ERDOGAN FINALLY ADMITS TURKEY PRACTICED ETHNIC CLEANSING
By Harut Sassounian
/27/erdogan-finally-admits-turkey-practiced-ethnic -cleansing/
May 27, 2009
In a daring statement, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
admitted for the first time that the expulsion from Turkey of tens
of thousands of ethnic Greeks in the last century was a "fascist"
act, Reuters reported.
Some commentators viewed Erdogan’s remarks as a reference to the
expulsion of 1.5 million ethnic Greeks from Turkey to Greece in
1923. The large-scale population exchange between the two countries
also included the transfer of more than 500,000 ethnic Turks from
Greece to Turkey.
Other observers thought that Erdogan was referring to the pillaging
of thousands of Greek shops and houses by Turkish mobs in Istanbul on
Sept. 6-7, 1955, following the spread of false reports that Ataturk’s
house in Thessaloniki, Greece had been burned down.
Beyond the expulsion of Greeks, Erdogan made an indirect reference
to the tragic fate of other ethnic groups, such as Armenians, in
Turkey. "For years, those of different identities have been kicked
out of our country. … This was not done with common sense. This
was done with a fascist approach," Erdogan said on May 23, during
the annual congress of the Justice and Development Party, held in
the western province of Duzce.
"For many years," Erdogan continued, "various facts took place in this
country to the detriment of ethnic minorities who lived here. They
were ethnically cleansed because they had a different ethnic cultural
identity. The time has arrived for us to question ourselves about
why this happened and what we have learned from all of this. There
has been no analysis of this right up until now. In reality, this
behavior is the result of a fascist conception. We have also fallen
into this grave error."
The Turkish prime minister’s candid remarks were harshly criticized by
opposition parties. Onur Oymen, vice president of the main opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP), said that associating Turkey’s history
with terms like fascism based on hearsay was not right. He also said
that no Turkish citizen had ever been expelled because of his or her
ethnic background. Oktay Vural of the opposition MHP party added:
"Erdogan’s words are an insult to the Turkish nation."
In sharp contrast, liberal Turkish commentators praised Erdogan
for his conciliatory remarks: "For the first time you have a prime
minister who wants to admit that mistakes were made in the treatment
of religious minorities. This is historic," wrote journalist Sami
Kohen in Milliyet. "But whether this rhetoric will be followed with
deeds remains to be seen."
Hurriyet Daily News added: "Erdogan’s speech was historic; it was the
first time that a high official accepted there have been unlawful and
undemocratic practices against minorities in the past. This sentiment
was echoed by Professor Halil Berktay in Vatan newspaper: ‘That
statement was the most courageous thing ever said by Erdogan.’ Baskin
Oran, another academic well-known for his liberal views, told Star
newspaper that he was ‘proud of a prime minister who denounces ethnic
and religious cleansing.’"
CNN-Turk news director Ridvan Akar was more skeptical about Erdogan’s
true intentions. He wrote in Vatan: "Minority rights as well as
those of religious foundations are a structural problem within the
Turkish state. Of course, Erdogan has taken a step forward with this
declaration. But the sincerity of his words will depend on facts to
back them up, such as the restitution of rights to those who have
been expelled, the return of confiscated properties, or compensation."
The prime minister’s statement is encouraging, if it is an indication
that Turkey’s leaders have finally decided to face the ugly chapters
of their country’s past.
However, it would be wrong to draw overly optimistic conclusions from
this single statement. Erdogan has made similar comments about the
Kurds in Turkey, only to have their hopes dashed by taking unexpected
repressive measures against them.
The fact is that Erdogan is not the master of his political domain. The
"fascists" he attacks are not buried in an Ottoman historical grave,
but are alive and well in Turkish society and occupy the highest
echelons of the military and judiciary.
Yet, Erdogan is politically shrewd enough to realize that his
condemnation of fascism will resonate at home and in the West, and
win him accolades and support against his powerful domestic opponents.
Erdogan’s battle against the ghosts of the Turkish past is in fact a
fight for his political survival against those in today’s Turkey who
view him and his Islamic party with deep suspicion, and are determined
to counter his every move, ultimately seeking his downfall from power.