FORMER AMBASSADORS PROTEST THE APOLOGIZING CAMPAIGN TO ARMENIANS IN TURKEY

Azeri Press Agency
Dec 16 2008
Azerbaijan

Ankara – APA. An apologizing campaign to Armenians for 1915 events
started on Internet by a group of scientists, writers, journalists,
artists and representatives of the non-governmental organizations in
Turkey caused serious protest throughout the country.

Nearly 60 former ambassadors issued statement against the signature
campaign, APA quotes the Turkish newspapers. The diplomats, including
leaders of main oppositional party – Republican People’s Party (CHP)
Onur Oymen and Shukru Elekdagh, estimated the apologizing campaign as
a misplaced, wrong and anti-historical and anti-national action. "This
wrong and unilateral step is disrespect to our history and betrayal of
our people killed in massacres committed by the Armenian terrorist
organizations in the last period of Ottoman Empire. It is true
that Armenian migration caused some painful results under the war
conditions in 1915, but Turkish people suffered not less Armenians
as a result of Armenian rebel and terror. Armenians have taken the
side of our enemies since the second half of 19th century, then in
the World War I and early years of the Salvation War and committed
savageries against our people in Anatolia, which were described in
the local and foreign archive materials".

It was reminded in the statement that Armenians restarted their
terrorist activities in 1973, killed Turkish diplomats and then
occupied Azerbaijani lands expelling one million people from their
homelands. "It is interesting, are those people, who made so stupid
step like apologizing campaign, thinking about apologizing for
the victims of Armenian terror and oppression? They must achieve
apologizing from Armenians for killing of Turkish diplomats and
their families in the near past before initiating the apologizing
to Armenians and justifying their claims. These killers are still
alive and remain unpunished because they found refuge in Armenia or
other countries".