People’s Daily, China
March 27 2010

Armenian community leader urges Turkey, Armenia to move beyond genocide dispute

10:39, March 27, 2010

The leader of Armenian community in Turkey on Friday urged Turkey and
Armenia to move beyond the current genocide row to mend relations as
the dispute cast a shadow over the two countries’ normalization
process. "The 1915 incidents sowed the seeds of discords between two
close friends who loved each other … We have to forget it and look
forward," Bedros Sirinoglu, leader of Turkey’s Armenian community,
told reporters after being received by Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

His words came after a U.S. congressional panel and the Swedish
parliament passed nonbinding resolutions that recognize the killings
of Armenians by Ottoman forces during the World War I as genocide
earlier this month, drawing ire from Ankara.

Armenians claim that more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a
systematic genocide during the World War I, but the Turkish government
insists the Armenians were victims of widespread chaos and
governmental breakdown as the Ottoman empire collapsed before modern
Turkey was created in 1923.

Sirinoglu said both Turks and Armenians suffered from what happened at
that time, noting "we’ll stay in the darkness if we keep digging up
the issue (the killings)."

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and signed protocols to
normalize relations last October. The accords need to be ratified by
the two countries’ parliaments before taking effect.

Turkish authorities have warned the row over the "genocide" claims
could hamper the normalization process. Erdogan was reportedly said
earlier this month Turkey could deport 100,000 Armenians living in
Turkey illegally but later explained he was misquoted by media.

Sirinoglu said there are 20,000 Armenian citizens living in Turkey and
apologized for "misguiding" the prime minister about the number.

He told reporters he was hopeful about the normalization protocols as
he believes Turkey and Armenia would learn lessons from the past.

Source: Xinhua