TURKOLOGIST: RASH MEASURES OVER “GALLIPOLI INITIATIVE” UNVEIL ANKARA’S PANIC AHEAD OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL
by David Stepanyan
ARMINFO
Monday, February 23, 12:12
Rash measures over “Gallipoli initiative” and its cancellation have
unveiled Turkey leadership’s panic ahead of the Armenian Genocide
centennial, Ruben Safrastyan, Director of the Oriental Studies
Institute, National Academy of Science of Armenia, told ArmInfo.
According to Today’s Zaman the centennial commemorations of the
Gallipoli Campaign of World War I initiated by the Turkish government
and to be celebrated on April 24 of this year — the same date as
the centennial commemorations of the “Armenian genocide” — have been
cancelled due to the unwillingness of international leaders to visit
Ankara and overshadow the genocide ceremonies in Yerevan.
“If confirmed, Zaman’s reports will become a shame to the Turkish
authorities, given that the Gallipoli commemorations were cancelled
for lack of international interest in Ankara’s initiative,” the
Turkologist said. Safrastyan believes that the world community has
adequately responded to the cynical and immoral idea of Ankara, and
the leaders of most of the invited countries refused to participate in
the Gallipoli comedy. The reports disseminated by Zaman, inherently,
belong to Fethullah Gulen and shows how deep are the discrepancies in
the Turkish elite. On the other hand, Gulen and his movement still
remain part of that elite. “I think, we should not disregard that
the United States might stand behind that story,” the Turkologist said.
The Gallipoli celebrations have been cancelled. All preparations
have been suspended as the number of RSVPs to the invitation is not
positive. Only five countries have accepted the invitation and they
will not be represented by high-level officials, Ankara has not made
any official statement on the cancellation of the Gallipoli event yet.