Anadolu Agency, Turkey
March 26 2010

Turkish premier meets Armenian community leader

Ankara, 26 March: The leader of Armenian community in Turkey, who was
received by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, described the
incidents of 1915 as "mutual affliction of close friends who were made
hostile to each other," saying there was no need to rake up the past.

Following his meeting with Erdogan in Ankara, Bedros Sirinoglu said,
"my grandfather died during the incidents of 1915. But there is no
need to rake up the past and call it a genocide."

Turkish State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc was also
present at the meeting.

The meeting came three weeks after a voting at the U.S. House Foreign
Affairs Committee that adopted a resolution on Armenian allegations
despite opposition from the Obama Administration and a similar voting
of Swedish Parliament on March 11. They prompted Turkey to recall its
ambassadors to United States and Sweden.

"Incidents of 1915 sowed discord between two close friends who loved
each other," Sirinoglu said.

"It was a row of a hundred years ago and it created mistrust. We have
to forget it and look forward," he said.

Turkey strongly rejects genocide allegations and regards the events as
civil strife in wartime which claimed lives of many Turks and
Armenians.

When asked about the Armenian population before 1915 and today,
Sirinoglu said that the population was 1.5 million at that time.

However, he said a significant part of Armenians migrated to several
countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq and France and added that
both Turkish and Armenian peoples suffered from what happened a
hundred years ago.

"If we dredge up (the incidents of 1915), we will have to stay in
dark," he said.

"It has been a hundred years. No need to hold a grudge. Such things
have happened in the world such as wars. But they have all been
covered up. But I do not know why, these incidents between Turkish
people and Armenians living in Ottoman state are still not covered."

Sirinoglu also said that Armenian people were living safely in Turkey.

Asked if he was hopeful about the protocols signed by Turkey and
Armenian in October 2009 to normalize relations, Sirinoglu said, "I am
hopeful because I believe Turkey and Armenia would learn lessons from
the past."

Sirinoglu also said he apologized to Erdogan for misguiding him about
the number of Armenian citizens living in Turkey.

Earlier this month, Erdogan said 100,000 out of 170,000 Armenians
living in Turkey were not Turkish citizens. He said Turkey could
deport these people living in Turkey illegally.

"There are 20,000 Armenian citizens living in Turkey, not 100,000,"
Sirinoglu said. "Mr. Prime Minister gave credence to our words and
said it was 100,000. I would like to thank him for trusting us. But I
would also like to apologize for misguiding him."