AZG Armenian Daily #075, 27/04/2005
Armenian Genocide
WILL ARMENIANS AND TURKS EVER COME TO TERMS?
24% Said Yes, 33% Said No
The issue of the Armenian Genocide arouses painful feelings in 40% of
Armenian citizens, revenge in 21%, hatred in 18%, hostility in 11.5%, pity
in 5% and sense of guilt in 2%.
53% of Armenians consider human loss the greatest calamity of the Genocide,
23% sees the land loss as such, 7% the loss of national spirit and will, 4%
the loss of intelligentsia.
The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) conducted
a public poll opinion among 1900 citizens in all regions of Armenia on the
eve of Armenian Genocide’s 90th anniversary. They asked 40 questions. Stepan
Safarian, ACNIS research coordinator, presented poll’s results yesterday. We
have rounded up the numbers.
61% of respondents views the Turkish state as the ultimate responsible
authority for the Genocide, 55% the Young Turks, 30% Germany, 23% Turkish
people, 13% the Russian Empire, 10% Armenian traditional political parties.
“Is today’s Turkey responsible for the Genocide?” 81% gave positive answer,
8% negative. Speaking of modern Turkey and its people 63% of respondents
said that “Turks remains Turks and capable of committing genocide”, 29% said
that “Turkish official policy and a common Turk are different things”, 7%
think that “nowaday Turks are not the barbarians of early 20th century”.
93.5% thinks that Armenia has to demand reparations from Turkey. The next
question was “What kind of reparation do you expect?” 27% said that Turkey
has to officially recognize the Genocide, apologize, become civilized and
put down all means of Genocide negation. 20% wants to see the territories of
Western Armenian back.
25% stands for Turkey’s accession to the EU, 52% is against it, 23% was hard
to answer. On the other hand, 62% thinks that the Genocide recognition
should be put as a precondition before Turkey.
“Do you agree with Armenia’s position of establishing bilateral relations
with Turkey without preconditions but with the pursuance of Genocide’s
international recognition?” 40% agreed, 29% did not and 31% could not
answer.
The public opinion poll showed that the majority of Armenia’s population
still continues subconsciously to perceive Turkey’s western regions as
Western Armenia. Answering the question “Where the Armenian Genocide took
place?”, 76% said in Western Armenia, 19% said in the Ottoman Empire.
By Tatoul Hakobian