Anadolu Agency
Dec 17 2004
Turkish Historical Society Chairman Says He Can Provide Documents On
How Armenians Massacred More Than 519,000 Turks
ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Historical Society (TTK) Chairman Prof. Dr.
Yusuf Halacoglu has stated that there is no document that could lead
to accusation of Turkey with the so-called Armenian genocide.
”However, I can easily provide documents how 519,000 Turks were
massacred by Armenians along with the names of villages these Turks
lived in,” said Halacoglu.
Halacoglu remarked that the issue of the so-called Armenian
genocide must be discussed extensively and in details by a committee
of scholars from Turkey, Armenia, Great Britain, France, Germany,
Austria, Russia and the United States who will convene to study
Russian, British, American, French and Armenian confidential and
classified documents. ”Those who continuously talk about genocide
should reveal what they had in their own archives. Lets see what they
have in Hinchak archives. We will possibly see in that archive how
the Armenians massacred Turks, and how they planned such brutal acts,
and why they massacred Turks,” told Halacoglu.
-OTTOMAN ARCHIVES-
Halacoglu said that they opened Ottoman archives and they even
put it into internet. Halacoglu further expressed that based on their
studies in the archives worldwide, they have not come across even
with a single document that may prove Armenian claims of a genocide.
”Did the Armenians suffer difficulty which could be termed as a
tragedy? Yes. Yet the Turks suffered more than the Armenians. The
Muslims suffered a true tragedy. Armenians constantly claim that
there was a genocide committed by Turks. We must note that the
Armenians can not refer to any document which may prove that there
was indeed a genocide. The bottom line is that the Armenians are
lying.”
-ATTITUDE OF FRANCE-
Halacoglu said France refers to the incidents about Armenians in
early 20th century as ”tragedy.” ”How were relations between
France and the Armenians at the time? How did France use and arm the
Armenians of the Ottoman Empire against the Ottoman army? How many
Armenian legionnaires were there in French Army? What was the birth
places of those legionnaires? Were those people from Ottoman Empire
or Armenia? What were French and Armenian ties during the Dardanelles
wars? Who were the Armenians died between 1914-1918 for France?” The
beginning of discussions of the issue with France will also reveal
the role France played in the ”tragedy” of Armenians. ”If they
trust themselves, they must speak about this issue as well.”
Halacoglu stated that, in historical discussions, the documents
submitted play a vital role in coming to conclusions. ”That’s why
they refrain from discussing it. The Armenians have no documents
proving the so-called genocide and they are reluctant to join
discussions on the so-called genocide of Armenians. The Armenians do
not want to abandon the current political benefits of claiming that
they suffered a genocide,” said Halacoglu. ”Armenians are afraid of
the consequences of a historical committee’s conclusions. Having no
document on a genocide, Armenians prefer to stay away from historical
discussions of historians.”
”Currently, France attempts to please its domestic Armenian
population by putting forward the issue continuously,” he said,
”France promised Armenians in 1918 that it would strongly support an
Armenian state in Cilicia and now it pays the price of this
promise.”
-ARMENIAN DOCTORS-
Halacoglu told that Armenian claims that assert the use of
Armenians as guinea-pigs in vaccination tests are also baseless.
”What will do Armenians do if I prove that half of the doctors
conducting tests were of Armenian origin? What will be the Armenian
reaction if I prove that Armenian doctors used Armenian patients as
guinea-pigs?”
Noting that there is no document that could lead Turkey’s being
accused with the so-called Armenian genocide, Halacoglu said:
”However, I can easily provide documents how 519,000 Turks were
massacred by Armenians along with the names of villages these Turks
lived in.”
Halacoglu said that he could also prove that the officials
claimed to misuse their authority were brought before Ottoman courts.
-”WE’LL MAKE PUBLIC THE DOCUMENTS WE HAVE”-
Halacoglu criticized the ”Armenian Genocide Museum” Director’s
comments about the Turkish Historical Society that this society can
not be trusted. ”It is not yet known whether the Armenian delegation
will attend an upcoming meeting in Vienna in 2005. We find it hard to
understand why the Armenians look at the TTK as untrustable. Of
course, they do not have to believe us. We are not establishing a
firm. We will just make a discussion with scientists. It is not so
important if the scientists trust each other in a discussion. We will
just speak on the documents that we put forward. Consequently,
neither do I nor does he have to trust each other. We have to discuss
this as scientists and civilized human beings without deviating from
humanely values. We are always ready for such a discussion.”
”The meeting between Turkish and Armenian delegations were
planned to be held in Vienna in 2005 after two processes of document
exchange. But this meeting seems not certain. If they do not show up
in this meeting, we will make public the documents we have.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress