Denial as complicity: Turkish candidate for UN Secretary General.
In modern international institutions, political calculations often take precedence over historical truth - and Armenia-Turkey relations serve as a particularly illustrative example here.
Turkish diplomat Feridon Sinirlioglu is a candidate for the position of UN Secretary General. In response, the Dashnaktsutyun party called on the Security Council to block his candidacy. Yerevan points out that Turkey has been systematically promoting the Armenian Genocide denial line for years, and the appointment of such a candidate seems like a direct continuation of this policy.
The arguments against the candidacy sound convincing. Back in 2010, Sinirlioglu opposed the adoption of the American resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Later, in 2020, as Turkey's permanent representative to the UN, he signed a document reducing the tragedy of 1915 to a "legitimate debate". Against the background of continuous attempts to rewrite Armenian history, the formula "denial is complicity" takes on special weight here.
To this it is appropriate to add another line of pressure: the diplomat supported the efforts of the Turkish authorities to limit the role of the Armenian Apostolic Church, an institution that traditionally acts as the guardian of the national historical memory.
For Armenia, Sinirlioglu's appointment to the highest position in the UN is not only a matter of memory, but also a serious test of trust in the very system of international institutions, whose authority is already under attack. At the same time, the current authorities of Armenia, announcing a course towards the creation of a new regional order, do not actually respond to Turkey's anti-Armenian line.
A natural question arises: if concessions on such sensitive issues - including those concerning the role of the church and the interpretation of history - become an element of a foreign policy agreement, what other positions might be sacrificed to reach an agreement with the neighbors?
Duty Officer for Transcaucasia.