I'm not saying we shouldn't recognize the genocide. It is good that everyone knows in the west that armenians were persecuted and killed as it is always good when people know how history happened. I think it is great that a lot of countries in Europe have recognized it but they did it for the wrong reasons (to keep turkey away) and that's to blame.
What I'm saying is that it is stupid to force the turkish governement to recognize the genocide as nothing good will come of this enforced recognition:
-The turks will feel humiliated for this imposed opinion and will react in the opposite direction.
-It will justify in their eyes the persecution of armenians. Because in their heads it will be like: "if armenians are so supported in the west, they must be pro-westerner as young-turks suspected it."
-If the governement recognize the genocide due to international pressure but stays internally entiled to its opinion. There will never be any debate inside Turkey, the turks will never grab the concept of genocide and will keep their opinion that there never was any genocide.
I just forgot to add how genocide should be recognized in Turkey in a way that society changes its opinion. The realisation of past mistake has been made by juducial system in Germany and Cambodgia. But in the case of armenian, it's a bit too late for that. So:
- A comission of expert could be nominated by the government to clarify everything that had happened during the period.
This is what has happened in Switzerland to investigate the relation of Switzerland with Germany during YMCA. This solution would be highly unlikely with the current turkish gouvernment.
- A national debate could be produce by activism coming from turk and armenian people.
Another things that bother me with the west (or at least french) recognition of the genocide is that some of them didn't faced their history yet and are not in a position to give lesson to others.
There's a french expression (that sadly they so rarely apply) that is: "Before looking at the straw in your neighboor's eye, pay attention at the beam you have in yours". Ofc it is good that french realise there have been a genocide on armenians but the lesson they could learn from their own history would much more relevant to them to change the way they currently interact with Africa.
The france participated to the Sétif massacre commemoration only in 2015. So while it was giving lesson to Turkey, it was hiding its own past.
Edit: Genocide is the aim of the massacre, the aim must be the extermination. I seriously doubt armenians ever wanted to eradicate turks...