EXPERT IN TURKISH STUDIES: TURKEY DECIDED TO SMOOTHEN TOUGH ANNOUNCEMENTS BY INVOLVING TURKISH ARMENIANS IN THIS PROCESS

ARKA
March 29, 2010
Yerevan

YEREVAN, March 29. /ARKA/. Political elite of Turkey carried out
decision on smoothening tough announcements and substituted them with
softer ones, said Ruben Melkonyan, expert in Turkish studies.

"These processes take place by involving not only Abdullah Gul,
President of Turkey, but also Armenians living in Turkey", he said
on Monday during the press-conference.

Petros Shirin-Oglu, authoritative figure of Armenian Diaspora of
Istanbul, Chairman of Board of Trustees of Istanbul hospital "Surb
Prkich" apologized to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey
for the provision of false information on the number of illegally
living Armenians in Turkey.

"Shirin-Oglu tries to send original messages to the world that Turkish
government is merciful towards Armenians wanting to change the image
about Turkey. Political mechanism and all the structures in Turkey
immediately disseminated this information in the world via mass media
with rather expressive titles such as "Shirin-Oglu taught the world"
or "Message of Shirin-Oglu and Armenians to the world", said Melkonyan.

"Turkey itself has hundreds and thousands illegally living citizens
in many countries and should think about its own illegal migrants",
said Melkonyan.

In his interview to TV Company BBC Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister
of Turkey threatened to deport all Armenians living illegally in the
territory of Turkey. He said that today there are about 170 thousand
Armenians living in Turkey, from which only 70 thousand are citizens
of Turkey. Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Turkey Edward
Nalbandyan and Ahmed Davutoghlu signed "Protocol on establishment of
diplomatic relations" and "Protocol on development of mutual relations"
on October 10, Saturday, in Zurich. Then these documents should be
approved by the parliaments of both countries.

Armenian-Turkish border was closed since 1993 by the official
initiative of Ankara. Complicated relations between two countries were
due to the fact that Ankara supported Azerbaijan in Karabakh problem
and also an acute reaction of Turkey on the process of international
recognition of Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Ottoman Empire.

Armenian Genocide of 1915 was the first genocide of 20th century.

Turkey traditionally refuses the genocide of Armenians during the
First World War and painfully reacts on the critic from the West.

Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania,
Parliament of Italy and majority of United States.