Turkish Forum

Author: Aylin D. Miller

  • Turkey Not Ready To Recognize The Genocide Of Armenians by Gevorg Harutyunyan

    Turkey Not Ready To Recognize The Genocide Of Armenians by Gevorg Harutyunyan

     

    Turkey Not Ready To Recognize The Genocide Of Armenians

    by

    Gevorg Harutyunyan
    Hayots Ashkhar Daily, July 04, 2008 Armenia
    Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences, Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan is the interlocutor of “Hayots Ashkharh” daily.

    “Mr. Safrastyan at this stage of the geo-political developments what peculiarities do Armenian-Turkish relations have?”

    “We must record that Turkey’s attitude towards Armenia is at clarification stage in the condition of the aggravation of the country’s internal-political situation. As we know the ruling party “Justice and Development” is facing different charges.

    Besides that, recently the sector of the Turkish secret organization named “Ergenekon” was revealed. The goal of the organization is to stage a military coup d’tat in Turkey.

    Ex-military-men, influential figures, Generals and representatives of Turkish elite are the members of the before mentioned organization, by the name of a Turkish epos.

    In fact it is the regular attempt of the traditional Turkish kemaly elite to maintain power. The thing is there is a struggle between two pro-governmental groupings in Turkey. The newly formed elite united with the pro-governmental “Justice and Development” party is struggling against the kemaly elite that has been in power for decades.

    This struggle has created great tension in Turkey’s internal political life. In such conditions the government in power did certain steps regarding Armenian Turkish relations, aimed at gaining the support of the West, especially the USA. It is not a secret that for many years the USA puts pressure on Turkey to open the borders with Armenia.

    In this context, it’s worth mentioning that the victory of Democratic Presidential Candidate Barrack Obama is becoming quite possible.

    Turkish analysts preview that in this case it will be impossible to avert the adoption of resolution 106 in the Congress.

    It is not accidental that the representatives of Turkish Foreign Ministry met with Obama’s counselors, during which according to our information the Americans recommended their Turkish partners to elaborate another program of Armenian-Turkish relations. The Turks will most probably try to create delusion among American democracy as if they are doing their best to improve relations with Armenia.”

    “Why delusion? Doesn’t Turkish people, society, or the authorities want to have regular relations with Armenia?”

    “In my view Turkey is not ready for principled changed in their policy regarding Armenia. According to Turkey Armenia must announce that it doesn’t have any territorial demands towards Turkey and that it recognizes Kars agreement, that it is ready for unilateral concessions regarding Karabakh, refuses the goal of the recognition of the Genocide of Armenians and will remove this issue from its foreign policy.

    Of course the latter is the most important issue for Turkey. But we must also record that Armenian historians and the specialists have already recognized the fact of the Genocide. American scientist’s society doesn’t accept Turkish stance saying that the fact of the Genocide is disputable.

    The US leadership also accepts the fact of the Genocide, but not officially, taking into account their state interests. But in the very near future the USA will have to officially recognize the Genocide of Armenians. In this regard Turkey intimidates that it will break off with the USA and will use sanctions, but it is of course ridiculous. And the USA in its turn recommends Turkey not to lose face and to find serious solutions.”

    “Recently OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted Turkey’s proposal, according to which the Parliaments of the member countries must encourage the idea of the formation of the joint committees of the countries with disputable issues, to conduct historical investigations. Thus many issues will be solved.”

    “Still in 2005, when Erdoghan sent a letter to our President to set up a committee of historians, Armenia officially responded that we are ready to set up a committee to study all the spheres. In my view this is the only way to bilaterally discuss, all the existing problems and achieve results.

    In case of setting up a committee of historians, believe me, Armenia will never agree to making the issue of the Genocide of Armenians a matter of discussion. We are ready to discuss the reasons and consequences of the Genocide in the framework of historical facts. But before the discussion there should be a certain consensus. For scientific dispute there are certain principles that must be mutually agreed upon. Otherwise the discussion is senseless.”

  • Reconciliation Attempts Between Turkey And Armenia

    Reconciliation Attempts Between Turkey And Armenia

     

    Reconciliation Attempts Between Turkey And Armenia

    by

    Ömer Engin LUTEM

    Turkish Forum Advisory Board Member
    03 July 2008
    The echos of the decision of Serj Sarkisyan, the President of Armenia, to invite the Turkish President Abdullah Gül to the football match that will be played between Turkey and Armenia on September 6, 2008, are still continuing. However, the statement made by the group representative of the Dashnak Party in the Parliament, Vahan Hovannisyan, a presidential candidate in the previous elections, implies that they will protest the visit of Abdullah Gül if he goes to Yerevan. Although the Dashnak Party is a part of the coalition in the Armenian Parliament, they have different policies that sometimes contradict governmental policies.

    In terms of the relations between the two countries, the most attention -grabbing part of Sarkisyan’s words is that he is not actually against the set-up of a commission that is to investigate the 1915 incidents. Due to the reason that such a commission may threaten the “genocide” that is regarded as a historical fact, not only the Dashnaks, but also the supporters of the chief opposition leader, the former president Ter Petrosyan, have reacted Serj Sarkisyan’s views.

    The Armenian presidency and the government made some statements concerning these reactions. Samyel Fermanyan, the press spokesman of the President, stated that accepting the investigation of an event would not discredit the truth. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edvard Nalbatyan, said that the establishment of that commission would not prevent Armenia’s worldwide activities for the recognition of the “Armenian Genocide”. As to the Dashnaks, their spokesman stated that they asked an explanation from President Sarkisyan who said that this commission would by no means determine whether there was a genocide, but, on the contrary, it would only examine some aspects of the genocide.

    As can be seen, Armenian authorities consider that the commisson should first of all agree that a genocide took place, and then it can investigate some details of the “genocide”. Moreover, they state that they will continue to promote the genocide activities for its recognition. There is no doubt that, with this approach, the commission will be disfuntional.

    Armenian press, inspired by the statements made by President Sarkisyan in Moskov, considers that Armenia accepts this commission as a counterpart for the openning of the Turkish border and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

    However, the statements of some American Foreign Affairs officials, such as Daniel Fried and Mattew Bryza, envisage another reconciliation formula which propose the Armenian recognition of Turkish territorial integrity, the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia, and the openning of the Turkish border which would be followed by the establishment of the commission.

    Currently, the Armenian press is not mentioning the Armenian recognition of Turkish territorial integrity that would mean the end of “Great Armenia” dreams. It is possible that this issue, if becomes upfront, will get as much reaction as the historians’ commission does.

  • The Armenian Issue, Genocide By The Ottomans?

    The Armenian Issue, Genocide By The Ottomans?

     

     

    The Armenian Issue, Genocide By The Ottomans?
    June 23rd, 2008, SOP newswire
    Recently, the Swedish Parliament decided, nearly unanimously, that there had not been an Armenian genocide by the Ottomans. Swedish officers were on duty as observational officers in the 1915 incident, when Armenians started to shoot at the Ottoman Army from behind and as the German General ordered the expatriation of the Armenians in the region.

    Hence, Ottoman army paid in silver, daily moneys to the Armenians (half the amount to the children) and pushed them to the south. Swedish officers and under officers followed this plight as observers and their reports are in the Swedish archives.

    This is the reason why there are Armenians today, in southern Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen. Many Armenians emigrated to France and USA. Had they been killed, there would not be Armenians in these countries now.

    Armenians lived happily in the Ottoman Empire and contributed significantly in all the professions. During the WW1, with the influence of the British, Russians encouraged Armenians to revolt against Ottomans and Armenians, in many instances murdered Turks and Kurds. (70.000 In Van region and more in other regions.)

    Russian archives have abundant reports on these, which Prof. Perincek of Turkey recently has discovered.

    Archives of Ottomans, Germans, British and Russians and of the USA and of Armenia have plenty of evidence that there has been no genocide whatsoever.

    The UN has no resolution on that and no court has decided on such a thing. Armenians are afraid to open up their archives as this would reveal their lies.

  • Chief Prosecutor Accused AK Party For Trying To Establish Theocracy

    Chief Prosecutor Accused AK Party For Trying To Establish Theocracy

     

     

    Chief Prosecutor Accused AK Party For Trying To Establish Theocracy


    Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor made his oral presentation on July 1 regarding the AKP closure case and claimed that the AKP was trying to establish an Islamic state. Chief Prosecutor Yalcinkaya said in his oral presentation that AKP’s goal was a system based on Shari’a law and that there was a clear and present danger in this respect.

    In his one and a half hour presentation at the Constitutional Court, Yalcinkaya said that the Venice Criteria did not apply in this case and that the acquittal of Fethullah Gulen would not affect the outcome of this case, since this acquittal case did not change the fact that Gulen is an Islamist leader. Yalçinkaya also added that the annulment of the amendment about allowing the Islamic headscarf in the universities did not change the nature of the allegations, only strengthened them.

    He also mentioned that the U.N. Security Council list of people who give financial support to terrorism included the Saudi businessman Yassin Al Qadi, who is associated with the PM and AKP circles.
    Source: Bianet.org, Turkey, July 2, 2008

  • Who Are the Jews of Europe?

    Who Are the Jews of Europe?

     

     

    Who Are the Jews of Europe?

    The Istanbulian, Personal Chronicles of a Turkish Journalist, Emre Kizilkaya

    Turkish professor Faruk Sen, the head of the Center for Turkish Studies Foundation in Essen, had been temporarily suspended from his duties for describing Turks as the “New Jews of Europe” in an article he wrote for a Turkish business daily.

    In the article, he was passionately defending the rights of Turkish Jews, while making a parallelism between the current situation of Turks in Germany.

    German authorities, were very quick to react. They were alleging that Prof Sen was insulting Jews, but actually the real intention was solely political.

    So this was another cover-up, similar to “the ostrich dialectic” which is being systematically adopted by German authorities after every xenophobic arson in the country.

    Social democrat Prof Sen was being a victim of such a political conspiracy, mainly organized by CDU politicians who can do anything to stop the staining of Germany’s image especially about its rising xenophobia, even when its all based on facts.

    The comparison of Prof Sen was surely using an exaggeration to make its article’s headline more shocking, but when some opportunist politicians made him a scapegoat, it becomes a necessity for every sane people to defend him at all costs. Good that Jewish communities of Germany and Turkey have intervened to do it and now there is a chance that he would protect his chair.

    As a conservative politician and the authority whose vote would be crucial for the fate of Prof Sen Armin Laschet, Integration Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, has already voiced his opinion: He wants to sack Prof Sen, but this can be changed.
    * * *
    It is reported today that Britain’s first Muslim minister has used a similar expression.

    Shahid Malik, the minister in the Department for International Development (Dfid), attacked the growing culture of hostility against Muslims in the United Kingdom, saying that many feel targeted like “the Jews of Europe”.

    Proving that the situation of Muslims in Britain in general is similar to Turks in Germany in particular, he says something important:

    “Somehow there’s a message out there that it’s OK to target people as long as it’s Muslims. And you don’t have to worry about the facts, and people will turn a blind eye.”

    Herr Armin Laschet should read Malik’s sentences and understand that if he punishes Prof. Sen, restricting his freedom of expression wrongly, there would be more blind eyes in Germany.

    But even if Prof Sen is ultimately fired, I strongly believe in German courts which would most likely to reinstate him to his job anyway.

  • Genocide Recognition ‘Still On Armenia Foreign Policy Agenda’

    Genocide Recognition ‘Still On Armenia Foreign Policy Agenda’

    Genocide Recognition ‘Still On Armenia Foreign Policy Agenda’

    By Ruben Meloyan
    Armenia will continue to seek international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide despite its readiness to agree to the creation of a Turkish-Armenian commission of historians that would study the highly sensitive subject, Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said on Friday.

    The idea of setting up such a commission was floated by Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a 2005 letter to then Armenian President Robert Kocharian. Erdogan said its members should jointly determine whether the mass killings and deportations of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted a genocide.

    Kocharian effectively rejected the idea by making a counterproposal to set up a Turkish-Armenian intergovernmental body that would deal with this and other issues of mutual concern.

    In an apparent policy change, his successor, Serzh Sarkisian, indicated this week that Yerevan is now “not against” the Turkish proposal. But he made clear that the commission of historians can be set up only if Turkey agrees to unconditionally normalize relations with Armenia.

    In Nalbandian’s words, this does not mean that Armenia will no longer encourage and endorse efforts by the worldwide Armenian Diaspora to have foreign governments and parliaments recognize the slaughter of more than one million Ottoman Armenians as genocide. “The genocide issue remains on our agenda,” he said.

    Turkey has cited Yerevan’s support for the genocide recognition campaign as one of the reasons why it keeps its border with Armenia closed and refuses to establish diplomatic relations with the latter. Ankara maintains that the 1915-1918 mass killings occurred on a much smaller scale and were not part of a premeditated government effort to exterminate the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian minority.

    “Armenia has repeatedly stated and continues to state that we are ready to establish relations with Turkey without any preconditions,” said Nalbandian. “We are also ready to discuss all issues of interest to the two countries after the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of the border.”

    Nalbandian spoke at a joint news conference with Switzerland’s visiting Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey. Switzerland is one of nearly two dozen nations that have officially recognized the Armenian massacres as genocide.

    The Swiss federal parliament adopted a relevant resolution in December 2003, two months after the Turkish government angrily called off Calmy-Rey’s planned visit to Ankara in protest against a similar document passed by the Swiss canton of Vaud. The visit eventually took place in March 2005, with Calmy-Rey publicly urging Turkey to “conduct an in-depth historical research of its own past, especially when the question is so painful.”

    The Swiss minister said on Friday that her country stands ready to mediate a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. “Switzerland is always ready to play the role of a facilitator if it is asked to by the parties,” she said.
    Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2008