Turkish Press

Europe Expects Turks To Confess Armenian Genocide First To Join EU: McCarthy

Published: 3/24/2005

ANKARA – American Historian

Prof. Dr. Justin McCarthy of the Louisville University said on Thursday
that Europe expected Turks to confess Armenian genocide first to join
the European Union (EU).

“Can it be appropriate to join an institution which demands acceptance
of a lie as an entrance fee? Can you enter an organization which
tells you that you can join it only if you accept that your father
is a murderer? Will Turkey enter the EU by telling a lie about its
history?… Such a confession will make everything worse,” said
McCarthy addressing the meeting on “Truth about Armenian Issue”
held at the Turkish parliament.

During his speech, the American historian explained that the Armenian
genocide claims didn’t have historical ground. McCarthy said that
Ottomans and Armenians lived as friends for years, stressing that
this friendship which continued for 800 years was harmed when Russians
incited Armenians to revolt against the Ottomans.

McCarthy pointed out to the fact that the decision of deportation
was taken seven months after the Armenian revolt, stressing that
“that was a war, not a genocide.” He also stressed that Ottomans were
right to see Armenians as an enemy in that period of time.

Noting that the documents of the so-called genocide allegations
put forward by the Armenian sources were either ‘false or biased,’
McCarthy said that the Ottoman documents on the issue had sound basis
and that the Ottomans didn’t fabricate false documents.

McCarthy remarked that Turks should oppose the lies told about
their ancestors, adding that it was a difficult fight because there
was prejudice against Turks. “But the truth is on your side,” he
said. McCarthy suggested that the academic studies written on the
issue by Turks should be translated into English, noting that he knew
that Turks were not afraid of the realities.

Referring to the schemes of the Armenian nationalists, McCarthy said
that they wanted Turks to “confess (committing the genocide) first,
but then they will ask for compensation and finally they will demand
territory.” McCarthy remarked that Armenian nationalists wanted
to get lands (provinces) of Erzurum, Van, Elazýg, Sivas, Bitlis
and Trabzon and added that he knew that Turks would not give in to
that pressure. He said that EU should see the fact that Armenian
nationalists didn’t want the wellbeing of Europe. “Europeans use
genocide claims for their short-term interests,” he said.

Responding to questions after his speech, McCarthy said that the
deportation of Armenians didn’t mean genocide. “You can’t talk about
genocide when 80 percent of the people survive. The number of those
who died because of starvation is much more than the one who died
being shot… Also the Armenians living in Istanbul, Izmir and Edirne
were not deported. In Germany where a genocide was committed, Jews
living in Berlin and in other parts, all died…Ottomans were very
smart, if they wanted to kill Armenians, 80 percent of the Armenians
would not survive…Nobody talks about that, but Russians are more
responsible for the killing of Armenians as they maltreated them.”
In sum McCarthy said that all the deaths were a result of the war.

Reminding of the Turks who died because of hunger due to Russian
occupation and Armenian revolt, McCarthy said that bloody massacres
were committed by the Armenians and this was an indisputable fact
and a proven history.

McCarthy ended his words saying that the ‘Blue Book’ included a
series of lies and in that respect it was a book based on fabricated
documents.

–Boundary_(ID_JDKndTuY3/7JRHtt0zxZ0A)–