Assyrian International News Agency – AINA

A Panel on Armenian Genocide With Turkish Intelligentsia

Posted 03-03-2005 11:00:32 GMT 3-3-2005 17:0:32)

A citizen of Germany of Armenian origin Artin Aqyuz sent an email to daily
Azg on February 25. The name of the addresser is the distorted variant of
Armenian name of Harutyun but the last name has no Armenian trace.
Obviously, the addresser is a former citizen of Turkey, a country that does
not bother too much about precisely putting Armenian names in the passports.

In other words, it is almost impossible for a Turkish-Armenian to make a
Turkish official at the Passport Department write his name correctly in the
document, especially when the name is ending in “ian”. However, Artin Aqyuz
attached a notification informing of a seminar in Cologne on March 5.

The name of the seminar is “The 90th anniversary of Armenian Genocide and
social responsibility. A panel with Turkish intelligentsia”. It is organized
by the Central Council of Germany and the Armenian Church Center of Germany
in association with the Church Union of Cologne and TODAY Turkish NGO.

Aqen Birdal, honorable president of the Turkish General Union of Human
Rights, journalist Demir Qyucuqaydn, Ragəp Zaraqolu, publisher and
public figure, writer Recep Maraslə will lecture at the seminar. Dogan
Aqhanlə, vice-president of Union Against Genocide, will preside the
workshop.

The notification informs that the Turkish society having neglected the
processes of the Ottoman military court in 1919, the investigation of the
parliament, numerous documents and studies, as well as the fact that
thousands Armenians escaped Genocide by finding shelter in different
countries of the world, continues denying the Genocide and even places the
blame on the victims of the atrocities 90 ago.

All participants of the seminar are from Turkey alone. It’s an incredible
step given Turkey’s state negationism. The following questions put by
participants for discussion are more than incredible: “Will Turkey be able
to follow Germany’s example in acknowledging Holocaust by 2015? Can it
display ability of reconciling with the genocide it committed instead of
turning deaf ear to just claims? Will it remember that the Armenians and
Assyrians massacred in 1915 were the country’s citizens and not a country
waging war against Turkey? Will it trace links between the crime committed
in the past and the violence in different spheres of social life in today’s
Turkey in order to free the coming generations from bearing moral, jural and
civil responsibility? If negation and threats are no way out, then what will
be the approach and responsibility of Turkish intelligentsia, mass media and
political figures to the genocide issue?”

We think that the coming seminar will contribute to the initiative of
Christian Democrats’ to honor the victims of Genocide in Bundestag and will
be an adequate counteraction to Turkish official circles.

By Hakob Chakrian
AZG Armenian Daily
azg.am

© 2005, Assyrian International News Agency