Answer: Turkey long denied the occurance of the Armenian Genocide, and repressed any discussion on the matter. With Turkey intending to (at the time) join the EU and strengthen ties with Europe, it proved important to both discuss the horrors of the genocide, and provide a platform for free speech. While this platform was tarnished somewhat by the government's persistant denial of crimes (and the actions of Ergodan himself), it was nonetheless influential.
At this 2005 conference, Turkish intellectuals recognized the Armenian genocide, which Turkey had previously denied. The conference was important because Turkey wanted to strengthen its bonds with European nations so it could join the European Union. This conference would help them with that process. So, the conference was a political move to please Europe. However, socially, the conference inspired resistance from many nationalists who believed the conference was a “stab in the back” by the intellectuals who supported it. The conference brought divisiveness to the surface about Turkey’s alleged role in this persecution.
It held a virtual monopoly on trade between Europe and Asia as it controlled many of the trade routes. ... It gained control of most land routes to East Asia.
