TURKEY NOT “ASHAMED” OF PAST TREATMENT OF ARMENIANS – FOREIGN MINISTER
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
15 Mar 06
Istanbul, 15 March: “Turkey is at peace with its past. There is no page
in our history that we will be ashamed of,” Turkish Foreign Minister
and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday [15 March].
Sending a message to the opening of an international conference on “New
Approaches to Turkish-Armenian Relations” at the Istanbul University,
Gul said many conferences and symposiums were held in Turkey recently
on baseless Armenian allegations.
“There has been an increase in number of scientific researches,
articles and books published about the last period of the Ottoman
Empire and the Armenian issue. Thanks to the studies in question,
we have the opportunity to see the facts and to make the voice of
the truth heard against the biased publications by the Armenians of
the diaspora.”
“Furthermore, we bequeath detailed data to next generations about a
period of Turkish history. I would like to emphasize that the number
of impartial publications in the United States and Europe towards
this issue increases. Serious steps are being taken to make public
the facts,” the message said.
Gul reiterated that archives of the Ottoman and Republican period
were open to all researchers.
Gul urged that not only Turkish archives but also all the archives
that will shed light to a specific period of history should be
opened to researchers. “Last year we had proposed to the Armenian
government to form a commission to examine controversial episodes of
Turkish-Armenian relations. However, we haven’t yet got a positive
response from the Armenian party,” he indicated.
On the other hand, Istanbul University’s President Prof Dr Mesut
Parlak said: “Genocide is a crime against humanity. Such a heavy
accusation must have a legal basis. The international law defining
genocide was adopted in 1948, and does not cover past incidents.
Therefore, it is impossible and illegal to qualify 1915 incidents
as genocide.”
According to Parlak, the conference aims to reveal historical
realities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress