USSR archives disprove Armenian genocide claims – Turkish politician
Anatolia news agency
14 Mar 05
ANKARA
Labour Party [IP] leader Dogu Perincek said that the research his
party conducted in the former USSR archives showed that the
allegations that Turkey committed an act of genocide against the
Armenians during World War I are untrue. He said that Turkey should
confront the Armenian allegations by saying, “I waged a war of
liberation and defended my homeland.”
Speaking at a press conference at the IP general headquarters,
Perincek recalled the murder of Talat Pasa in Berlin 84 years ago
after he was accused of being responsible for an act of genocide
against the Armenians and said that the party’s branch abroad will
hold a ceremony tomorrow to remember him where he was martyred. He
asserted that the IP provincial branch in Istanbul will hold a
ceremony to remember him near his grave in the city.
Describing the Armenian allegations related to an act of genocide
against them as an “imperialist campaign”, Perincek said that Turkey
waged a war of liberation from 1914 to 1922. However, he said, Turkey
is now accused of committing an act of genocide from 1915 to 1922. He
asserted: “Our party conducted a research in the former USSR
archives. We established that the Armenian claims that Turkey
committed an act of genocide against the Armenians during World War I
are untrue. A war was fought between the Armenians and the Turkish
state and Muslim people during that period. People were killed on both
sides. The United States, Britain, France and Tsarist Russia were
responsible for what took place. They were the countries that armed
the Armenians and encouraged them to attack Turkey. Their objective
was to divide and share the country.”
Asserting that Turkey waged a struggle to defend itself from 1914 to
1922, Perincek said that accusing it of committing an act of genocide
while it waged a struggle against the imperialists is “absurd”. He
said that Turkey should react to the allegations by saying: “I waged a
war of liberation and defended my homeland. I definitely had the right
to remove those who coveted my territory.”
Perincek claimed that appealing to the United Nations over the
Armenian allegations would be tantamount to abandoning the struggle
waged to defend Turkey. He said that no initiative was taken to
commit an act of genocide against the Armenians in the past.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress