Zaman, Turkey
March 29 2005
‘Ottoman Provided Secure Road for Immigrating Armenians’
By Elif Tunca
Published: Tuesday 29, 2005
zaman.com
While answers to the question of, “What happened in 1915?” varies
from day to day; the Turkish Prime Ministry State Archive has also
participated in the debates by including Ottoman documents from the
archives.
The State Archives Director General Professor Yusuf Sarinay has
released for public debate some of the documents from the Ottoman
achieves relating to the Armenian issue.
Information from the Ottoman’s regarding the Armenians who cooperated
with the Russians, those inside the boarders who were sent to Musul
(Mosul), Halep (Halab) and Damascus, and the dispatching and the
establishment of settlements were confirmed in detail, as too were
ways of overcoming food and settlement problems for those who return,
are all contained in the file comprising of 17 documents.
One article also declared that, “Those employees who violated and
neglected individuals during the dispatch were sent to Divan-i Harb
(Marshall Court)” is included in the documents.
The documents of pre (May 1915) and post emigration presented for
public debate, are not new; however, according to Sarinay, because
foreign researchers in particular do not want to research documents
about Armenians. These documents and this information do not reach
the public arena for debate.
Noting that the Prime Ministry State Archives have already revealed
over 1 million documents relating to the Armenians directly and 2-3
million indirectly from a total 12.5 million documents to researchers,
Sarinay has also demanded that the archives of the Armenian Diaspora
in the US and Yerevan are opened.
Indicating that the General Staff’s archive is also open scientists
who will undertake research, Sarinay noted that the General Staff
will also publish a book comprising the current documents before
April 24.
Among those who are most interested in the archives are the Americans
and the Japanese. The British, Germans, and the French follow them.