WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE?
By Monk Koryun Baghdasarian, Member of the Jerusalem Srbots Hakobeants Congregation

AZG Armenian Daily #158
01/09/2007

Armenian Genocide

People often come across with the words "the Youth Turks", "the
Ottoman Turks" in the press, mass media reports, in the announcements
of Armenian and foreign state officials, who condemn the perpetrators
of the Armenian Genocide. Moreover, the country that is responsible
for the Armenian Genocide often is mentioned "the Ottoman Turkey" or
"the Ottoman Empire", but not Turkey.

Here we can raise an important question: can we separate the Young
Turks from the Turkish nation and the Ottoman Turkey from the present
Republic of Turkey.

The Jewish people separate Nazis from the whole nation of Germans,
and think that Nazis are responsible for the Holocaust, but not the
whole German nation. The basis of that thinking is that most of the
Germans were not even aware of the genocide happening by their side.

However, what is the reason that does not let us the Young Turks
regard as the only responsible for the Armenian Genocide.

Of course, there are similarities between the Armenian Genocide and the
Holocaust, but each of them has its own peculiarities. The following
peculiarities prohibit Armenians to recognize the Youth Turks as the
only responsible for the Armenian Genocide:

As compared with the Armenian Genocide, one of the reasons of the
Holocaust was the fact of being non-Aryan nation. Moreover, the Germans
always regarded Jews as threats in their financial and economical
spheres. The Jewish Holocaust did not happen in their motherland,
while the Armenian Genocide has been committed in the historical
land of the Armenian people: in their motherland, where the Armenian
nation was formed and developed, where the Armenian people created
a civilization and a culture of a universal value.

The Armenian Genocide was not a result of an ideology.

The Turks killed the right of an ancient nation to live safe in its
own motherland.

Most of the Turks in cooperation with the Kurds, who believed in the
promises of the Turks, committed the Armenian Genocide. The little
percentage of the Turks, who didn’t participate in it, later seized
and captured all the property and belongings of the Armenian people.

It’s worth to mention that as compared with the Holocaust the Armenian
Genocide is not recognized and condemned yet. Moreover, the Turks not
only deny the Armenian Genocide, but also try to distort the historical
events and present themselves as the victims of a so-called genocide
by Armenians.

In the period of the 92 years’ denial Turks destroy the Armenian
historical, cultural and religious tracks, the Armenian churches
and monasteries.

Today’s Turks do not differ from the Ottoman Turks, and the
Kemalist-Republican Turkey from the Ottoman Empire. Even today,
Turkey is ready to attack and tear to pieces its victim and finish
its unfinished work.

The following facts can prove the above-mentioned: Turkish invasions
of the I Republic of Armenia from 1918-1920, the 13 Turkish divisions’
allocation in the entire length of the border of the Soviet Armenia
during the World War II, ready to attack Armenia, death of 37.000
Armenians from Istanbul in the so-called construction of the roads in
Erzerum, the accumulation of the Turkish armed forces in the length
of the border of the Republic of Armenia in 1992, the murder of the
Chief editor of "Agos" Hrant Dink, etc.

Taking into consideration the above-mentioned, we have no right to
separate the Youth Turks from the whole Turkish nation until they
deny the Armenian Genocide