HISTORIANS INVITED TO STUDY ARMENIAN MASSACRES
AFP
10/7/2009 0:22:38
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Abdullah Gul yesterday urged foreign
historians to join a commission to study the massacres of Armenians
under the Ottoman Empire, envisaged under a peace deal between Ankara
and Yerevan.
"There are all sorts of allegations about what happened a century ago.
It is clear that people who do not know what happened where or how are
not able to take decisions on this matter," Gul said in an interview.
"What we hope is that historians, archive specialists study this matter
and we are ready to accept the conclusions of this commission. To
show that we are sincere, we even said that if a third country is
interested in this matter, if French historians, for example, want
to take part in this commission, they are welcome," he added on the
eve of a visit to France.
The establishment of a commission to study the massacres is part of
two protocols that Turkey and Armenia said they would sign in a bid
to establish diplomatic ties for the first time and open their border,
sealed since 1993.
The most contentious issue between the two neighbours is the World
War I massacres of Armenians
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were systematically killed
between 1915 and 1917 as Turkey’s predecessor, the Ottoman Empire,
was falling apart. Turkey rejec ts the genocide label and argues that
300,000-500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil
strife when Armenians took up arms against their Ottoman rulers and
sided with invading Russian troops.