ARMENIAN INTELLECTUALS CALL ON TURKISH LEADER TO RECOGNIZE "GENOCIDE"

Aravot
Dec 9 2008
Armenia

The following is an excerpt from an open letter by Armenian newspaper
Aravot on 9 December headlined "An open letter to President of the
Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gul"

Dear Mr President,

Following the recent events, the new situation in the South Caucasus,
the courageous step by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to invite
you to Armenia and the ensuing meeting have again proved that
normalization of the Armenia-Turkey relations requires brave and
realistic solutions. First of all, we face the thorny issue of the
Armenian genocide.

Let’s admit that this issue has been separating the two nations since
1915. It has been disturbing the collective awareness of Armenians
and Turks and has been conditioning our steps regardless of many
imperatives of everyday life.

Mr President,

We deal with a horrible crime against humanity, something that
knows no time limitations. This is not only the Armenian people’s
collective demand but also a fair expectation of the world. The
Armenian genocide is a crime against humanity and the modern civil
values, and no individual or an organization or a government can
question what happened.

We all have to face the fact that the Ottoman Turkey is guilty of the
genocide against the Armenian people, and the present Turkish state
has inherited the responsibility for that act. The present diplomacy
and the propaganda machine of Turkey cannot shut the sad page of our
common history. The collective memory of our two nations is very deep
and confused; there are no easy solutions.

Your generation of Turkish leadership should admit the undeniable fact
and recognize the Armenian genocide. We think the Turkish people need
this in the first place. By doing so, they will get rid of the historic
burden and will stand next to other nations with an open face. This
is the only way to turn over this page and take a courageous step
towards future. This is the only way for our nations to engage in
sincere dialogue and for the desirable reconciliation process.

Your visit to Armenia and the Turkish initiative to contribute to
stability in the Caucasus give us some hope that a realistic political
trend is gradually emerging in Turkey, but those efforts may vaporize
easily unless the state takes decisive steps and stop its current
policy of denying the Armenian genocide once and for all.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress