TURKEY DISAGREES WITH PARTS OF OBAMA’S ARMENIA STATEMENT

On the Trail with Barack Obama
April 25, 2009

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has said he disagrees with parts of
U.S. President Barack Obama’sstatement the previous day on the mass
killings of Armenians in 1915, adding hundreds of thousands of Turks
and Muslims also died.

Obama avoided using the word quot;genocidequot; when describing the
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915, and welcomed efforts
by Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations.

Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted
to genocide.

In Turkey’s first official reaction to the statement, Gul said:
quot;There are points on which I disagree. Hundreds of thousands
of Turks and Muslims also died in 1915. Everyone’s pain must be
shared,quot; according to state-run news agency Anatolian.

RFE Obama said in Europe he’s trying to avoid getting in the way
of the patchup between Turkey and Armenia: President Barack Obama
avoided using the word genocide on April 24 when describing mass
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 and welcomed efforts
by Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations.

As a presidential candidate, Obama, who took office in January, had
described the killings of Armenians as genocide, but he referred to
them as quot;atrocitiesquot; on April 24.

quot;Ninety four years ago, one of the great atrocities of the 20th
century began,quot; Obama said in a statement released by the White
House. quot;Each year, we pause to remember the 1.5 million Armenians
who were subsequently massacred or marched to their death in the
final days of the Ottoman Empire.quot;

Despite his careful word choice, Obama said his position on the
killings had not altered.

quot;I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred
in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed,quot; he
said. quot;My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and
just acknowledgment of the facts.quot;

Reuters Obama’s full statement: Ninety four years ago, one of the
great atrocities of the 20th century began. Each year, we pause to
remember the 1.5 million Armenians who were subsequently massacred or
marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The
Meds Yeghern must live on in our memories, just as it lives on in
the hearts of the Armenian people.

History, unresolved, can be a heavy weight. Just as the terrible
events of 1915 remind us of the dark prospect of mans inhumanity
to man, reckoning with the past holds out the powerful promise of
reconciliation. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred
in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. My interest
remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of
the facts.

The best way to advance that goal right now is for the Armenian and
Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a part of their
efforts to move forward. I strongly support efforts by the Turkish and
Armenian people to work through this painful history in a way that is
honest, open, and constructive. To that end, there has been courageous
and important dialogue among Armenians and Turks, and within Turkey
itself. I also strongly support the efforts by Turkey and Armenia to
normalize their bilateral relations. Under Swiss auspices, the two
governments have agreed on a framework and roadmap for normalization. I
commend this progress, and urge them to fulfill its promise.

Together, Armenia and Turkey can forge a relationship that is peaceful,
productive and prosperous. And together, the Armenian and Turkish
people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common history and
recognize their common humanity.

Nothing can bring back those who were lost in the Meds Yeghern. But
the contributions that Armenians have made over the last ninety-four
years stand as a testament to the talent, dynamism and resilience
of the Armenian people, and as the ultimate rebuke to those who
tried to destroy them. The United States of America is a far richer
country because of the many Americans of Armenian descent who have
contributed to our society, many of whom immigrated to this country
in the aftermath of 1915. Today, I stand with them and with Armenians
everywhere with a sense of friendship, solidarity, and deep respect.