Turkish lobby offers scholarships to Armenian-Americans

“Wolf in sheep’s clothing,” warns Armenian group

by Shant Shahrigian

Published: Thursday December 17, 2009

Lincoln McCurdy, president of the Turkish Coalition of America, a lobbying group.

Washington - The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), a Turkish-American lobbying group, is offering 100 annual scholarships for Armenian-American students to study in Turkey.

While TCA has only received one application since the scholarship program began three months ago, the offer represents an unprecedented effort by a Turkish lobby to reach out to Armenian-Americans.

Asked what he would say to an Armenian-American wary of such an offer, TCA President G. Lincoln McCurdy wrote in an e-mail: "We would certainly understand that skepticism and we would respond that any student interested in exploring this should talk to other Armenians who have traveled to Turkey."

He added: "We are confident that they will hear of positive impressions and a welcoming atmosphere."

TCA, which is actively lobbying against U.S. recognition of Armenian Genocide, is offering up to $2,000 to Armenian-Americans who have already been accepted to an academic institution in Turkey, for a period of up to one semester.

Since TCA was organized in 2007, it established similar grants for Turkish-Americans and American minorities, with 36 and 26 respective awardees to date.

"By encouraging exchanges and dialogue, TCA hopes to support the efforts of conflict resolution and the emerging relations between Turkey and Armenia," McGurdy said. The new program was launched as Ankara and Yerevan signed protocols on normalization of relations - that are yet to be ratified and implemented.

A track record of denial

Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) was skeptical of TCA's motivation for the scholarships.

"Sadly, their track record has been one of Armenian Genocide denial," he said. "Now I think they're trying to couch their denial in more benevolent wrapping. You could say it's a wolf in sheep's clothing."

“Funding comes from an organization that denies the incontestable fact of the Armenian Genocide. Clearly scholarships from this organization are an attempt to further denial,” agreed Ross Vartian of the U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee (USAPAC).

TCA is publicizing its scholarships with AdWords, the prominent advertising format offered by Google.

In June, prior to the scholarship campaign, Google cancelled TCA's AdWords campaign advocating denial of the Armenian Genocide after Armenian-Americans protested.

Since then, TCA has welcomed the Armenia-Turkey protocols, while ANCA is currently campaigning against them.

The Armenian Assembly of America, an advocacy group that supports the protocols, could not be reached for comment about the TCA program.

The number of Armenian-Americans studying in Turkey is believed to be small.

Source of funding colors experience

The Armenian-American scholar Rachel Goshgarian had several lengthy stays in Turkey while working on her doctoral thesis in history at Harvard University. She was there on a Fulbright-Hays scholarship, one of the more prestigious among the many forms of support available for study in Turkey and elsewhere.

Ms. Goshgarian said life in Turkey for a diasporan Armenian "is hard, although it can be profoundly fun and interesting and eye-opening" as well.

Ms. Goshgarian, who directs the Zohrab Center at the Diocese of the Armenian Church in New York City, said: "My only advice for any Armenian is that he or she should go [to Turkey] with a really clear goal in mind, and he or she should be careful about where their money comes from. Because in the end it does matter, it does color your experience."

Mr. McCurdy also said the scholarships allow students "to make friends while expanding their worldview. This opportunity is further augmented in the university setting, where preconceptions and biases are challenged and investigated."