Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 22 2005
‘German MPs Look For Friends in Genocide’
GERMAN MPs DISCUSS ARMENIAN ISSUE
Jan SOYKOK (JTW) German MPs from across the political spectrum
discussed the Armenian issue and Turkish-Armenian relations. Turkish
Armenian researchers argue the decision has no link with the Armenian
issue but a German strategy.
Armenia says more than 1 million of its people were slaughtered
between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of
modern Turkey, was falling apart. Turkey does not accept the
allegations and says about 523,000 Turkish people were massacred by
the Armenian armed groups and most of the Armenians died due to the
communal ethnic conflicts, famine, epidemic diseases and war
circumstances. According to Turkish historians the number of
Armenians killed is about 100,000. Most of the Ottoman Armenians
joined the Russian Army against the Ottoman Armies during the First
World War in order to establish a separate Armenian State though they
were no majority in any Ottoman city. When Armenian rioted the
Istanbul Government decided to relocate the Armenians near the war
theatre to another Ottoman province (Syria). Germany was Ottoman
Turkey’s main ally in the First World War, and it is argued that
German Government advised Turks to relocate the Armenians.
“TURKEY SHOULD FACE UP THE TRUTH”
During an often impassioned debate in the German Bundestag lower
house of parliament, Friedbert Pflueger, the foreign affairs
specialist for the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said:
“Turkey should face up to the truth.” However he said putting
pressure on Turkey would not lead to Ankara recognizing what had
happened. “We do not want to incriminate and we do not want to
embellish,” CDU M.P. Pflueger added.
Another member of the opposition Christian Democratic alliance
(CDU/CSU), Erwin Marschewski, said in a statement that the value
system of the European Union insisted that countries “shine a
spotlight on the dark pages of their history.” “Recognition by Turkey
of the Armenian genocide of 1915 and 1916 is important,” said
Marschewski.
Fritz Kuhn of the Greens, which form the governing coalition with
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrats, said the debate had
taken on increased importance because “we want Turkey to be an EU
member one day”.
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is a staunch backer of Turkish EU
membership and will visit Ankara and Istanbul for talks with Turkish
political and business leaders on 3 and 4 May.
“GERMANY PLAYS A DIRTY GAME”
According to Dr. Nilgun Gulcan from Ankara-based think tank
USAK-ISRO, “Germany plays a dirty game”:
“Germany has been the only state which committed genocide during the
Second World War. The Germans slaughtered more than 5 million Jews in
Holocaust. This should be a terrible shame on Germans. Germany has
made great efforts to create similar cases to the Nazi regime’s
genocide. Thus some in Germany welcomes all genocide claims. They
want friends in genocide. So nobody would accuse the Germans as the
only genocide-makers” added Gulcan.
Davut Sahiner sees the issue as a step to prevent Turkey’s EU
membership and a CDU plan:
“I think the CDU is the main player behind the debates in German
Parliament. German Government gives a great support to Turkey’s EU
membership and the CDU does not want to see Turkey in. They did
anything possible to prevent Turkey’s EU bid. They tried anything,
but Armenian issue. This is the latest part of the game. The CDU’s
another aim is to make hostile Turkish voters and governing German
parties. Turkish voters enthusiastically supports Schroeder. If
German Governments contradict with the Turkish view in Armenian
issue, the it will undermine the Government.”
“FULL OF FACTUAL ERRORS IN BUNDESTAG RESOLUTION”
Turkey’s ambassador to Germany, Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik, has denounced
the planned Bundestag resolution as containing “countless factual
errors” and being written “in agreement with propaganda efforts of
fanatic Armenians”: “Its goal is to defame Turkish history… and
poison ties between Turkey and the European Union,” said the
ambassador.
“NO DOCUMENTS, BUT GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS”
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan last week called the Armenian
side to establish a joint commission to discuss the historical
disputes. However the Armenian Government rejected the offer two
times. Armenian Foreign Minister Oskanian said “there is nothing to
debate”. Turkish Government also declared that all Turkish-Ottoman
archives are open to all researchers including the Armenians. The
Turkish officials further said “the Armenian, particularly the Tahnak
archives must be opened to historians as well”.
According to Yusuf Halacoglu, Head of Turkish History Society,
Armenians cannot provide any documents to prove their allegations.
Similarly Dr. Sedat Laciner, Director of ISRO, says “There are
abundant of documents which prove that there was no genocide or a
state-organized massacres in 1915. We understand more than 523,000
Turkish people were killed by the Armenian militants. All in Turkey
accept the Armenian tragedy. However the Armenians should also see
the Turkish tragedy”. According to Laciner Armenians should bring
their archive documents and discuss the matter with the Turks instead
of blackmailing Turkey in a very sensitive period (Turkey-EU
negotiations).
“Armenia should see that it will benefit a lot from an
EU-member-Turkey. Turkey could help Armenia to become wealthier and
more democratic. Turkey could be a way for Armenia to be integrated
with the West and the world. However Armenian politics has been
dominated by anti-Turkish-obsessed diaspora. The diaspora cannot
understand Armenia’s needs. They are really egoist and they just talk
about the past. Turkey and Armenia cannot establish their relations
on the historical debates but on today’s realities.”
OTTOMANS EXECUTED 63 PEOPLE FOR HARMING ARMENIANS
Nilgun Gulcan says the Ottoman Government took all the necessary
measures to protect the Armenian civilians during the Relocation
Campaign. The Ottoman government executed 63 people for attacking and
harming Armenians during the relocation days, according to a research
carried out within Turkish Prime Ministry State Archives.
Turkey is set to start EU accession talks on October 3.
JTW
22 April 2005