TURKEY’S MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY CONDEMNS APOLOGY CAMPAIGN FOR "1915 INCIDENTS"

Turkish Press
Dec 18 2008

ANKARA – MPs from Turkey’s Main Opposition party, CHP, condemned
Wednesday the campaign launched to apologize from Armenians for the
incidents of 1915.

Parliamentarians of Republican’s People’s Party (CHP) who hold seats
at the foreign relations committee of the Turkish Parliament, released
a communique saying that Turkey had nothing to apologize for regarding
1915 incidents.

"The claim that Turkey committed a crime in those years, requiring
an apology has no legal or historical foundation. If there is someone
who needs to apologize, it is the Armenian side, who attacked Turkish
soldiers and killed hundreds of thousands of Turkish citizens while
siding with and supporting a foreign country on an attempt to invade
Ottoman territory," said the communique.

The Parliamentarians also said the Armenians also needed to apologize
for massacring thousands of Azerbaijani citizens, invading Azerbaijani
territory and forcing one million of its citizens to exile.

They also said Armenians needed to apologize for not prosecuting and
punishing ASALA terrorists who assassinated Turkish diplomats.

"While these facts remain, the attempt to apologize from Armenians
has been rather an act violating the homage we owe to our history
and ancestors, and one that hurts the honour of the Turkish Nation,"
said the communique.