Conference Turkish- Armenians Relations

You are kindly invited to attend an evening conference entitled

‘TURKISH – ARMENIAN RELATIONS’

Friday, 29 January 2010, 6 pm for 6.45 pm*

*6.00 pm Refreshments available in the Senior Dining Room, Old Building, 5^th Floor,

6.45 pm Conference (Hong Kong Theatre – St Clement’s Building)

Hong Kong Theatre

St Clement’s Building,

London School of Economics,

Houghton Street,

London WC2A 2AE

GUEST SPEAKERS

Prof. Türkkaya Ataöv

“What Really Happened on April 24, 1915?”

“The overwhelming majority of Armenian, European and American writers argue that the Armenian armed revolt of 1915 never posed a genuine threat to the security of the Ottoman state during the First World War and that their removal from eastern Anatolia was almost totally uncalled for, and hence could and should have been avoided. There exist, nevertheless, some researchers, including myself, who examined the lines of communications and the logistics disposition of the Ottoman command and concluded that the security of the three Ottoman armies in Caucasia, Syria-Palestine and Mesopotamia had been indeed very much jeopardized, not only by Armenian guerrilla attacks but also on account of participation as belligerents in the Allied armies against whom the Turks fought in several fronts. On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Ministry of Interior sent a circular to 14 provinces and 10 counties, ordering the closure of the Armenian committees and the arrest of some of their leaders notorious for dissident activities…”

Asst Prof Bestami Sadi Bilgiç

“The Question of “Genocide” in Turkish Foreign Policy: The Cases of Armenians, Pontic Rums and Assyrians”

Due to the activities of the Armenian Diaspora mainly in North America and Europe, the Armenian question has become one of the most important issues of Turkish Foreign Policy. Despite recent moves by Turkish and Armenian decision-makers for a rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, the Armenian Diaspora’s efforts for recognition of the so-called “Armenian Genocide” by countries with which Turkey has close relations have not lost any momentum. As a matter of fact, the Armenian Diaspora is still working to build upon its past “successes.” The Armenian Diaspora’s “successes” seem to have inspired other anti-Turkish political groups in America and Europe. Recently, the Pontic Greek and Assyrian Diasporas have been forming alliances with Armenian groups and striving to have their host countries recognise the so-called “Pontus and Assyrian genocides”. In this paper, an attempt will be made to illustrate the collaboration of various anti-Turkish Diaspora communities in America and Europe and examine its impact on Turkish Foreign Policy…

Chaired By

Dr Andrew Mango

The Way Forward

*****

This conference has been organised in the memory of 34 Turkish diplomats and other innocent victims who were murdered by various Armenian terrorist groups between 1973 and 1985. Most of the perpetrators have never been brought to justice, and of the few that were, only some were imprisoned and given very light sentences.

*****

Non – Members Welcome

Attendance is free but by registration only.

Places are limited so please register at turkishfederationuk@yahoo.co.uk

or telephone 07788 908 803

Organised by

THE FEDERATION OF TURKISH ASSOCIATIONS UK

www.turkishfederationuk.com

Speakers’ Biographies

Dr Andrew Mango: Born in 1926 in Istanbul, where he started his education at the English High School for Boys, going on to the School of Oriental and African Studies, London , to study Classical Persian and Arabic. Ph.D. in 1955 for a thesis on the legend of Alexander in Persian Islamic poetry. Joined the External Services (now World Service) of the BBC in 1947, and was in charge of broadcasts in Turkish between 1958 and 1972, before being promoted Head of the South European and then also of the French Language Services. After his retirement from the BBC in 1986 has worked full-time as researcher, writer and consultant on modern Turkey. His principal publications are Turkey (Thames and Hudson, 1968); Discovering Turkey (Batsford, 1972); Turkey: The Challenge of a New Role (Praeger 1994); Atatürk (John Murray, London 1999 & Overlook Press, New York); The Turks Today (John Murray, 2004, & Overlook Press, New York); and Turkey and the War on Terror (Routledge, 2005). From the Sultan to Atatürk, his book on the treaties of Sèvres and Lausanne was published in July 2009 in the series on the treaties concluded after World War I, brought out by Haus Publishing, London . Contributed the chapter on Atatürk to vol.4 of the Cambridge History of Turkey, published in 2008, and a chapter on Turkey ’s regional relations to Turkey in the Twentieth Century, ed. E.J.Zürcher, Klaus Schwartz Verlag, Berlin , 2008. Member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London, and of editorial boards of academic publications in London, Paris, Ankara and Israel. Decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal of the Turkish Foreign Ministry; Hon.Ph.D. Middle East Technical University, Ankara and Süleyman Demirel University , Isparta.

Prof Türkkaya Ataöv: Türkkaya Ataöv is Professor Emeritus in International Relations at Ankara University, Turkey. He did his graduate work in the United States, where he received two MAs (NYU & Syracuse Univ.) and a PhD (1959, Syracuse U., NY). He taught at Ankara Univ. for more than four decades and lectured in several American, British, Russian, German, Dutch, Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, African and Australian universities. He is the author of close to 140 books, a few hundred academic treaties, and a few thousand newspaper articles. His writings have been translated into 20 different languages. He was elected to central executive positions of UN-related international organisations, dealing with racial discrimination, human rights, terrorism, nuclear war, and exchange of prisoners of war. Professor Ataöv published 80 books/ booklets on the Armenian issue, was invited as “witness of authority” by the Paris court to the two (1984 & 1985) trials of Armenian terrorists, participated in the UN (1985) Geneva meetings of the Human Rights Commission on the Genocide Convention, and partook in several meetings of the European Parliament that dealt with the Armenian issue.  He is the recipient of 18 prestigious academic awards/medals: Italian Presidential Medal of Knighthood ; Yugoslav Presidential Medal of Golden Wrath; Potchyomaya Gramata Award of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Academic Award of the University of Bophuthatswana, Republic of South Africa;  Palestinian Medal of Honour; Cuban Felix El Musa Medal; Hungarian Medal of Culture; UN-IPO Golden Medal of Honour; UN Special Peace Award; Macedonian Medal of Historical Research; Shield of India; Afghan Medal; 1989 Shield of the Promotion Society of Turkey; ADD European Scientific Award for 2001; Shield of the Turkish Grand National Assembly; Shield of Selcuk University, Shield of Inonu University, Award of the Kadikoy (Istanbul) Municipality (for Contribution to Republican Principles)

Dr Bestami Sadi Bilgiç: Dr. Bestami S. Bilgic is an Assistant Professor of International Affairs at the Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University. Currently he is taking part in a research project on the Ottoman minorities at the Turkish Historical Society in Ankara. Dr. Bilgic’s research interests are Modern Greek History and Politics, Late Ottoman-Early Republican History and Minorities. Dr. Bilgic is a graduate of Bilkent University where he earned a B.A. in International Relations in 1997 and a M.A. in International Relations in 1999. After spending the academic year of 1999- 2000 in Greece doing research on the history of Turkish-Greek relations, he went to the United States for his doctoral studies and in 2004 he got his PhD in the field of Modern History at the George Washington University. Dr. Bilgic has published on the history of Turkish-Greek relations, and Turkish Foreign Policy. Dr. Bilgic speaks English, Greek, German and Macedonian, and reads Ottoman paleography.