ERDOGAN’S THREAT OF DEPORTATIONS: A CHILLING REMINDER OF TURKEY’S POLICIES
By Ara Khachatourian
Asbarez
Mar 17th, 2010
It seems Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not see the
irony in his statement Tuesday, when he threatened to deport Armenians
from Turkey if Congress passes the Armenian Genocide resolution.
For years, the Turkish government has used its "tolerance" toward
undocumented Armenian immigrants, allegedly numbering 100,000, as a
way to promote Turkey’s "good will" toward its neighbors.
Needless to say that a senior Armenian government official accused
the Turks late last year of grossly inflating the number of illegal
Armenians residing in Turkey, saying that it does not exceed 5,200. An
Istanbul-born Armenian researcher who studied the issue last year
came up with a similar estimate.
In this most recent iteration of Turkey’s anger toward the US,
Erdogan effectively took a page from the playbook of his ancestors
of the Ottoman Empire, whose systematic deportation of Armenians was
part of the Turks’ genocidal plan.
Erdogan and the Turkish government have gone to great lengths to deny
the Genocide, yet this latest threat, broadcast worldwide on the BBC,
proves only one thing: state-sponsored persecution is not only part
of Turkey’s history but it is also engrained in its society.
The Erdogan remarks should also raise red flags among those who invoke
Turkey’s significance as an ally to rationalize their opposition to
US recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Their steadfast perpetuation
of the Turkish lie gives a green light to the Turkish prime minister
to nonchalantly use the threat of deportation against Armenian living
in Turkey today.
Just imagine the visuals: Turkish interior ministry forces rounding up
the alleged 100,000 illegal Armenians from their homes and stuffing
them into vehicles to be transported to their exile. Or will they
want to them to walk to their exile?
The most shocking is the reaction of international leaders to this
announcement. Instead of being admonished for his inhumane posturing,
Erdogan, who is in London at the invitation of his British counterpart,
Gordon Brown, was assured Wednesday by British officials that the
Genocide bill pending in parliament would not pass.
While Armenia’s prime minister and justice minister were quick to
criticize Erdogan’s latest desperate retort, they should have vocally
stated that Armenia would welcome its own citizens back with open arms.
This statement should also send a clear signal to Armenia’s leadership
that the protocols process, which was shortsighted to begin with,
is, in fact, fraught with dangers for Armenians and their national
security.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
