BULGARIA PARLIAMENT REJECTS THE ARMENIAN BILL
Mary S. Garden (JTW) and Cihan News Agency
Journal of Turkish Weekly
May 10 2006
SOFIA – An Armenian (so-called) ‘genocide’ resolution, presented
by the racist and ultranationalist ATAKA party, was rejected by the
Bulgarian parliament on Wednesday.
The resolution which called on the Bulgarian parliament to recognize
the so-called Armenian genocide, were discussed today at the parliament
general assembly.
The Ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party and Movement of Rights and
Freedoms (HOH) opposed the resolution.
In today’s vote, 79 lawmakers rejected the resolution, 55 voted in
favor, while 40 lawmakers abstained.
The ultra-nationalist Armenians try to make parliaments to recognize
the Armenian historical accusations against the Turks as fact.
The United States and United Kingdom parliaments did not accept any
Armenian bill. The British Government openly declared that the 1915
Relocation Campaign was not genocide.
Turkish experts argue that the national parliaments should focus on
the present problems instead of the historical disputes. “All of us,
Turks, Armenians and Bulgarians experienced difficult times. However
we now should be united and work together” Dr. Sedat Laciner says.
According to Dr. Laciner, head of the USAK, the Bulgarian MPs have
vividly warned the Armenian lobbies that we should not sacrifice today
for the past. Dr. Laciner further continued: “If we open the past’s
dark pages, no Turkish man or woman would make co-operation with the
Armenians or other ethnic groups. More than 5 million Turkish people
were killed or died during the Balkan and First World War years. Many
were tortured or killed by their own neighbors.
However the Turks prefer to forget the bitter memoirs. They understood
that otherwise they could not establish a future. Turks do still
remember the past, but pretend the reverse. The Turks forgive the
Armenians and others. Armenians have to learn how to forget and
forgive. Otherwise they will have no future but sorrows forever.”
Turkey has never accepted the Armenian accusations and argued that the
armed Armenians had massacred more than 520,000 Turkish people during
the First World War. The Armenian groups in the Eastern provinces
joined the occupying powers against their own state.