Interview with famous Ukrainian political scientist Sergey Taran.
Q: The Kiev city Rada asks the Supreme Rada of Ukraine “to consider possible recognition of mass murder of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1992 as genocide”. Do you consider that the Supreme Rada of Ukraine can recognize fictional “Armenian genocide”?
A: It’s a little bit difficult to give an exact forecast on this issue. It is only possible to indicate the factors that can influence the adoption of a final decision. This is a destiny of the issue of Ukrainians genocide in 1933. Here, there are no analogies with the 1915 events in the Ottoman empire but there is Russia’s position which considers that there was no genocide of Ukrainians but there was holodomor that touched upon a number of other nations of former USSR. On the whole, I think the deputies of the Kiev city Rada that ask the Supreme Rada of Ukraine to consider the 1915 events in the Ottoman empire mostly even do not know what happened in the Ottoman empire 95 years ago. I say this because there are grounds to suppose that the decision in Supreme Rada will be taken considering political conjuncture, rather than the historical reality.
Q: On the whole, is Armenia right to ignore numerous proposals of the Turkish side to open all existing archives and empower the assessment of events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire to historians, rather than politicians?
A: The new world history has already witnessed the fact of recognition of the genocide of the Jewish people that promoted the creation of Israel as a state. This precedent has become an example for a number of people including Armenians. On the whole, it is incorrect to say that the issue of any event must be clarified only by politicians. It is also wrong to attribute this issue only to historians. There must be a serious discussion to start with the opinion of historians regarding it. In addition, it is terrible and undesirable when politicians start to speculate with historical issues. The agenda of the political day must be filled with other issues, mostly economic ones.
Q: You have earlier mentioned the importance of the current political conjuncture in Ukraine. What can you say about it?
A: The position of incumbent President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich is irrational. As the president of Ukraine, he must take into account the opinions, wishes and sentiments of the whole country, not just its part which voted for him during the recent elections. This policy will not influence Yanukovich’s presidency on the first stages but in the future it will affect it by all means. Let’s recall that previous Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko lost the recent elections because his policy was supported only by the western part of the country’s population. Therefore, it is possible to say that Yanukovich repeats Yushchenko’s mistake staking only on the eastern part of Ukraine. At the same time, it is also necessary to admit that following Russia’s direction in foreign policy, Ukraine does not lose ties with Europe. In particular, Yanukovich has rejected Ukraine’s membership in the customs union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, continuing to orient on Russia’s position regarding the unsettled territorial conflicts in the former USSR.
Q: Considering the aforementioned, which will be Ukraine’s policy on Azerbaijan under Yanukovich?
A: I think Viktor Yanukovich will continue the line of cordial, friendly, mutually profitable relations that was supported by the previous presidents of our country. Azerbaijan has always been a loyal, reliable and sincere ally of Ukraine. Probably, for some period of time Ukraine’s foreign policy will be pro-Russian, but it possible to state that in the nearest future our country will hold the same policy on the Caucasus that it has conducted in the past 20 years.
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