TURKISH PM SLASHES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ACCUSATIONS

Source: Xinhua
People’s Daily Online, China
Sept 12 2006

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday rejected the
accusations that ancient old Ottoman empire had committed genocide
in Armenia, saying the accusations are unacceptable.

"There are countries trying to slander our history by political
reasons. The calumny regarding the so-called Armenian genocide is
one of them," Erdogan said at the 15th Turkish History Congress,
which is being attended by 310 experts from 43 countries.

History should be studied thoroughly based on documents and without
any political consideration, Erdogan said, adding that it is very
important in achieving peace in the region and in the world.

"I personally proposed Armenian authorities to establish a joint
history commission. I underlined that this issue should be investigated
and assessed by historians. We have not yet received any affirmative
response," Erdogan said.

Under the old Ottoman empire, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians
are said to have been killed or die after being forcibly driven from
their homes in Turkey between 1915 and 1917.

Ankara rejects all accusations of genocide, arguing that the number
of Armenian deaths was estimated at 300,000, and that the deaths were
caused by a combination of war, disease, famine and ethnic conflict.

Early last week, the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee
approved a report which says Turkey must recognize the Armenian
genocide before it gets the full membership of the European Union.

Commenting on the report, a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said
that the report contradicts esteem and seriousness of the European
Parliament.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress