‘MASSACRES OF ARMENIANS NOT REFLECTED IN HISTORY BOOKS’: WORDS SPOKEN IN TURKEY’S PARLIAMENT
Tert
Oct 22 2009
Armenia
On October 21, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addressed
Turkey’s Grand National Assembly by presenting the Armenian-Turkish
Protocols and the Turkish foreign ministry’s activities toward
that effect.
The Turkish foreign minister particularly emphasized that this was the
first serious step in Armenian-Turkish relations in the past 17 years.
He stated that signing of the Protocols was a very important step
to establish peace with Armenia as well as for the entire South
Caucasus region. There are many conflicts in the South Caucasus and,
according to Davutoglu, the South Ossetia war last year showed that
it is impossible to continue in this way.
Turkey wishes for peace in the region, the foreign minister said.
After the speech, numerous questions were directed to Davutoglu. There
were also dissatisfied members of parliament who spoke against the
Armenian-Turkish Protocols. In particular, Republican People’s Party
member Shukru Elekdag expressed his discontent by reiterating his
party leader, Deniz Baykal’s, tenet that Turkey is losing Azerbaijan.
Pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party MP Selahetin Demirtash, for his
part, stated that his party is for Armenian-Turkish relations. At the
same time, he raised a number of points related to the Armenian issue.
Demirtash stated that there were times in Turkey’s history when
the word "Armenian" was used as a curse. "We must remember that,"
Demirtash said, adding that so far the Turkish government hasn’t
implemented relevant security measures, as it became apparent in the
case of Hrant Dink’s murder.
As reported by Tert.am’s correspondent from Turkey, Demirtash made
one more interesting statement. "The massacres of Armenians were not
reflected in our history books," the member of the parliament stated,
adding that history textbooks must refrain from discrimination. He said
that the Turkish public will live in an atmosphere of fraternity when
"the universal language of peace" will be reflected in history.