President Obama rounded off his first foreign trip today with a visit to Turkey, a critical stop for this young president. The President seeks to amend trust between our two countries, securing another ally and attempting to ease the Muslim’s world mistrust of the U.S. Basically, the Turkey trip is based more on encouraging diplomacy and settling historical grievances than actually getting a certain objective fulfilled, which needless to say can be just as important a trip where laws are being passed.
One of the key issues brought up during this visit was the killing of over 1 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire after World War 1. During the election campaign, President Obama stayed committed to a view that this mass murder should indeed be recognized as a “genocide”. To be certain this view gained him many American voters favor, who felt that not calling this event a true “genocide” was to undermine the great tragedy that took place. As can be imagined, the Presidents actual wording while in Turkey addressing this issue had to be absolutely perfect to amend both sides of the argument. Standing next to Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Obama declared that “I have not changed my views” on the issue. Without actually using the word “genocide”, President Obama made it crystal clear that his well-known views have not changed, and at the same time he didn’t offend the Turkish government hosting his visit. In his address to the Turkish parliament, President Obama further declared that “the best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian people is a process that works through the past in a way that is honest, open and constructive.”
All countries have a past, often ones filled with tragedy and corruption. The President said the right words to encourage progression and alliance between the U.S. and Turkey. At the same time, he did not undermine the significance of what happened in 1915. In all honesty, this visit could have been disastrous for our standing with a key Muslim country. However, I feel that President Obama did a great job of opening up the doors to a greater friendship.
