Turkish journalists’ leader asks US president to block Armenian resolution

Anatolia news agency
13 Apr 05

ANKARA

Turkish Journalists’ Federation and Journalists’ Association Chairman
Nazmi Bilgin has asked US President George W Bush to support Turkey
against Armenian genocide claims.

Bilgin asked Bush not to support efforts aiming to end peace and
brotherhood in the region where Turkey is situated and to keep alive
nations’ pains and hatred in the past.

Issuing a written statement on the issue on Wednesday [13 April],
Turkish Journalists’ Federation said that Bilgin sent a letter to US
President George W Bush on the Armenian problem. In his letter, Bilgin
wrote that Turkey could play a strategic role in the new world order,
in the Caucasus, the Middle East as a peaceful country.

Bilgin stressed that the accusation of the Turkish nation by the
United States and the western world of committing genocide against
Armenians which was not historically and legally correct caused the
Turkish public opinion to be reactive against the West.

“We need brotherhood of neighbouring countries, not sharpened
nationalism in this geography,” said Bilgin.

“Hostility against Turks” had led Armenians to get united in various
territories where they settled in order to end their assimilation, he
commented. He added that hostility against Turks was also used by the
Armenian diaspora to get unfair benefits for themselves.

Bilgin also stressed that as long as the hostility of Armenians
against Turks continued, the Armenian problem would not be peacefully
resolved.

Noting that the pain of Turkish people could not be compared with
those of the Armenians, Bilgin said that the adoption of bills
defending Armenian genocide claims against Turkey would disturb peace
and stability in the region and the world. Bilgin called US President
Bush in this regard to prevent the adoption of similar Congress and
Senate resolutions against Turkey as they would also harm
Turkish-Armenian relations.