12/30/2008 11:52 AM
APOLOGIZING TO THE ARMENIANS
‘Eroding One of Turkey’s Biggest Taboos’
More than 25,000 Turks have added their names to an online statement
apologizing for Ottoman war crimes committed during World War I. SPIEGEL
spoke with campaign initiator Baskin Oran.
SPIEGEL: Since the beginning of your online campaign, more than 25,000 Turks
have signed a statement apologizing for war crimes committed by the Ottoman
Empire during World War I. More than a million Armenians lost their lives in
the catastrophic events which began in 1915. Is this the beginning of a
critical examination of the past?
Oran: The Turks who are now apologizing are not responsible for the sins of
1915. There is no collective crime, but there is a collective conscience.
With our campaign, we are eroding one of Turkey’s biggest taboos. But still, the
campaign is coming decades late.
SPIEGEL: Turkish nationalists say that you are damaging the country’s image.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agrees.
Oran: I disagree. I think that our image abroad will actually improve.
Beyond that though, it is for the grandchildren of the Armenians who finally
should hear an apology — in a country like Turkey that has no "culture of
apology."
SPIEGEL: What effect will the campaign have on Turkish-Armenian relations?
Oran: The majority of Armenians welcome our initiative. But there are
hardliners who criticize that our petition does not specifically use the word
"genocide." They are afraid that our apology could foil Armenian demands for
reparations. Such people merely see us as lackeys of the Turkish state.
SPIEGEL: What kind of reactions have you received from Turkish citizens.
Oran: They have, unfortunately, been mostly negative. Every day, I
personally receive around 200 pieces of hate mail. Many accuse me of having insulted
the Turkish people. But one has to bear in mind: every child here learns that
Armenians killed Muslims. Our education is to blame for the country’s
collective amnesia. In eastern Turkey, though, it is true that in the pastmany
people suffered from Armenian revenge attacks.
Interview conducted by Daniel Steinvorth
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2008