Turkish MPs propose naming Armenia border checkpoint after Talaat Pasha

By Elen Muradyan

A group of Turkish lawmakers has submitted a controversial proposal to name the country’s future border crossing with Armenia after Talaat Pasha, the principal architect of the Armenian Genocide. The initiative, introduced in Turkey’s Grand National Assembly by Musavat Dervişoğlu, head of the nationalist İYİ (Good) Party, has drawn support from 28 members of parliament.

The proposed renaming concerns the Turkish side of the “Alican–Margara” crossing point, which lies on the Armenia–Turkey border and is currently closed to regular traffic. According to Turkish media, the draft legislation frames the move as a way to “instill historical consciousness in younger generations” and honor “the state's proud past and historical heritage.”

The proposal has triggered strong backlash from genocide scholars and Armenian advocacy groups. The Toronto-based Zoryan Institute condemned the initiative as an attempt to legitimize historic crimes and deepen unresolved wounds.

“Talaat Pasha oversaw the planned extermination of over 1.5 million Armenians, the destruction of more than 2,000 churches, and the violent uprooting of communities from their ancestral lands,” the institute said in a statement. “Naming a border crossing — a symbol of reconciliation — after such a figure shows profound disregard for human dignity, historical truth, and moral responsibility.”

The Zoryan Institute urged Turkish authorities to reject the bill and instead consider naming the border crossing after Hrant Dink, the Armenian-Turkish journalist who promoted dialogue between peoples before his assassination in 2007. Dink, the statement noted, represented “the voice of conscience” and a vision of peaceful coexistence.

The institute also called on Turkish intellectuals, politicians, and academics to recognize that “true progress does not come from erasing history, but from confronting it with honesty.” It pointed to examples such as Germany’s acknowledgment of the Holocaust and Canada’s recognition of crimes against Indigenous populations, arguing that Turkey must likewise confront its responsibility for the genocide of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, and other Christian minorities — atrocities that led to the deaths or deportations of more than 4.5 million people.

The renewed controversy comes as Armenia and Turkey continue efforts toward normalization. In July 2022, special envoys Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç agreed in Vienna to open the land border for third-country nationals “as soon as possible.”

In an interview with CivilNet in April, Turkey’s envoy Kılıç confirmed that technical preparations were ongoing to reopen the Margara crossing. “I don’t know when exactly it will happen, but we are working seriously. I hope we can finish the process as soon as possible,” he said.