TANER AKCHAM: THE IDEA TO EXHILE ARMENIANS FROM ANATOLIA CAME IN 1913

ArmRadio.am
21.02.2007 17:58

The idea of exhiling Armenians from Anatolia – the heart of the
Ottoman Empire – came to the mind of Turkish authorities in 1913,
since after losing in the Balkan War a prior to that they had come
to the conclusion that it is impossible to live in the same country
with Christians, leading Turkish intellectual, historian Taner Akcham
said in an interview with the American " Minneapolis Start Tribune"
newspaper.

"In 1912 during one week the Ottoman Empire lost 69% of its European
land which was the motherland of the ruling elite. They lost their
native land mostly due to Christians. Thus, the decision was taken
that it is impossible to live with them. Armenians comprised 45%
of the population of Anatolia," said the Turkish historian.

According to Akcham, from January 1914 the leaders of the Ottoman
Empire worked out a strategy and programs of creating homogeneous
Anatolia.