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Dear Readers, the 75th issue of the "Ermeni Araştırmaları" journal contains one editorial, four research articles and a book review.
In the editorial titled "Olaylar ve Yorumlar" ("Facts and Comments"), Ambassador (R) Alev Kılıç reviews the internal developments in Armenia between November 2023 and May 2024, the foreign dynamics, developments in the Peace Agreement process with Azerbaijan, the Türkiye-Armenia relations, the course of the normalisation process and other subjects. During this process, which took place in a time frame that can be considered a breaking or turning point in terms of the acts put into motion both in Armenia's domestic and foreign policy, the steps taken by Pashinyan Administration to break some established taboos are discussed. Attempts to make changes or amends in the Constitution, the national emblem, the national hymn and symbols, the school curriculum, and the genocide narrative have evoked internal reactions from former government partisans, extreme nationalists and, most importantly, the Church. Moreover, these attempts have also raised eyebrows abroad. Militant organizations of the Armenian Diaspora who perceive their survival and livelihood in provoking radical and militant nationalism, as well as third party states wishing to utilise this situation as a means to put political pressure on Türkiye have also responded to the initiatives in question. On the other hand, Christian fundamentalism that appeared in the West has endeavored to project Armenians as a symbol of Christian solidarity, thus to base assistance to Armenia on ideological grounds. Some states, allowing the tail to wag the dog, have seen political advantages in fulfilling these initiatives and demands. Kılıç evaluates all these developments.
In our 75th issue, the first research article is Murat Jane's work titled ""Küçük Devlet" Kavramı Bağlamında Ermenistan’ın Trans-Kafkasya Politikasının Analizi (1991-2020)" ("Analysis of Armenia's Trans-Caucasian Policy in the Context of the "Small State" Concept (1991-2020)"). In his article, Jane analyzes the concept of small state, Armenia's foreign policy, and the outlines of Armenia's relations with the Trans-Caucasian states. Within the framework of the general and abstract information provided in the study, Armenia's Trans-Caucasus policy between 1991-2020, considering its goal-means imbalance and small state character, is evaluated.
The second article is Serap Bozpolat Ayan's work titled "Osmanlı Sivası’nda Ermeni Mektepleri" ("Armenian Schools in Ottoman Sivas"). In this study, Bozpolat Ayan examines the educational activities of Sivas Armenians by utilising all of the archival material available for use related to the Armenian schools in Sivas. The study focuses on the educational life of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, the state's stance regarding these educational activities and how these activities affected the relations between Armenians and other factors.
Issue 75's third article is Ebru Çoban Öztürk's work titled "Çatışma Çözümü, Uzlaşma ve Diasporanın Rolü Açısından Türkiye-Ermenistan İlişkileri" ("Türkiye-Armenia Relations in terms of Conflict Resolution, Reconciliation and the Role of Diaspora"). In her article, Çoban Öztürk examines reconciliation approaches, the reconciliation model that can be applied in the neighborhood of the three states, the role of the diaspora and its impact on reconciliation approaches.
The fourth research article is Gözde Kılıç Yaşın's work titled "Ermenistan’ın Anayasa Değişikliği İhtiyacı ve Bölge Dinamikleri" (Armenia's Need for Constitutional Amendment and Regional Dynamics). In this article, Kılıç Yaşın comments on Armenia's constitutional transformation process and evaluates its effects on the new Constitution. The author views the decisions of the Armenian Constitutional Court based on the Declaration of Independence and analyzes the impact of the Declaration on Armenia's development and its intention to develop good relations with its neighbors.
In our 75th issue, there is a book review. Ahmet Can Öktem evaluates the book titled "“Bir Ermeni Teröristin İtirafları" (The Legacy: Memoirs of An Armenian Patriot).
You can access our journal here.
Have a nice read.
