The moment Turkey stopped being a friend of the West
On 19 April 2005, in the capital city of Poland, Warsaw, the Polish Sejm (Lower House), officially passed a solution. This solution was abnormal because it laid a historic and important ground for not just Poland's political stance, but also it greatly affected Poland's relations with another country that historically been one of Poland's biggest protectors.
Yes, on that night, a cool night in the Polish capital, the Polish Sejm Marshal, Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, issued an official recognition.
And this, by the moment, Turkey started to change. This move by the Polish government triggered widespread nationwide criticism in Turkey. And more.
On 19 April 2005, Poland officially became the 17th country, to recognise the Armenian Genocide. And this is also when Turkey will never be the same again.
A complicated tie
Turkey and Poland have unique relations with each other. In the past, the Ottoman Empire clashed frequently with the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania. The Polish-Lithuanian leadership had proven to be a capable opponent, inflicting heavy casualties on the Ottoman forces. Still, the Ottoman Empire, being one of the world's most formidable in the 17th century, managed to capture several parts of the Polish territory. The Ottoman Empire however failed to defeat the Poles and turned its attention to Western Europe.
By then, the city of Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire, was the target. Mehmed IV, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, authorised the conquest of Vienna and ordered Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha to invade Austria. It could not come at a better time for the Turks: the Austrian Empire was under rebellions when the Hungarian Protestant forces led by Imre Thokoly wanted Hungary to be independent of the Austrian Emperor Leopold I, partly because of Leopold's Catholic faith. Thus the Albanian-born Pasha invaded Austria.
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| Albanian-born Ottoman Pasha Kara Mustafa Pasha. |
Immediately aftermath, the Austrians startled by the massive Ottoman advance and called for help from the other European nations. Poland was one of the countries that replied. After sending troops, the Polish army, led by John Sobieski III, who is regarded as the last great King of Poland, overrode the Hungarian rebels by lavish gifts and military prowess, before marching to Vienna amassing with the Christian allies. The Ottoman Empire was not prepared to see Sobieski's thunderbolt: the Winged Hussars, a famed shock troops in medieval Europe. And this led to the defeat of the Ottomans, with Kara Mustafa Pasha himself executed in Belgrade following the humiliating loss.
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| Winged Hussars charging on Ottoman line. |
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| John Sobieski III, King of Poland (1674-1696), the mastermind behind the Christian victory in Vienna. |
Where is the deputy of Lechistan?
The Ottoman chef de protocol replied politely, much in the annoyance of Russian, Prussian and Austrian officials,
Your Excellency, the deputy of Lehistan could not make it because of vital impediments.
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| Procession of Piotr Potocki, the last envoy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Istanbul in 1790. |
It became like a tradition of trolling the Russian, Austrian and Prussian (later German) governments. This continued under every Ottoman Sultans as a reminder that the Ottomans never accepted the partitions of Poland. This was appreciated by the Poles, and the Ottoman Empire throughout 19th century until its demise in 1922, maintained the strongest ally of Polish independent fighters. Adam Mickiewicz, one of the greatest Polish bards, assembled an army trying to fight against the Russians when the Crimean War broke out but died before it was realised. Michaj Czajkowski and Jozef Bem, two Polish national heroes, later converted to Islam and became Sadyk Pasha and Murad Pasha, organised anti-Russian and anti-Austrian rebellions with Turkish supports. The act of defiance by the Poles could not be done if not for Turkish generosity. The Ottoman government also demonstrated by keeping the key of the Polish embassy closed in Istanbul in wake of potential Polish resurrection. The embassy was forbidden to locals, with only a few permitted to intact, as a way to show respect for Poland.
The Turks held the promise.
In 1918, shortly after the end of World War I, the newly established Polish Republic was reborn and the Polish delegation, on its trip to Istanbul, found that the Turkish officials were eager to give back the key of the closed embassy. It was never damaged at all. Further demonstrating the long-standing friendship, Turkey recognised Poland in 1919, the first country from outside Europe and the second to do so. Italy was the first inland European nation as well as the first in the world to do this a year earlier. In response to this support, Poland was the first country in Europe to recognise the new Turkish Republic in 1922.
In Turkey there was also a Polish settler town, called Polonezkoy. The town was founded by former Russian Foreign Minister turned Polish revolutionary Adam Jerzy Czartoryski in 1842. The Turks mostly permitted the town to work and run as a Polish government-in-exile community when Poland was partitioned. It still exists today, a symbol of Polish-Turkish relations. Some of Turkey's finest contemporary figures had Polish descent, like Nazim Hikmet and Leyla Gencer.
But I didn't place "complicated" for nonsense. It all had reasons. And one of them is the Armenian Genocide.
The genocide unfolded by a Pole
The Ottoman Empire headed to the 20th century with a stagnating economy that was on the verge of collapse. With such a situation, the Ottomans decided to enter an alliance with German Empire, one of the three nations that partitioned Poland before. Alliance with Germany was necessary because the Turkish officials wanted to learn from the successful German economic renovation. Thereafter, Turkey allied itself with the Austrians, in a bid to rebuild the empire's declining power.
Unfortunately, early 20th century was an era of intense nationalism. First introduced by the French, it was soon becoming a central pillar in European state-building. The Ottoman Empire wasn't different.
Yet, the Ottoman Empire was having a difficult situation. Unlike Germany and Austria, Turkey was an Islamic state ruled under a Caliph. This was instrumental for any eventual anti-Ottoman rebellions. The empire had long struggled to deal with the Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian and Serbian unrests, and now they could face potential unrests from the Armenian and Assyrian minorities. Not even Muslims having full loyalty, like the Kurds and Arabs.
Back in 1909, an Austrian military attaché arrived in Istanbul. His name was Jozef Pomiankowski. But his name was nothing Germanic - it was a clear Polish name. And just like many Polish chief figures, he held the Turks with high regard, not just because it was also one of few nations to not acknowledge the partitions of Poland, but also because of its bravery. However, Pomiankowski criticised the Ottomans for allowing religious interference in the military.
Yet that wasn't something Pomiankowski founded. In fact, the Polish-born Marshal later documented something more gruesome: the Ottoman Empire, then under the hand of Three Pashas (Talaat, Djemal, Enver), planned for the complete extermination of non-Muslims in the empire back in 1909. This was later reinforced when Talaat Pasha, the future instigator of the atrocity, spoke to a Danish scholar named Johannes Ostrup in 1910,
You see, between us and this people there is an incompatibility which cannot be solved in a peaceful manner; either they will completely undermine us, or we will have to annihilate them. If I ever come to power in this country, I will use all my might to exterminate the Armenians.
These words matched what Pomiankowski had feared.
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| Jozef Pomiankowski in his Austrian military uniform. |
"Extermination". Mark the word. Jozef Pomiankowski had experienced and understood the Ottoman structure of command ever since he first moved to Istanbul in 1909. He warned that the Ottoman Empire could be sliding into the road of self-destruction, but was unable to prevent the Three Pashas from later bringing Turkey into the wrong side of the war.
It did.
In 1915, 24 April, the Ottoman Empire began to arrest Armenian intellectuals across Istanbul, which was the sign of the beginning of the genocide. It soon reached the ears of Pomiankowski, and he stood up condemning the move, after hearing and seeing eyes on eyes about the violence, starvation and mass murders committed by Ottoman troops on Armenians. Yet his effort to plea the Ottoman authorities and German-Austrian intervention fell deaf. Probably, his Polish ethnicity was something that noticed by the German and Austrian officials, and Polish sense of solidarity with Armenians could trigger similar unrest among Polish battalions fighting in the east, as Poles also suffered oppression from Germany and Austria.
Not giving up, he tried to smuggle information to various neutral sources, notably American missionaries, as well as an open encounter with Henry Morgenthau, then American ambassador to Istanbul. He defended the German counterparts when American ambassador blamed the Germans for being complicit, justifying that the Germans did not exercise enough power to deal with such atrocities and expressed willingness to cooperate. Pomiankowski's work was priceless because it championed the Armenian plight during this difficult time when the Ottoman Empire censored news about the genocide. When he returned home in 1918, he helped the Polish compatriots to revolt against Austria and Germany, laying ground for the foundation of the second republic. Soon after the rebirth of Poland, he wrote a memoir in German about the Ottoman Empire in its last days, including information on the Armenian Genocide.
Unsurprisingly, Adolf Hitler, who perpetrated the Holocaust and Polish genocide in World War II, was inspired by the massacre, in his Obersalzberg speech,
Our strength consists in our speed and in our brutality. Genghis Khan led millions of women and children to slaughter – with premeditation and a happy heart. History sees in him solely the founder of a state. It's a matter of indifference to me what a weak western European civilization will say about me. I have issued the command – and I'll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad – that our war aim does not consist in reaching certain lines, but in the physical destruction of the enemy. Accordingly, I have placed my death-head formation in readiness – for the present only in the East – with orders to them to send to death mercilessly and without compassion, men, women, and children of Polish derivation and language. Only thus shall we gain the living space (Lebensraum) which we need. Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?
Frankly, the collective efforts by Pomiankowski didn't end uselessly. In 1943, Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the word "genocide" for the first time, watching the horror left behind of the Armenian people as a key motivation. Further Soviet occupation had also allowed Poles to be exposed to greater awareness of the Armenian race and the Armenian genocide, as Armenia was part of USSR and the Soviets wanted to use the Armenian genocide as a tool to pressure Turkey, a NATO member. Even when the Poles successfully removed Soviet occupants from the country in 1989, the memory of Armenian genocide lived on.
That could also count on other factors. A lot of Poles were actually grateful for the Armenian contribution to their country. It wasn't a secret. And yes, many Polish figures had Armenian origin, notably the Polish bard Juliusz Slowacki, who rivalled Adam Mickiewicz in term of literature. Armenians had also long resettled and peacefully integrated into the society of Poland. Then, Armenia is also notable for being the first country to adopt Christianity, something the Poles found significant solidarity and sympathy with.
No time to lose
Both Poland and Armenia regained independence from Soviet control, in 1989 and 1991. It was quick to recognise the independence of Armenia, though it was not the first. But Armenians had to deal with tensions rising between her and Azerbaijan, the fellow neighbour that shared a bond with Turkey, Armenia's enemy. Poland tried to rebuild the economy, while Armenia had to enter a two-year war that ended with Armenian victory and temporary control of Karabakh. Fearful of jeopardising relations with Baku and Ankara, with Turkey used to be the biggest supporter of Polish independent movement, Warsaw didn't acknowledge the existence of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Thus, only Armenia recognised this self-declared state.
But as Poland was determined to become a member of NATO and EU, Poland had to face increasing urgent calls for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, both in and outside. Different Polish governments since 1990s had tried to balance between EU, NATO and Turkey in order to gain access to the lucrative European Union's market and Turkish tourism. Turkey emerged as a major investor in Poland at the time, counting billions of zloty, and had various political lobbies to defend Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Time didn't wait, though. Poland walked in a tight-rope between NATO, EU membership and Turkish government's scepticism. Turkey is a member of NATO and was also seeking to be part of the EU, still now. If Poland recognised the Armenian genocide too early, Turkey would veto Poland from joining NATO. So throughout the end of 20th century, Poland rejected to recognise, disappointing many Armenians. Yet the feeling of morality exists among Poles.
Finally, by patience, Poland joined NATO in 1999, in response to Poland agreeing to let NATO jets attack Serbia. Five years later, Poland was admitted into the European Union on 1 May 2004. Since then, Polish economy has grown, and because of its successful Solidarity movement that toppled the communist dictatorship, it had been valued as one of the most promising new EU members. Joining the European Union and NATO, yet, also include strongly about the code of upholding human rights and freedom of speech, two requirements that Poland must follow.
On the other hand, Turkey was overconfident. It did not expect Poland to recognise the Armenian Genocide, because overall, Poland was the only country Turkey found a bond with, perhaps due to Ottoman-Polish connection. Yet the leader of Solidarity movement in 1980s, Lech Walesa, and first President of the Third Polish Republic, was unhappy with Poland's low reaction.
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| Former Polish President and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. |
If we consign victims of the Armenian Genocide to oblivion, the God will turn away from us... Today's Turkish authorities aggressively refuse to acknowledge the crime committed by their ancestors, while Europe has denounced that crime twice (in 1987 and 2000) and qualified it a Genocide.
Walesa campaigned wholeheartedly throughout 2000s to call for Polish Parliament to take action and recognise the Armenian massacre as a genocide. It didn't fall to the Turkish government's ears seriously because Turkey didn't believe Poland would take a stance against them. The Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was also ignorant.
Well, it was something Turkish government definitely would regret the most.
In 2005, only three countries on the former Soviet bloc had taken action. Armenia first in 1988, Russia recognised it in 2000, followed by Slovakia in 2004. Slovakia however had nothing strategic for Turkey to look at, and Russia had a long complex relationship with Ankara.
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On the 90th anniversary of the genocide committed on the Armenians in Turkey during the 1st World War.
Sejm/Parliament/of the Republic of Poland pays its respects to the victims of the genocide committed on the Armenians in Turkey during the 1st World War.
The memory of the victims, the crime committed and the need to condemn it is a moral obligation for the whole of humanity, all nations and people of good will.
Then, on a cool 19 April 2005, the Polish Sejm, receiving submission about the Armenian Genocide, resoundingly voted in favour by majority. The Senate later passed the Armenian resolution, officially recognised the Armenian Genocide. President Lech Walesa later delivered a speech at the Etchimadzin, the memorial of the perished Armenians in 1915 in Yerevan.
The news came as a huge emotional shock in Turkey. So much that many Turkish people did not believe in their eyes. A country, once received huge support from Turkey to fight for independence, given protection and established estate with permission from the Sultan, turned against them. All because of the Armenian Genocide.
In the mind of Polish government, they finally fulfilled the duty: human rights, democracy, respect and freedom of speech. The Poles finally paid tribute to the fallen Armenians.
But what about Turkish people and government?
In Turkey, the Armenian Genocide never existed. It was written as a hoax, fabrication, a blatant lie that had been created by Russia, France and Britain. Almost every Turkish nationals believed so. With only a few exceptional individuals. But never in history, a country that Turkey had a deep thought like Poland, provoked a memoir that qualified as an insult to the national honour of Turkey.
Ankara had a response. She withdrew ambassador and condemned Poland. Polish-Turkish joint activities were suspended for a month. Turkey could not accept this. From the mind of Turkish leadership and the AKP, it is always a word, "why?"
A conclusion?
I think Poland's recognition of the Armenian Genocide has to be the bravest decision ever taken by Warsaw, especially for a Christian country that has a deep closeness to Turkey. But it has a huge consequence.
It signalled Poland won't allow manipulation to affect its decision. But it signalled Turkey a tocsin: there was nobody to trust for Turkey. And Turkish government, Turkish people, have learnt a harsh, but unsettled feeling.
This is when Turkey lost interests in joining the European Union, nor even regarding NATO highly anymore. This has also depleted any potential Turkish attempt to further committing to democracy, something Ataturk has built for the Turkish state. This is also a key emotional anathema for Turkey when it comes to relations with Europe - Erdogan exploited it to accuse NATO and EU as an organisation of Catholic and Protestant "bandits", and the authoritarianisation of Turkey a decade later.
In my opinion, the moment Poland, a supposed strong ally of Turkey, recognised the Armenian Genocide, which was never seen real in Turkey, it has officially cut off Turkey's hope to look on Europe and democracy.
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