Has the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide been completed?

Baku/08.06.23/Turan: A significant political statement made by Zare Sinanyan, the Chief Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs in Armenia, has largely gone unnoticed by Azerbaijan and the rest of the world. Sinanyan declared that the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide has been completed during his speech in the Armenian Parliament on May 31. He emphasized that the recognition of the genocide provides the Armenian people with moral consolation, but he also acknowledged that China has not recognized it while Russia and Western countries have taken appropriate measures.

However, Sinanyan faced immediate criticism from the Armenian diaspora in Russia, where he was labeled a "Nikolovsky scoundrel" and a bureaucrat without the right to make such statements. Despite the backlash, it is important to note that Sinanyan was appointed to his state position as prime minister and was twice elected by the Armenian people.

This statement by Sinanyan has broader implications. Previously, the recognition of the genocide was considered the first step in a logical chain of actions against Azerbaijan and Turkey when Presidents Sargsyan and Kocharyan were in power in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora. The subsequent stages involved suing Turkey for territories and property that were allegedly taken from Armenians in 1915. As Karabakh was occupied during the rule of Sargsyan and Kocharyan, no claims were made against Azerbaijan, as Armenians already had control over the region.

The final act of Armenian revenge was believed to be the seizure of a vast territory from Turkey based on the sole "arbitration" decision of American President Woodrow Wilson on November 22, 1920. According to the decision, the provinces of Van, Bitlis, Erzurum, and Trebizond, totaling 103,599 square kilometers, were to belong to the Armenian Republic. However, the Turkish National Assembly in Ankara refused to ratify this decision, rendering it impracticable through subsequent interstate treaties signed by Ataturk and Lenin.

In recent times, both national and international courts have rejected Armenian claims demanding the transfer of land and other property on Turkish territory. A 2019 case initiated by ethnic Armenians in the United States seeking reimbursement for "losses" incurred by their families during the events of 1915 resulted in the court rejecting their claims. The defense argued that an American court does not have the authority to make decisions on historical events, and the US government did not interfere in the proceedings.

Sinanyan's statement, along with the international policy pursued by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, reflects the failure of Armenia's plan to appropriate territories and property from Turkey and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's military victory in Karabakh in November 2020, exactly 100 years after Wilson's decision, played a crucial role in this outcome.

By announcing the end of the policy of international recognition of the genocide, Sinanyan made a significant statement. He emphasized that the fact of the genocide should be directly linked to the security of the Armenians who remain on their historical land. He also warned that the non-recognition of the genocide may lead to a new genocide in eastern Armenia. This position aligns with numerous speeches by Nikol Pashinyan.

It is worth noting that President  İlham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has repeatedly expressed readiness to protect the rights of ethnic  Armenians within the framework of the Azerbaijani Constitution.