CHP DEPUTY SEEKS RESIDENCE PERMIT FOR ARMENIAN PATIENT

Today’s Zaman
April 26 2010
Turkey

In a surprising move, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Ä°zmir deputy
Canan Arıtman, known for previous offensive remarks about Armenians,
has petitioned Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to grant a residence
permit to a sick Armenian man.

Arıtman’s request came on Saturday during talks on a
government-sponsored constitutional amendment package. She approached
Erdogan in Parliament and asked him something quietly. When asked what
she had spoken of with him, Arıtman said: "I asked him to grant a
permanent residence permit for Armenian Arthur Manukyan, who suffers
from moyamoya disease [an inherited disease in which certain arteries
in the brain are constricted]. Today is April 24 [Armenian Remembrance
Day], and I wanted to show how noble the Turkish nation is."

Thousands of undocumented Armenian immigrants currently live in
Ä°stanbul, where many settled after an earthquake in their homeland
in 1988. The exact number of Armenian immigrants in Turkey is unknown,
but Turkish-Armenian groups say Turkish politicians inflate the numbers
of illegal workers and threaten expulsions whenever tensions escalate
between Ankara and Yerevan.

Erdogan reportedly told her in response that he would look into the
issue. Arıtman’s move was surprising as she previously drew public
ire for her suggestion of deporting Armenian workers in Turkey.

Also in late 2008, Arıtman criticized Gul for not objecting to an
apology campaign launched by Turkish intellectuals over the killings
of Anatolian Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915,
which Armenians claim constituted genocide. Arıtman said Gul was
rubberstamping the campaign because of his ethnic origins. "We see
that the president supports this campaign. Abdullah Gul should be the
president of the entire Turkish nation, not just of those sharing his
ethnicity. Investigate the ethnic origins of the president’s mother
and you will see," she said. Arıtman drew ire with her comments,
with some critics accusing her of racism.