Turkish FM Calls for Proof of Armenian Allegations
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 23 2005
Turkey called on countries having upheld Armenian allegations of
‘genocide’ to take the challenge to prove the genuineness of the
charges and maintained the debate was manipulated by the powerful
Armenian Diaspora.
“Account for what you have done; prove the allegations,” Turkish
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told a meeting of the parliamentary group
of his Justice and Development Party (AKP), referring to countries
whose parliaments have passed resolutions recognizing the alleged
‘genocide’.
Turkey categorically rejects charges that Armenians were subject to
a massacre campaign at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire in the
beginning of the last century and says deaths came while the Ottoman
Empire was trying to quell a civil unrest, which brought losses to
both Armenian and Turkish sides. Moreover Turkey claims that many
Armenians were killed in the ethnic conflicts between Kurds and
Armenians. 100,000 Armenians died due to the epidemic diseases and
famine in Anatolia while more than 200,000 Armenians died as a result
of the bad conditions under the Armenian rule around Yerevan in 1919.
But national parliaments of several countries have upheld the Armenian
allegations, drawing furious reaction from Turkey.
Turkish FM Gul said several parliaments have made mistakes and took
wrong decisions, referring to resolutions on the allegations and said
Turkey has reacted and would continue to react to such moves. He said
the government and the Parliament would be actively working against
Armenian allegations but did not give details.
Gul’s AKP and the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) recently
united forces in calling for a scholarly investigation of allegations
and said the Ottoman archives were open to researchers for study.
Turkish PM call the Armenian side to open their archives in Armenia
and the US. The Armenian archives, particularly the Tashnak Arcives
are closed to researchers.
The Turkish foreign minister blamed the Armenian Diaspora for the
anti-Turkey campaigns in parliaments of other countries and said
members of the Diaspora exploited the issue of alleged genocide to
promote their standing in the countries they are living. “They are a
minority. Because they are a minority, they needed a tool that would
help protect their minority identity and awareness,” he said, and
added: “In addition, they are guilty. They are living comfortably in
other countries and do not go to Armenia to help their country. They
are exploiting this issue in order to erase this feeling of guilt
and in order to strengthen their position in the countries they are
living in.” Hostility Against Turkey:
Gul said Turks and Armenians had lived side by side for centuries,
contributing to each other’s culture and added that the Ottoman
Empire had protected the Armenian language and religion, describing
the allegations of genocide as “slander and fallacy.”
“Yet, we see very well that there is hostility against Turkey,”
he went on.
Armenia – Turkey territorial borders are closed and there is no
diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey. Nationalist Armenian
parties are against the opening of the borders. The extreme Armenian
nationalist parties argue that the opening of the Turkish borders
will be a betrayal to the Armenian Case.
Armenia has occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories and does
not recognise Turkey’s national borders.
(JTW, news agencies and Turkish Daily News)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress