ARMENIANS OF ISTANBUL ARE THE HOSTAGES OF THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.06.2007 GMT+04:00

Archbishop Mutafian gives publicity to Turkish official viewpoint
regarding the issue of the Armenian Genocide, and doesn’t forget to
mention about "the Armenian armed revolt against the government".

Since January, 2007 as the Resolution N 106 about the Armenian
Genocide was passed in the US Congress, different opinions about the
Patriarch of Constantinople Mesrop Mutafian (Mesrop II), speaking
against the above mentioned Resolution, have started to appear in
Turkish press. The Patriarch’s viewpoint, which gave rise to severe
criticism both in Diaspora and Armenia, is quite explicable; Mesrop
II wants to maintain the fragile but peaceful relations both with
Turkish authorities and with the country’s population.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the Constitution Armenians, Greeks and
Jews are considered to be the only national minorities in Turkey. And
if the Turkish Government is more loyal towards the Jews, based on
the fact that Israel is in friendly relations with Ankara, it is not
at all loyal and moreover carries out rather harsh policy towards the
Armenians and Greeks. The spiritual leader of the community should
by all means be a citizen of Turkey. The truth is that he is elected
by the community itself, yet the candidacy must be confirmed by the
government first.

In fact the Armenian and Greek Patriarchs are functionaries, called to
perform their duties and not to permit any announcements contradicting
the policy carried out by the Turkish Government. In fact the Patriarch
and the Armenian Community of Istanbul have become the hostages of
the Turkish Government and this is why the announcement shattering
every Armenian in any part of the world should be regarded from a
different point of view.

Recently official meetings of the Members of the US Congress
Delegation with Turkey’s initiative have been held in Ankara, after
which the Congressmen headed to Istanbul, where they visited the
Armenian Patriarchate in Constantinople. During the meeting of the
Congressmen with Mesrop Mutafian issues concerning Resolution on the
Armenian Genocide, Hrant Dink’s murder, as well as the murders of the
Catholic Priest Santoro in Trabzon and three evangelical believers
in Malatya were discussed. "Lraber" quotes the Patriarch’s words,
"Based upon both the intergovernmental relations of Turkey and Armenia
and the relations of the local Armenians with the Turkish Nation, we
are not positively disposed towards the Resolution about the Armenian
Genocide submitted to the US Congress. But at the same time we cannot
deny the tragic events of the past. The history will never forgive
the Ittihad ve Teraki’s (Unity and Progress) act aimed at not only
the punishment of the Armenian armed revolt against the government,
but also all the Armenians living in Turkey. 1,5 million people of
Armenian origin were killed in the Syrian deserts.

Today there are 70.000 Armenians living in our country. The Armenians
who adopted Islam to avoid deportation shouldn’t be forgotten
either. Since they continue speaking Armenian, they remain faithful
to the Armenian Culture, and regardless their religion we consider
them one of us. And we never consider the Armenian Diaspora being
an object of dispute. We are Armenians from Turkey and together with
our Muslim neighbors we try to maintain healthy social and commercial
relations. The time to develop the politics of tomorrow has come. The
Republic of Armenia boarders on Turkey, and since it is out of question
to change the border lines between the two countries, it is of great
benefit to the Armenians of Turkey for two neighboring countries to
be in better relations with each other. What we have in common with
the Turkish Republic is of political character, with Armenia we are
connected with religious and cultural ties. We, the Armenians of
Turkey, want nothing but peace".

In fact the Archbishop Mutafian gave publicity to Turkish official
viewpoint regarding the issue of the Armenian Genocide, and didn’t
forget to mention about "the Armenian armed revolt against the
government".

One should really have some very serious reasons to fear for his
life and the future of the Armenian Community in Istanbul to call
the heroic defense of Van and Sasun an "armed revolt against the
government". Another truth is that it is always easier to judge. Yet
the thousands of the Armenian priests, who didn’t leave their posts
and had their share of sufferings shouldn’t be left unmentioned. By
the way in Istanbul there had already been a Patriarch, Maghakia
Ormanyan who carried out prudent and constructive politics, which
aroused frustration among the Armenian intellectuals and political
parties. In July 1908 the participants of the mass demonstration in
Constantinople broke into the Patriarch’s residence and deposed him.