(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in Armenia think their country should not establish ties with neighbouring Turkey, according to a poll by the Armenian Sociological Association. 52 per cent of respondents oppose relations with Turkey, while 39 per cent support them.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in Armenia think their country should not establish ties with neighbouring Turkey, according to a poll by the Armenian Sociological Association. 52 per cent of respondents oppose relations with Turkey, while 39 per cent support them.
The recent history of Turkey’s neighbour is deeply marked by the deaths of thousands of Armenians in 1915 following an order by the government of the Ottoman Empire—formed by members of the Turkish nationalist Committee of Union and Progress (ITC)—urging thousands of Armenians to relocate from the Caucasus to the deserts of Syria and Mesopotamia.
The state-sponsored deportation campaign led to a high number of fatalities, estimated at anywhere from 200,000 to 1.8 million. While some scholars believe the campaign was a deliberate attempt to exterminate Armenians, Turkey has never formally accepted the use of the term "genocide" to describe the event. Relations between the two countries remain tense to this day because of it.
Currently, many adults in Armenia believe their border with Turkey should not be reopened unless there is an official acknowledgement of the genocide.
On Oct. 10, Armenian foreign minister Edouard Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, signed an agreement in Zurich, Switzerland, calling for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.
The legislatures of both countries have to ratify the pact—which includes opening the border and establishing diplomatic relations—before it can be implemented. The agreement also calls for setting up an independent commission of historians to examine the genocide issue.
Just before the signing ceremony on Oct. 10, Armenian president Serge Sarkisian declared: "Any relations with Turkey cannot call into question that genocide was committed against the Armenian people. This should be recognized and condemned by humankind."
Polling Data
Do you support or oppose a deal to establish ties with Turkey?
|
Support |
39% |
|
Oppose |
52% |
Source: Armenian Sociological Association
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Armenian adults, conducted from Sept. 21 to Sept. 25, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
