ANALYSIS BY ERMENIHABER.AM: WHAT DID DAVUTOGLU SAY IN HIS MESSAGE?

16:08 21/04/2015 >> COMMENTS

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s yesterday’s statement became
another subject of discussions.

“The Turkish side is attempting to present it as a condolence message
addressed to the children and grandchildren of the Ottoman Armenians.

However, judging by the text of Davutoglu’s statement, one might think
that it is a bill of indictment, rather than a message of condolence,”
Mkhitar Nazaryan writes in an article in Ermenihaber.am.

“And what did Davutoglu say in his message? He said things that exist
on paper only, but not in the Turkish reality. Let’s try to make sure
of it through a detailed consideration.”

Davutoglu spoke about a duty to “protect” the memory of Ottoman
Armenians and the Armenian cultural heritage.

“But in that very Turkey the Ottoman Armenians’ graves are desecrated
and the churches are turned into stables. The Armenian cemetery of
formerly Armenian-populated village of Stanoz, 30 km from Turkish
capital Ankara, is being desecrated and plundered now.

The headstones have been stolen, and pieces of human bones are
scattered in the surroundings. Still, this is not the only cemetery to
deserve such a destiny. The Armenian intangible cultural heritage is
even very often used as building material in Turkey: the building of
Justice of the town Mush was built with the stones of the Armenian St.

Mariam monastery in the village Suluca.

“St. Arakelots (Apostles’) church in Kars has been turned into a
mosque; the Armenian Church in Canakkale is used as a university
building; the 142-year-old Armenian protestant church in the
settlement Sur, Diyarbakir, serves as an educational center for the
Turkish women. This is how Turkey complies with the ‘historical and
humanitarian duty’ defined by Davutoglu…”

Related: Turkey PM offers condolences, denies Genocide