Agence France Presse — English
March 26, 2010 Friday 2:30 PM GMT
Head of Turkey’s Armenians urges an end to ‘genocide’ row
ankara, March 26 2010
The head of Turkey’s tiny Armenian community called Friday for an end
to the "useless" dispute over whether Armenians were victims of
genocide under the Ottoman Empire.
"It is useless to perpetuate this (row) with a grudge after one
hundred years," Bedros Sirinoglu told reporters after a meeting with
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"There is no use in dwelling on this too much… Many such incidents
happened throughout the world… but they were closed. I cannot
understand why this one is not being closed," he added.
The dispute was rekindled earlier this month when the US House Foreign
Affairs Committee approved a non-binding resolution branding the
killings a genocide, with Sweden’s parliament following suit shortly,
prompting a furious Ankara to recall its ambassadors from both
countries.
The tensions added further uncertainty to an already fragile deal
between Turkey and Armenia signed in October to end decades of
hostility, establish diplomatic ties and open their border.
Sirinoglu said he remained optimistic that Ankara and Yerevan would
press ahead with the deal, which needs parliamentary ratification in
both countries to take effect.
"I am hopeful that Turkey and Armenia will both learn a lesson from
the past and will not repeat the same mistakes and that the job will
be rapidly finished," he said.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin perished in mass killings
and deportations in 1915-1917 in what was an organised extermination
campaign.
Turkey rejects the genocide label, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks perished in civil strife when
Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with Russian
forces invading the crumbling empire.