“I officially invite the Turkish President, whoever will win the upcoming elections, to visit Armenia on April 24, 2015 and to face the vocal evidences of the history of the Armenian Genocide.” Such an invitation was sent by the President Serzh Sargsyan to the President of Turkey. In the conversation with Aravot.am, to our question what this invitation will suggest, and whether the Turkish President accept the invitation, the expert on political and electoral technologies Armen Badalyan responded, “I cannot say whether the President of Turkey will come or not, it would be a prophecy. However, this invitation will provide quite a good PR campaign to the President of Armenia to hold and use the genocide for facing the international mass media. As you know, after September 3, the President of Armenia is an ignored person by the West. After September 3, so to say, there had been no serious official visiting Armenia from the West. We cannot bring the example of the French president because he had not visited Armenia, but the South Caucasus, including Armenia. After September 3, when Armenia announces about its accession to the Customs Union, there had been no high-ranking official mainly from the West visiting Armenia.
If the Turkish President accepts the invitation and visits Armenia, it, of course, will provide a good reason for information at the international level and, in fact, the ignoring process towards the President of Armenia will be closed. Thus, this invitation is just a PR. Because if someone really wants to show by actions that Genocide had not caused damage to our people, we are standing still, then he should have strengthened Armenia in previous years so that, only by official data, 300 thousand people would not have left the country, that small and medium-sized businesses were not shut down, etc. It should be politically free and independent country, a country that has its place in the global political turmoil. Since it has not happened, this invitation really will be just a PR at the international level.” Many people cherish great hopes with the 100th anniversary thinking that the United States will recognize the Armenian Genocide. To our question of whether we should, so to speak, cherish a hope with this “round figure”, Armen Badalyan replied, “No need, because you can use any factor, including the genocide factor. Of course, it’s a tragedy, using it is not right, but, nevertheless, it is possible to use it in the foreign policy agenda, but only if you are an independent country and have some political weight. But if you actually are not an independent country, you have a quite obscure foreign policy, then using the issue of this genocide will not giving anything to you. In Armenia, as well as in some Diaspora communities, may be the role of the 100th anniversary of Genocide is severely overestimated. Under these conditions, it will not have the weight that might have. It would be just a parade of events.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
