Turkey Reacts to Obama’s “Meds Yeghern;”

By Appo Jabarian

Executive Publisher / Managing Editor

USA Armenian Life Magazine
Friday,  May 8, 2009

On April 24, moments after Pres. Barack Obama issued a statement on the Armenian Genocide, this writer stated in the on-line special edition of USA Armenian Life that the U.S. President’s usage of the Armenian term “Meds Yeghern” as being the equivalent of the word genocide.
There were numerous responses from the readers. Some agreed with and others disagreed with the title and the content of the special edition.

One must note that before the creation of the legal term genocide by Rafael Lemkin in 1943, Armenians employed the term “Meds Yeghern” in reference to the Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey (1915-1923) in Western Armenia and Cilica.

The purpose of this week’s article is not to argue as to who is right and who is wrong. The intention here is to shed light on some of the aspects of the response by Turkey to Pres. Obama’s; and the Turkish media’s response to the April 24 USA Armenian Life article.

On April 25, Turkish Pres. Abdullah Gul criticized Obama. Turkish Foreign Ministry said some parts of the statement are “unacceptable. We consider some expressions in that statement and the perception of history it contains regarding the events of 1915, as unacceptable,” the ministry said.
On April 29, Robert Ellis of The Guardian reported in an article titled “Tackling the Turkish taboo” that Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called Obama’s remarks “an unacceptable interpretation of history.”  (www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/29/armenian-genocide-turkey)

Apparently what must have troubled Turkey’s President and Prime Minister is President Obama’s usage of the words: “Those who tried to destroy them (the Armenians).”

As David Boyajian, a Boston-based freelance writer points out: “Obama’s April 24 statement broke his many promises. But I did notice one thing, he said ‘… Armenian people, and as the ultimate rebuke to those who tried to destroy them. … ‘Destroy’ is part of the Genocide Convention’s very definition of genocide.” Boyajian still thinks that the overall April 24 declaration by Pres. Obama was a travesty, adding “I don’t want anyone to ever think that I somehow find the lack of the word Genocide acceptable or that I would ever approve of Obama’s duplicity.”

The Turkish www.YeniCagGazetesi.com.tr’s Sava? SÜZAL wrote an article on April 28 titled “Armenians now pursue lands and reparations.” (Click on the following link to the article in Turkish: ).

He elaborated: “Appo Jabarian, the publisher and the managing editor of USA Armenian Life Magazine wrote about the necessity of embarking on recovering the ancestral lands (meaning Anatolia) that were confiscated from their forefathers and reparations for their lost properties.” Mr. SÜZAL’s commentary also appeared on www.HaberGazete.com.
Another Turkish daily HaberGazete.com‘s contributing writer Muammer Kaylan wrote on April 27 that “Appo Jabarian is saying in his commentary that several Armenian political observers agree with leading Armenian American activists such as Harut Sassounian that Armenians need to move on and pursue their quest for Justice. Sassounian wrote on several occasions that the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide has already been achieved through the collective hard work by notable Armenian organizations during the past several decades.”

Mr. Kaylan continued “According to Jabarian, in an interview with The Los Angeles Times in April 2008, Sassounian has stated that ‘Now the genocide is an established fact. So we’re not clamoring anymore about the world ignoring us. With these remarks Sassounian said that the Armenian people are in pursuit of justice. During those days whatever has been taken away from the Armenians resitutions must be made.”

Mr. Kaylan added: “Armenia and the Armenian American Diaspora are not letting up on the Genocide issue. Their objectives are obvious and their intention to march toward this goal is now very clear. But the Armenians’ insistence on Turkey’s genocide recognition and their demands for lands and reparations has brought upon Turkey difficult situation.”

Not all Turks were as courteous as the ones mentioned above. Soon after the article by this writer titled “U.S. Pres. Obama Twice Uses Meds Yeghern The Armenian Equivalent Of Genocide in His Presidential Statement” appeared on the TurkishForum.com.tr numerous denialist Turkish blogers expressed frustrations at a few Armenians’ resolve to find victory in Pres. Obama’s April 24 statement. As a result, they attacked this writer hurling at him all kinds of insults.

Joining their denialist peers at The Turkish Forum, other denilialist Turks also attacked Jabarian on YouTube.

In response to the venomous denialists insult against Jabarian, Agho, a fellow activist wrote: “To all those Turks that attack Appo Jabarian: Appo never used any foul language against you, but you guys have bombarded him and other Armenians with all kinds of garbage spilled out of your…blessed… mouths. This is the difference between civilized Armenians like Appo and nomads like … well, it’s obvious. … One more thing: Why is the most stupid bird in animal kingdom called turkey????”

As worldwide Armenian activism for justice continues to grow, denialist Turks increasingly feel the heat. Having lost their homeland in Western Armenia and Cilicia, Armenians in both Armenia and the Diaspora have no choice but to continue their drive for further consolidating their political and economic power for the specific purpose of recovering their forcibly Turkish-occupied lands. Any letting up on that purpose spells trouble not only for the Armenians living in dispersion but also for the fledgling republics of Armenia and Artsakh.