AZG Armenian Daily #152, 27/08/2005
Neighbors
POSTPONED ‘OTTOMAN ARMENIANS AT DECLINE OF THE EMPIRE’ WORKSHOP TO BE HELD
IN SEPTEMBER
Abdullah Gul Accepted the Invitation of Preparatory Committee
On September 23-25, Bosphorus University of Istanbul will hold the “Ottoman
Armenians at Decline of the Empire. Scientific Responsibility and Issues of
Democracy” workshop that was postponed 4 months ago owing to fierce
opposition in Turkey. The Preparatory Committee announced about the workshop
on August 21, and Turkish central newspapers caught it up.
The postponed workshop, that was to take place on May 25-27, was initiated
by Sabanj, Bilgi and Bosphorus universities of Turkey and had in its
Preparatory Committee such scholars as Murad Belge, Halil Berktay, Selim
Deringil, Ethem Eldem, Zaglar Keyder, Haqan Erdem, Aksin Somel and Jalil
Kocak who reject Turkish denialist stance on Armenian Genocide issue and
define the events of 1915 as genocide.
As participants of discussions the Preparatory Committee invited Taner Akcam
and Fatma Myuge Gyocek and other Turkish scientists from Yale, Harvard,
Michigan and Minnesota universities as well as Turkish-Armenian editor of
Akos newspaper, Hrant Dink, and Zaman newspaper columnist, Etienne
Mahtchupian.
A day before the workshop was to start, two oppositional deputies of
Turkey’s parliament condemned the organization of the workshop with
participation of “pro-Armenian” Turkish scholars. The fact that it was to
take place at the state-fund Bosphorus University made the matter even
worse. Justice minister of Turkey, Jemil Cicek, labeled the initiative a
“manifestation of irresponsibility” and stated that it is a “stab at Turkish
people’s back”.
After the minister’s statements the Bosphorus University could do nothing
but inform Turkish public of its decision to postpone the conference. But
the postponement could not curb speculations that raged over the workshop in
Turkey. Not to give room for the West to accuse Turkey of crackdown on
freedom of speech, chairman of the Turkish parliament, Byulent Arinc,
declared, “Dissent should not be impeded in the country. It was certainly
permissible to hold the conference within the frames of freedom of speech”.
Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined him. Reminding that the
workshop was the initiative of the country’s higher educational
establishments and scientists, Erdogan said it was meaningless to prescribe
the postponement to justice minister’s speech and added, “Let everyone
speak. We’ll learn at least what they think”.
It’s noteworthy that those circles that most fiercely responded to the
initiative of the workshop, displayed the same opposition to the Preparatory
Committee’s announcement about the September 23-25 conference.
The Union of Civil Society Organizations of Turkey appeared to be the most
aggressive one as it expressed resolution to make the organizers put off the
workshop once again, Terjuman paper informed August 23. A member of the
Union, Ramazan Kerek, threatened to spare no efforts to do that and added,
“No one living in this country can betray Turkey.” Meanwhile, justice
minister Cicek gave an elusive answer to Milliyet newspaper saying, “They
did not ask me while organizing the workshop nor did while postponing it.
We’ll see what they think at the conference”.
Those siding with the workshop answered the question of Hurriyet paper.
Hrant Dink greeted the Preparatory Committee’s decision to held the
workshop, called for the Turkish government political circles to contribute
to its holding and pointed out to the interested world community, saying
another postponement will damage Turkey’s reputation. Etienne Mahtchupian
also welcomed the revival of the conference and a columnist of
pro-government Yeni Safak, Ali Bayramoglu, added, “It is a profoundly
positive and not less important workshop. Fierce opposition within the
Turkish society of this unrealized workshop speaks well for holding it”.
Bayramoglu thinks that the workshop was politicized but it does not mean
further politicizing will occur once launched. The latter informed Hurriyet
about their invitation to take part in the conference. If their agreement
was predictable, foreign minister Abdullah Gul’s readiness to take part in
the conference came as a surprise. Yeni Safak paper thinks that Gul’s
participation will mark the beginning of the process of reconciliation with
history and will help acknowledge the fact of the Armenian Issue in Turkey.
By Hakob Chakrian