Zaman, Turkey
May 9 2005

Ataturk’s Historic Response to Armenian Allegations
By Zaman, Anadolu News Agency (aa)

Founder of Modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk long ago replied to
the genocide claims of Armenian Diaspora by saying, “The world cannot
accuse us on the Armenian expulsion.”

Noting that the world cannot say anything to the Turkish state
regarding the Armenian expulsion back then, Ataturk summarized the
events at the time, “On the contrary to those aspersion cast on us,
those who emigrated are alive and others would have been at home too
if the coalition of entente states had not forced us to wage war.”

Ataturk revealed the following historical realities in response to
questions of American correspondent, Clanence K Streit on 26 February
1921: “Apart from the huge exaggerations of those who behave like
enemies, the emigration of Armenians refers particularly to this
event: When the Russian army started to attack us in 1915, the
Tashnak Committee under the services of the Tsar, had encourage the
Armenians who were supporting our soldier to rebel against them. We
always considered ourselves as being caught between the firepower’s
when comparing the number and equipment advantage of the enemy. Our
supply convoys and our wounded troops were brutally killed, the
bridges and roads behind us were destroyed and terrorism acts were
performed on the residents of Turkish villages. Those groups who
accepted that the Armenians could use their guns against their own
side to attain their weapons, ammunition and food reserves, benefited
from the surrender in Armenian villages.”

Ataturk also expressed his opinions on the so-called genocide
allegations of the Armenians: “A world that almost refuses to
consider the behavior of the English in its fight against the Irish
does not have any right to intervene with our decisions regarding the
Armenians. On the contrary of blames against us, those who emigrated
are alive and the rest of them would have also returned also home if
the coalition of entente states had not forced us to wage war.
Everybody knows the tortures conducted on Armenians following the
Brest Litovks Intervention and the discharging of troops to the east
by the Russians.”