TURKS PSYCHOLOGICALLY READY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Armenpress

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS: Gevork Poghosian, director of the
Philosophy and Psychology Institute, an affiliation of the National
Academy of Sciences, told yesterday that the Turkish society has
matured psychologically to recognize the Armenian genocide, and has
more advanced views than the government officials.

He presented findings of a poll conducted jointly with Turkish
counterparts involving 1000 Armenian and 1,219 Turkish citizens
respectively from 21 towns in Armenia and 34 in Turkey.

The poll was conducted to reveal the level of mutual awareness. Twenty
percent of Turk respondents said the genocide issue was the main
obstacle to normalization of relations between the two neighboring
nations. This finding, according to Gevork Poghosian is evidence that
Turks accept the fact of the genocide realizing that Turkey will have
to acknowledge this crime sooner or later.

The poll also revealed that Armenians know more of Turkey and Turks
than the latter about Armenia. It revealed that Turks believe Armenia
is a bigger country bordering the Black or the Caspian Sea and has
an 8 million population.

Poghosian said the results of the poll were covered by Turkish TV
channels, meaning that the authorities have started discussions on
the Armenian genocide with population in an effort to prepare the
public opinion for its acknowledgment.