben Melikonyan during an interview with Sputnik Armenia, discussing the expectations of our society from the upcoming elections in neighboring Turkey.

“The most that could change as a result of the elections would not be Turkey's policy but rather its rhetoric and certain sentimental, procedural aspects. For example, Erdoğan will not visit Armenia, nor will he attend any events of the Armenian community in Istanbul, while Kılıçdaroğlu might, for instance, go to congratulate on Easter. However, the Armenians, as a statehood possessing people, should not be concerned about this and must understand that this is inherently anti-Armenian and develop their own approaches toward that state,” he emphasized.

The expert pointed out that in all of Turkey’s formulas—state, economic, and security—Armenia is considered an enemy country. For the Turkish public, Armenia is among the top three enemy countries; thus, regardless of who leads this state, the systemic values cannot change.

In this context, he urges the Armenian public, especially those anticipating Erdoğan's defeat, to reflect on several questions. “Is it possible for Turkey’s president to change and recognize the Armenian Genocide, acknowledge the independence of Artsakh, or for Turkey to accept that we have a historical memory of those territories that currently belong to Turkey, to change the Turkey-Azerbaijan strategic agreement, or to annul the Shushi declaration? Of course not, therefore whether it’s Erdoğan, Kılıçdaroğlu, or someone else, these crucial directions will not change,” Melikonyan noted, reminding that the attitude towards Armenians has not been more positive under any previous administration.

Moreover, in Turkish ideology, the term “Armenian” is considered a derogatory term. Previous and current presidents of Turkey have gone to court when referred to as Armenian, demanding compensation for damage to their honor.

“As it does not sweeten your mouth to say ‘halva’, the Turkish does not change just by saying ‘the Turk has changed’. The person with whom you (the government) want to establish peace does not come to you with a bouquet; they come with a 'Bayraktar'. You are not equal competitors,” the expert stated.

It should be noted that the second round of presidential elections in Turkey will take place on May 28. After the first round, the current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan secured 49.51% of the votes, while opposition