TURKISH YOUNG GENERATION KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Pan Armenian News
26.09.2005 03:06

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Turkey’s aspiration for the European Union demands
considerable democratic processes. But in Turkey like in any other
society there are forces not wishing this democracy proceeding from
their principles”, Murad Begle, said one of the initiators of the
“Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the Empire: Issues of
Scientific Responsibility and Democracy” international scientific
conference held in Istanbul today. In his words, “some of them fear to
lose power.” “This way a front wishing to prevent Turkey’s integration
into the European structures is being formed. As for the Armenian
issue, the Turkish young generation is absolutely unaware of it over
the operating system of education. The Armenian issue is one of the
darkest pages of the Turkish history and no one wants to recognize
it. That is why education is used as an instrument. The reason of
the constant postponement of the conference lies not in the Armenian
issue only. This is the issue of democracy as well. People, who wish
to review and discuss the problem, gathered in the university today,”
he said. Murad Begle also gave a report titled “The Armenian issue from
a democratic viewpoint”. Meanwhile several hundreds of nationalists
gathered in front of the university shouting out slogans “Betrayers”,
“It’s Turkey – love it or leave it”. To remind, the conference
was scheduled for September 23. However one of the Turkish courts
has complied with the suit of the Union of Lawyers and banned the
meeting. Earlier it was supposed to hold the conference in May but it
was delayed since Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek called the idea
“the dagger stuck into the back of the Turkish nation.” Some people
voiced opinion that Turkish historians are oppressed and deprived
of the possibility to express their scientific viewpoint. The
majority knows that the conference was barred over the possibility
of discussion of the Armenian Genocide issue. Meanwhile Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the court resolution
and called it incompatible with the norms of democracy and civilized
society. Spokesperson for the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Krisztina
Nagy characterized the court decision as a “recurrent provocation”,
IA Regnum reported.