Diamondback Online, MD
March 8 2007

Turkish official defends World War I actions of Ottoman Empire

Mark Cullip
Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: News

PrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 1 Minister Councilor of Turkey,
Tuluy Tanc, discussed the 1915 Armenian "genocide" and the status of
free press in Turkey during an event last night in Hillel.

Tanc defended Turkey’s role in the killing and relocation of
Armenians, during the Ottoman Empire’s involvement in World War I
from 1915 to 1917. His remarks come amidst an expected vote next
month by the U.S. House of Representatives on a non-binding
resolution to refer to the Ottoman Empire’s actions as genocide.

During World War I, 200,000 Armenians were killed, but that’s much
less than the 2.5 million Turks who were killed during the war, Tanc
said. Many estimate the Armenian death toll surpassed 1 million.

"What happened to the Armenians was a tragedy, but not genocide,"
Tanc said to an audience of about 40 people hosted by the Pro-Israel
Terrapin Alliance and the Turkish Student Association. "If the Turks
had committed genocide would there have been two Armenian ministers
in the Ottoman government?"

Tanc suggested Congress’ resolution would have serious implications.

"If the resolution passes, Turks cannot ‘shrug it off,’" Tanc said,
quoting the advice given to the Turkish government by columnist
Jackson Diehl in Monday’s Washington Post. "It will hang like a black
cloud over Turkish-American relations," Tanc said.

The lecture focused on another important in issue in Turkey: free
press.

"Freedom of the press in Turkey is pretty strong-unless you say
something bad about Turkey," Tanc said. Article 301, the Turkish law
against insulting the country, is vague, and was done in a move to
preserve "Turkishness." "The parliament is trying to change it, so is
academia. The Prime Minister says it will be changed."

The Turkish Student Association hopes to continue the Armenian debate
at the University of Maryland, President Rachel Salomon said, with a
possible event held at Maryland with Turkish groups from George
Washington and Catholic universities.

The president of Pro-Israel Terrapin Alliance, Avi Mayer, called the
event "tremendously instructive."

Ambassador Tanc is Turkey’s former Deputy Permanent Representative to
the United Nations and has been actively involved in the formulation
and implementation of Turkish foreign policy for thirty years, an
event flyer said.