TURKISH PRIME MINISTER ONCE AGAIN THREATENED TO EXPEL ARMENIAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Today
March 29 2010
Azerbaijan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with
German weekly Der Spiegel once again threatened to expel the Armenians,
which illegally live in Turkey, CNN Turk television channel reported
on Sunday.
"Armenians live in Turkey: both as citizens and illegally. So far
we have not raised the question of their deportation [of illegals],
but if the Armenian Diaspora will continue to exert pressure, we will
be forced to do it," Erdogan said.
According to the Turkish prime minister, in 2005 in a letter to
former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, he noted that the issue
of so-called "Armenian genocide" is not a matter of politicians,
but should be studied by historians.
"If in the future as a result of historical research it turns out
anything serious, we are ready to accept our past. But it is very
important that Armenia must be ready to accept its past," he said.
On the question of using by U.S. President Barack Obama the word of
"genocide", Erdogan said that "if he used that word, it’s his mistake."
"Use of any word by any head of state does not make it [the word]
right. In this matter the United States, like other States, is sitting
on the grandstand for the spectators. This is our history," said the
Prime Minister of Turkey.