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Syrian Armenians’ Last Chance to File
Claims for Their Properties in Turkey
By Harut Sassounian,
Publisher, The California Courier
In a column I wrote last year, I alerted Armenians in Syria, Egypt and Iraq that they had a unique opportunity to receive compensation for their properties in Turkey.All four governments, after protracted negotiations stretching over several decades, are finally close to resolving their conflicting land claims arising from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The Republic of Turkey had confiscated tens of thousands of properties owned by citizens of the three Arab countries and vice versa. During a meeting on May 12, 2008, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan signed an agreement which is expected to be implemented shortly.
Turkey claims that in 1956 the Syrian government confiscated a large number of lands belonging to Turkish citizens. In a reciprocal move, Ankara confiscated in 1966 properties owned by Syrian nationals. After lengthy negotiations, Turkey and Syria signed a protocol in 1972 and created a joint commission to investigate these claims, including the properties Syrian Armenians left behind in the Sanjak of Alexandretta (Hatay), after its annexation by Turkey in 1938.
The Turkish government transferred the title of the confiscated Syrian-owned properties to the National Real Estate General Directorate. The total estimated value of real estate owned by Turks and Syrians in each other’s countries, including rental income since 1966, is more than $40 billion, according to an article by Ercan Yavuz in the March 3, 2009 issue of Today’s Zaman. The Real Estate Directorate has been renting these Syrian properties to Turkish farmers and businesses. The Central Bank of Turkey is holding the rental income in a special account under the name of “the rightful owners.” The agreement signed by Syria and Turkey stipulates that by 2010 the Central Bank will return these accumulated funds to the original property owners, according to Yavuz.
The Turkish National Real Estate General Directorate’s figures indicate that Syrians own 15,067 properties in Turkey, corresponding to 135,000 hectares (334,000 acres or 135 million square meters). On the other hand, Turks reportedly own 2.3 million square meters of property in Syria. “The monetary value of Syrian property in Turkey is estimated to be $10 billion, while the estimated value of Turkish property in Syrian territory is $40 billion,” Yavuz reported.
In an interesting sideline, Turkish citizen Mustafa Muzaffer Salih, whose father was a major landowner in Syria, told Yavuz: “Syrians own more than 200 stores in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar…. Some of these properties were given to relatives of ministers in the parties that were in the coalition governments of the first and second National Front governments.” To set things right, Salih advocates that “The shame of the past should be cleansed.”
Turkey, Egypt and Iraq have had a similar quarrel. In 1982, Turkish officials signed an agreement with Egypt to settle their land dispute. In 1985, Turkey and Iraq agreed to allow property owners in their respective countries five years to file a claim. The due date was subsequently extended twice. Turkey claimed that its citizens own in Iraq about 160,000 acres of land, 150 buildings, 11 charitable foundations, more than 2 million Iraqi dinars and 8,000 pounds sterling. On the other hand, Iraq claims that its citizens own 48 buildings and 11 plots of land in Turkey. The American invasion of Iraq interrupted the settlement of these claims.
Armenian organizations in Syria, Iraq and Egypt should urge Armenians citizens of these countries, including those who have migrated overseas, to submit to them copies of trust deeds or other documentary evidence of properties they owned in Turkey. The organizations should then provide the list of these properties to their respective governments, demanding that Turkey pay an appropriate compensation to the heirs of the original owners.
As I mentioned in my earlier column, the main advantage of this approach is that Armenians do not need to hire lawyers and go to court, as officials of the three Arab countries, on behalf of their citizens, are negotiating directly with their Turkish counterparts to settle all such reciprocal claims.
This is a unique opportunity for Armenians in Syria, Iraq and Egypt to take advantage of without delay. Once the settlement is finalized, it would be too late for Armenians to make any further claims from the Turkish government regarding their properties.
Just to set the record straight, receiving compensation for such personal properties does not invalidate the Armenian people’s legitimate claims to Western Armenia which remains under Turkish occupation.
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TURKISH FORUMS NOTE TO ARMENIANS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES
FOLLOWING STATEMENT BASED ON NATIONAL ARCHIVES LOCATED IN WASHIGHTON DC. : : Adjustment of Payments due to United States by Turkey, Sept 1937. (No indemnity claims by USA is possible) US requested originally 5 Million dollars and they settled 1 400 000 Dollars at The end. This was to cover all claims made by all U.S. citizens from Turkish Government. “CASE CLOSED AND CANNOT BE OPENED AGAIN”.
FOR DETAILS SEE OUR RECOMMENDATION TO US CITIZENS IS TO STOP VESTING YOUR EFFORTS AND DOLLARS WITH THE HOPE OF GETTING LARGE COMPENSATION IN TERM OF LAND OR $$$$ FROM TURKEY… UNDER NO CONDITION YOU CAN GET ANY COMPENSATION TO ANYTHING AT ALL TIMES TO COME.
——————— END —————-
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Category: Armenian Question
“The great Turk is governing in peace twenty nations from different religions. Turks have taught to Christians how to be moderate in peace and gentle in victory.”Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary
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LAND AND DOLLAR DEMAND FROM ARMENIANS ARE ON THE WAY
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Armenian Refugees Movements And Genocide Claims
Many reputable sources account to 1.5 – 1.6 million of Armenian population within Ottoman Empire before WW1. Only the number provided by the Armenian Istanbul Patriarchate in 1912 is way above these general numbers, being around 2 million. Oddly, Patriarchate’s number is the only one taken into account in Toynbee’s Blue
Book and in the declaration published by Boghos Nubar and A. Aharonian before Paris Peace Conference.
Patriarchate’s 2 million figure highly contradicts with the detailed population numbers provided by British H.F.B Lynch and French Vital Cuinet for the periods ending 19th century and beginning 20th century. When we look at the numbers given by Lynch and Cuinet, it’s easy to see that Patriarchate’s number for before WW1 is nearly 100% higher than the British and French sources for the periods ending 19th century and beginning 20th century which is nearly impossible considering populations can not rise by that much for over only 15 to 20 years. Also the number provided by Armenian Patriarchate for Muslim population in Ottoman Empire in 1912 is 20-30% lower than the other reputable sources.
In addition to sources of Lynch and Cuinet, many other reputable sources show that Armenian population with in Ottoman empire before WW1 was around 1.3-1.6 million.
Hence in Lozan Peace Conference, 2 million figure introduced by the Armenians had been found quite an exaggeration and 1.6 million figure by David Magie had been taken into account.
Another disinformation Ottoman Empire had been a victim of during WW1 about Ottoman Armenians is the number of Armenians that had been killed in Anatolia. It’s almost like this number had been introduced to an auction in last 100 years. ( Numbers given by the Red Cross is between 600.000 and 800.000, numbers given by Morgenthau is 1 million and today Armenian Diaspora claims the number to be around 1.5 to 2 million.Some historians that support the Armenian Genocide allegations ignore this debate by saying that; ‘Numbers are meaningless, it’s the crime that matters’. There is no legal document that highlights or clarifies how many Armenians had died or had been killed under what conditions during 1915 phenomenon. Today the main allegation is that most Armenians (1.5 million to 2 million) had faced ethnic cleansing in Anatolian camps or North Syrian camps.
However when we look at legal documents with European or United Nations origins for the period commencing WW1 and ending 1924, we see just the opposite of these allegations. If we take into consideration the documents of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun) as well as Czardom Russia and Bolshevik Russia documents together with the above mentioned documents, we can see the mobility of Armenians together with how they ended up and their fates.
The most important official document indicating the ‘Armenian Armed Movements’ before WW1 is the 1910 speech given by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation ideologist Mikail Varangian (aka Warangian) in Copenhagen during Second Socialist International.
The report shows that Dashnaktsutiun had organized and formed armed gangs in almost everywhere in Anatolia by adopting a terrorist movement. The report is in Belvedere archives.
Two other sources admitting the ‘Armenian Armed Movements’ that were seen long before WW1 are as follows:
1- Manifesto of First Prime Minister Hovhannes Katzhaznouni of Yerevan Dashnak Goverment published in Bucharest
2- The article of First USA Ambassador of Armenia Garekin Pastırmacıyan called ‘Why Armenian Should Be Free – Boston 1918′The number of Armenians who had joined in these armed forces were around 200.000 as stated by Armenia Delegation Chairman Avetis Aharonian and World Armenians Delegation Chairman Boghos Nubar in Paris Peace Conference in 1919.
The act of organizing and arming these 200.000 Armenians was naturally not something that Armenians could manage on their own initiatives financially and technically. The Armenian armed gangs were supported directly by Czardom Russia, Britain and France before WW1.
Two years before WW1 on 26th November, 1912, the confidential report sent by Russian Ambassador Zinovyev in İstanbul to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia S. D. Sazanov included the following (Russian State Archives, Politics Department, nr 117/293):
‘According to the information provided by our Van, Beyazıd, Erzurum, Trabzon Consulates, the Armenians living in these cities are on Russian side and are waiting for our armies’. [RussianStateArchives/political section n.117/293]
As paralel to what stated above, the riots of Armenian armed gangs resulted in Russians occupying Van at the beginning of WW1.
Van tradegy was described as follows in the telegraph sent by German Ambassador in İstanbul Hans Von Wangenheim to Ministery of Foreign Affairs of Germany on 10th May, 1915:
‘Armenians in the city of Van started rioting and started to attack Muslim villages and the castle. The Turkish headquarters in the castle had lost 300 soldiers and as a result of the street combats for days, the rebels took over the city. Russia occupied the city on 17th May, 1915. Armenians sided with Russia afterwards and started to massacre Muslims. Approximately 80.000 Muslims around Bitlis started to flee. [Wangenheim,Deutschisches und Armenien 1914-1918,Postdam 1919 p.65]
The massacres of Muslims by Armenians were also documented in Czardom Russia archives. A report sent by Russian Commander Brigadier Bolhovitinov in Caucasus to headquarters on 11th December, 1915 included the following:
‘The Armenian Volunteer Legions had killed Muslims brutally with racist motives.’ [Brigadier General Leonid Bolhovitinov’s Report,1915,Russian Military History Archives (RGVIA) fond2100,list1,folder557,p.303-307]
While these tradegies were taking place in East Anatolia, Russian, British and French were helping Armenians getting armed in East Mediterranean.
The telegraph dated 5th November, 1914 sent by Francois George Picot and French Middle Ambassador Defrance of Egypt stated:
‘Greece accepted to send 15.000 rifles and 2 million bullets to the volunteer legions in Syria and in a possible intervention of France in Syria there are 30.000 – 35.000 volunteers readily avaliable to side with France in the region’. [Guerre Mondiale Turquie Vol.867 XCIII-document 237,Legion d’Orient 1914-1918]
The report sent by the French Admiral in Syrian shore to the British military headquarters in Egypt indicated that the riot in Cilicia had lasted for over one month as of 28th May, 1915 and a total of 300 Turkish gendarmes had been killed.
[U.K.Archives W.O. 157/691/8, 28 April 1915,Cairo]The memorandum sent by Russian Ambassador to British Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24th Feb, 1915 expressed that an Armenian from Cilicia had contacted Kont Warentzoff Dachkoff in Caucasus and had indicated that they had gathered a force of 15.000 to raid the transportation lines of the Turkish Army but that they had not had enough arms and arsenal to perform and those could have been provided by British and French over through Alexandretta Harbour. [U.K. Archives F.O. 371/2484 No.22083,15 Feb.1915]
As can be seen clearly from documents and information like the ones mentioned above, Armenian Dashnak Forces were committing war crimes behind the battles when Ottoman Empire called all men to the army to fight in Çanakkale, Palestine and Caucasus battles. This situation resulted in Ottoman Empire deciding to relocate Armenians in war zones as well as Armenians in Anatolia who were working for Dashnak Party to Syrian region.
The ones claiming that there is a genocide are accusing Ottoman Empire of ethnically cleansing 1.5 million Armenians in the Empire with the application of this relocation decision dated 24th April, 1915.
Many official documents were obtained in relation to the fate of Armenians forced to relocate during WW1 and after which were highly contradicting with the idea of a genocide.
Although Ottoman Empire decided to relocate Armenians in above mentioned locations, Batumi Ambassador of Britain P. Stevens indicated that many Armenians were not even subject to obligatory relocation and were taken away by Russians to Caucasus in the report he sent to London on 25th Feb, 1916. [Halaçoğlu,Ermeniler:Sürgün Ve Göç,p.84-85]
[Photo: Armenian Refugees From Turkey arrived in Russia,1914– Harold Buxton;Travel & Politics in Armenia,1914]
This is also confirmed in the report of British Lord Major Found which he wrote about 1915. 250.000 Armenians moved to Caucasus Armenia from Anatolia fighting against illnesses and war conditions.
250.000 figure was confirmed in the report sent by Armenian National Delegation Chairman Boghos Nubar to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France in addition to the figure of 40.000 Ottoman Armenians being in Iran.
When we can reasonably confirm that 250.000 Ottoman Armenians arriving at Caucasus and 40.000 Ottoman Armenians arriving at Iran at the beginning of WW1, we also obtain some other related information from US National Archives: American Counsel J. B. Jackson of Aleppo indicated in the letter he sent to American Ambassador Henry Morgenthau in İstanbul(8February1916) that 486.000 Armenians were located in the camps between Aleppo and Damascus and there were two charities helping the migrants. [U.S. Archives State Department Record Group 59,867.48/271]
[—The ones claiming that there was a genocide can not answer the question of why Ottoman Goverment allowed American charities or American ambassadors to help the Ottoman Armenian refugees located in camps between Aleppo and Damascus, locations which were under the control of Ottoman Goverment back then.—]We can provide more detailed information related to Armenian refugees in Caucasus and Syria from documents obtained after WW1.
WW1 ended with Mondros Armistice signed on 30th October, 1918 for Ottoman Empire. In 1918 after the war when the Bolshevik Revolution was over, the massacres of Muslim civilians in East and South East Anatolia by Armenian Dashnak Goverment which was continuing to fight, reached the maximum possible. In the same year, Cilicia was
Occupied by the French (on 24th December, 1918). It is seen that after Cilicia was occupied by the French, some Armenian refugees in Syria were relocated here.
[Photo:George R. Swain(Adana/Turkey). Francis W. Kelsey and Near East Expedition of 1919-1920]However we obtain the exact number of Armenians living under Ottoman Empire after WW1 from the official document presented to the US by İstanbul American High Council. This document is in US National Archives and was confirmed by İstanbul Armenian Patriarchate.
According to this official document, there were 624.900 Armenians living under Ottoman Empire in 1921. We also know that apparently around 200.000 were located in Cilicia (in Adana, Antep, Maraş etc.) which was under French control.
[U.S. Archives NARA, T 1192 R2.860J01/395]This document shows that there were 624.900 Armenians under Ottoman borders after WW1 until these Armenians were refugees again.
There is also another visual document related to Armenians obtained for these years. The photo of Armenian refugees living in Novorossisk (Black Sea shore – South Russia) taken by G. P. Lloyd is in Frank Carpenter archives and it was taken in 1920. Unfortunately we can not obtain any information related to the number of Armenian refugees in Novorossik.
It is discussed in the Near East Relief Report dated 31st December, 1921 that around 500.000 Armenian refugees in Dashnak Goverment in Yerevan (which was in Caucasus) were being provided aid.
[Report Of The Near East Relief,For The Year Ending 31 December 1921, Washington Government Printing office 1922]
The exact number of Armenian refugees who went to Armenia during the Turkish – Armenian War which started with WW1 and ended with Gümrü Treaty signed on 3rd December, 1920 and Bolshevik Russians occupying Armenia on 4th December, 1920, was provided by Fridjof Nansen, Refugees High Commissar of League of Nations.
Fridjof Nansen indicated that 400.000 of the 1 million population of Yerevan Armenian Goverment was comprised of refugees who came during the war as answer to the question of an Indian representative during the 8th meeting of League of Nations held on 19th October, 1928.
Even if Fridjof Nansen did not give any indications related to the number of Armenians in whole Caucasus or South Russia, he definitely indicated that 400.000 Ottoman Armenians moved to Caucasus Armenia.
Meanwhile the Ankara Treaty signed between France and Ankara government resulting in France withdrawing from Cilicia also resulted in 200.000 Armenians leaving the region (who were located there before) and migrating to other countries without ever coming back. 500.000 Muslims being massacred by Armenian Armed Forces in Anatolia made it impossible for the Armenians and Turks living together.
The document about the ‘Armenian Population Around The World’ dated 1922 and included in US National Archives gives information about the Armenian emigration that started with the French withdrawing from Cilicia. We can follow the refugee movements of the 624.900 Armenians in Ottoman Empire beginning 1921 with the help of the activities of League of Nations.
[U.S. Archives, NARA 867.4016/816.Janunary 10,1923]This refugee movement was also indicated in the declaration prepared by Armenian National Delegation for Lausanne Treaty on 2nd February, 1923.
[League Of Nation,Armenia, Geneva, February 2nd.1923, 0.153. M.56 1923 VII]
CONCLUSION:
From the beginning of WW1 to 1921, there were 624.900 Armenians in Ottoman Empire, at least 400.000 in Yerevan Armenia and finally at least 40.000 in Iran. Unfortunately we can not conclude as to how many Ottoman Armenians immigrated to South Russia, Georgia, Egypt, Greece, USA or Europe.
However the most certain thing we get out of all these documents is that the Armenian population which was around 1.6 million before WW1 was at least around 1.1 million after WW1.
[The Republic Of Armenia–A Memorandum , On The Recognition Of The Government Of The Republic Of Armenia, Submitted By The Special Mission Of The Republic Of Armenia To The United States– Presented By Mr. Lodge,November 10,1919, Washington,Government Printing Office 1919]
GÖÇ EDEN OSMANLI ERMENİLERİNİN AKİBETİ VE SOYKIRIM İDDİASI
Birinci Dünya Savaşı öncesinde Osmanlı İmparatorluğu sınırları içinde yaşayan Ermenilerin sayıları hakkında verilen ciddi rakamların çoğunluğu 1.5-1.6 milyon arasındadır.Sadece İstanbul Ermeni Patrikhanesi’nin 1912 yılında verdiği rakam , bu genel rakamların çok üzerinde, 2 milyon u bulmaktadır.Patrikhane’nin bu değerleri, hem Toynbee’nin Mavi Kitap’ı ve hemde Paris Barış Konferansı öncesi, Boghos Nubar ve A. Aharonian iklisinin yayınladığı bildiride kullanılır.
Patrikhane’nin bu 2 milyon rakamı , 19. yy sonu-20.yy başı itibariyle İngiliz H.F.B Lynch ve Fransız Vital Cuinet’in verdiği detaylı nüfus değerleri ile oldukça çelişkilidir.Lynch ve Cuinet’in verdiği rakamlara bakıldığında, Patrikhane’nin verdiği nüfus değerlerinin hemen hemen %100 fazla olduğu anlaşılır ve 15-20 yıl içinde hiçbir insan populasyonu doğal yollardan bu kadar artamaz.Ayrıca İstanbul Ermeni Patrikhanesi’nin 1912 yılında, Müslümanlara ait nüfus sayılarında ise %20-30 oranında bir eksilme görülmektedir.
Lynch ve Cuinet’e ek olarak birçok kaynakta da, Birinci Dünya Savaşı öncesi için Osmanlı sınırlarındaki Ermenilerin sayısı
1.3-1.6 milyon civarında verilmektedir.Keza Lozan Barış Konferansı’nda da , Ermeni Patrikhanesi’nin 2 milyon takamı çok abartılı bulunarak, David Magie tarafından hazırlanan ve Ermenilerin sayısını 1.6 milyon olarak veren nüfus istatistiği kabul edilmiştir.
Birinci Dünya Savaşı’nda, Osmanlı Ermenileri hakkında bilimsel olmayan bilgi dezenfermasyonunun bolluğu içinde karşımıza çıkan diğer bir konu ise,Birinci Dünya Savaşı boyunca hayatını kaybeden Anadolu Ermenileri’nin sayısıdır.Bu konu geçen 100 yıl içinde sanki açık arttırmaya çıkmış gibidir. (Kızılhaç 600-800 bin rakamı, Morgenthau 1 milyon, bugünün Ermeni Diasporası ise 1.5-2 milyon kayıptan bahseder)
”Ermeni Soykırımı” iddiasında bulunan bazı tarihçiler, bu sayılar hakkında ”ne kadar insanın öldüğünün ne önemi var,önemli olan suçun kendisidir” diyerek, konuyu geçiştirmektedirler.1915 fenomeni içinde ne kadar Osmanlı Ermenisi’nin hangi koşullar altında öldüğü ya da öldürüldüğünün hukuki bir belgesi yoktur.Bugün itibariyle genel iddia, 1.5 (ya da 2) milyon Ermeni’nin,
Anadolu’da veya Kuzey Suriye’deki kamplarda etnik temizliğe tabii tutulduğu üzerinedir.Halbuki 1.Dünya Savaşı’ndan 1924 lere kadar olan,Avrupa ve Birleşik Devletler kaynaklı resmi belgeler bize bu iddiaların tam tersi şeyleri söylemektedir.Bu belgelere , Ermeni Devrimci Federasyonu’na (Dashnakzutiun) ait bazı belgeler ile Çarlık Rusyası ve Bolşevik Rusya’ya ait belgeleri de eklediğimizde, Osmanlı Ermenileri’nin hareketliliğini ve akibetlerini genel bir kesinlikle görüyoruz.
1.Dünya Savaşı öncesi, Ermeni Silahlı hareketlerinin tarih ititbariyle en önemli ve resmi belgesi, Ermeni devrimci Federasyonu’nun (Dasnakzutiun) ideolojisti Mikail Varangian(or Warangian) ın 1910 yılında Kopenhag’taki 2. Sosyalist İnternasyonal’e verdiği rapordur.
Raporda bizzat, Dashnakzutiun’un Anadolu’nun hemen her yerleşiminde örgütlendikleri ve silahlı çeteler oluşturarak, terörist eylem biçimini benimsedikleri ifade edilmektedir.Bu rapor Belvedere arşivlerindedir.
1.Dünya savaşı’ndan çok önce başlayan Ermeni Silahlı organizasyonlarını itiraf eden diğer iki kaynak ise, Erivan Taşnak Hükümeti’nin ilk Başbakanı Hovhannes Katzhaznouni’nin Bükreş’te yayınlanan manifestosu ve Ermenistan’ın ilk Abd Büyükelçisi Karekin Pastırmacıyan’ın ”Ermenistan niçin özgür olmalı”(Why Armenia Should Be Free-Boston 1918) yazılarıdır.
Keza bu silahlı hareketlere katılan Ermenilerin sayısı, hem 1919′da Paris Barış Konferansı’nda Ermenistan Delegasyon Başkanı Avetis Aharonian ve hem de Dünya Ermenileri Delegasyon Başkanı Boghos Nubar’ın söylediği üzere 200.000 civarındadır.
Doğal Olarak bu 200.000 kişilik silahlı Ermeni Çetelerin silahlandırılması ve yönetilmesi eylemi, Ermenilerin kendi insiyatifleriyle gerçekleştirebilecekleri teknik ve finansal bir eylem değildir.Ermeni silahlı çeteleri 1.Dünya Savaşı öncesinde bizzat Çarlık Rusyası,İngiltere ve Fransa tarafından desteklenmiştir.
Keza savaştan 2 yıl önce, 26 Kasım 1912 tarihinde, Rusya’nın İstanbul Büyükelçisi Zinovyev’in Rusya Dışişleri Bakanı S.D. Sazanov’a gönderdiği gizli raporda( Rusya Devlet Arşivi,Siyasi Bölüm,nr 117/293);
”Van;Beyazıd;Erzurum,Trabzon konsolosluklarımızın bildirdiklerine göre, bu vilayetlerdeki Ermenilerin hepsi Rusya tarafındadırlar ve bizim ordularımızı bekliyorlar” denilmektedir.
Bunu gelişmeleri takiben 1.Dünya Savaşı’nın başlangıcında, Ermeni silahlı çetelerinin isyan faaliyeti Rusların Van İlini işgal etmesiyle sonuçlanır.
İstanbul Alman Büyükelçisi Hans von Wangenheim tarafından Alman Dışişleri Bakanlığı’na gönderilen 10 Mayıs 1915 tarihli telgrafta, ”Van Trajedisi” şu şekilde anlatılır:
”Van vilayetindeki Ermeniler ayaklanmışlar,müslüman köylere ve kaleye saldırıya geçmişlerdir.Kaledeki Türk garnizonu 300 kayıp vermiş,günlerce devam eden sokak muharebeleri sonunda şehir asilerin eline geçmiştir. 17 Mayıs 1915′te de Van Ruslar tarafından işgal edilmiştir.Ermeniler Rus tarafına geçmiş ve müslümanları katle başlamışlardır.Bitlis istikametinde 80.000 müslüman kaçmaya başlamıştır.”
Ermeni çetelerinin katliamları Çarlık Rusyası arşivlerinde de belgelenmiştir.Kafkas Cephesinde görevli Rus komutan Tuğgeneral Bolhovitinov, 11 Aralık 1915′te karargaha gönderdiği raporda;
”Ermeni Gönüllü Birliklerinin ırkçı duygularla Müslüman Halka karşı vahşi katliamlar yaptı” der.
Doğu Anadolu’da bu trajedi yaşanırken, Doğu Akdeniz’de Rus-İngiliz ve Fransızlar tarafından bölgedeki Ermeniler silahlandırılmaktadır.
Francois George Picot ve Fransa Mısır Orta Elçisi Defrance’ın 5 Kasım 1914 tarihini taşıyan telgrafta;
”Yunanistan’ın Suriye’deki gönüllü kuvvetlere 15.000 tüfek ve 2 milyon mermi yollamayı kabul ettiği ve Fransa’nın Suriye’ye müdahelesi durumunda, burada 30-35.000 gönüllünün bulunduğu” ifade edilmektedir.
Mısır’da ki İngiliz askeri karargahına Suriye kıyısındaki Fransız Amiralinden gelen rapor;
”28 Nisan 1915 tarihine kadar Zeytun’daki (Cilicia) isyan bir aydır devam etmektedir ve toplam 300 Türk jandarması öldürülmüştür.”
Rus Büyükelçisi’nin İngiliz Dışişleri Bakanlığı’na yazdığı 24 Şubat 1915 tarihli memorandumda ;
”Zeytun’lu bir Ermeni’nin Kafkasya’da Kont Warentzoff_Dachkoff ile temas kurduğu, Türk ordularının ulaşım hatlarına baskın yapmak üzere 15.000 kişilik bir kuvvet topladıkları ancak silah ve cephanelerinin yeterli olmadığı, ingiliz ve Fransızlar tarafından İskenderun Limanı üzerinden bunun yapılabileceği …” anlatılır.
Buna benzer birçok belge ve yazışmadan da anlaşılacağı gibi, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu WW1 Savaşı başlangıcında Çanakkale, Filistin, ve Kafkasya cephesinde savaşmak üzere ülkedeki erkekleri askere almışken, Ermeni Taşnak birlikleri cephe gerisinde savaş hukukuna aykırı eylem ve katliamlara girişmişlerdir.Bu durum Osmanlı Devleti’nin savaş bölgelerindeki ermeniler ile tüm Anadolu’daki Taşnak Partisi ile bağlantılı Ermenilerin Suriye bölgesine tehciri kararını almasıyla sonuçlanmıştır.İşte ‘’soykırım” iddilarını öne sürenler 24 Nisan 1915 tarihli bu tehcir kararı uygulamasıyla 1.5 milyon ermeninin, Osmanlı Devleti tarafından etnik temizliğe tabii tutulduğunu iddia etmektedirler.
1.Dünya Savaşı esnasında ve sonraki yıllarda tehcire maruz kalan Ermenilerin akibeti ile ilgili olarak, ” soykırım” iddialarının aksine , çok farklı resmi belgeler ortaya çıkmaktadır.
Ermenilerle ilgili olarak Osmanlı devleti’nin tehcir kararı almasına rağmen, ingiltere’nin Batum Konsolosu P. Stevens’ın Londra’ya gönderdiği 25 Şubat 1916 tarihli raporda; çok sayıda Ermeninin zorunlu göçe tabii tutulmadığı ve Ruslar tarafından Kafkasya’ya götürüldüğü ifade edilmektedir.
Bu durumu İngiliz Lord Major Found’un 1915 yılına ait raporuda tasdik eder. 250.000 Ermeni bu yıllarda Türkiye’den Kafkasya Ermenistan’ına geçmiş ve savaş koşullarında hastalıklarla mücadele etmektedirler.
Aynı bilgiyi Ermeni Milli Delegasyon Başkanı Boghos Nubar’ın Fransız Dışişleri Bakanlığı’na gönderdiği yazıda 250.000 rakamı teyit edildiği gibi İran’da da 40.000 Osmanlı Ermenisinin bulunduğu bilgisi verilir.
1. Dünya Savaşı’nın ilk yıllarında Kafkasya’ya 250.000, İran’a 40.000 Ermeni’nin gittiği bilgisine ulaşırken başka bir bilgi de Amerikan Ulusal Arşivlerinden çıkıyor.
Amerikan Halep Valisi J.B. jackson’un 8 Şubat 1916′da Amerikanın İstanbul Büyükelçisi Henry Morgenthau’ya gönderdiği raporda, Halep ve Şam arasındaki bölgede Osmanlı’nın tehcir ettiği 486.000 Ermeni göçmenin kamplarda bulunduğu ve iki yardım kuruluşu tarafından bu göçmenlere yardım edildiği bildiriliyor.— Bu rapora baktığımızda ‘’soykırım” iddiasını ileri sürenlerin, o yıllarda Osmanlı kontrolündeki Halep ve şam bölgesinde, Ermeni mültecilere yardım için niçin Amerikan Yardım Kuruluşlarına ve Amerikan Elçisine izin verildiği sorusuna cevapları yoktur.—
Hem Kafkasya ve hemde Suriye’deki Ermeni mülteciler hakkındaki daha detaylı bilgilere savaş sonrasında ortaya çıkan bilgilerden öğreniyoruz.
Osmanlı İmparatorluğu için 1.Dünya Savaşı 30 Ekim 1918 de imzalanan Mondros Mütarekesi ile sona erer. 1918′de savaş bittiğinde, Bolşevik Devriminden sonra savaşa devam eden Ermeni Taşnak Hükümeti’nin Doğu ve Güneydoğu Anadolu’da sivil halka karşı gerçekleştirdiği katliamlar doruk noktasına çıkar.Aynı yıl içinde Çukurova (cilicia)
Bölgesi Fransa tarafından işgal edilir.(24Aralık1918).Çukurova’nın (Cilicia) Fransızlar tarafından işgalinden sonra, Suriye’deki Ermeni göçmenlerin bir bölümünün buraya yerleştirildiğini anlıyoruz.Ama 1. Dünya Savaşı sonrası Osmanlı İmparatorluğu içindeki Ermenilerin tam sayısını, Amerikan Ulusal Arşivlerinde bulunan; Birleşik Devletlere, İstanbul Amerikan Yüksek Komisyonunca sunulan ve İstanbul Ermeni Patrikhanesi tarafından da onaylanan resmi belgeden anlıyoruz.
Bu belgeye göre 1921 yılında Osmanlı İmparatorluğu sınırları içinde 624.900 Ermeni yaşamaktadır.Ve görünen o ki, 200.000 kadar Ermeni Fransız kontrolündeki Cilicia (Adana-Antep-Maraş vs) bölgesine yerleştirilmiştir.
Bu belge ile , 1. Dünya Savaşı sonrası , Osmanlı sınırları içindeki Ermenilerin, tekrar göçmen durumuna düşmesine kadar ki tam sayıları 624.900 dür.
Bu yıllarda ortaya çıkan diğer bir fotoğrafik belge de 1920 yılına ait Frank carpenter arşivinde bulunan ve G.P. Lloyd tarfından çekilen, Novorossik’teki(Karadeniz Kıyısı-Güney Rusya) Ermeni Mültecilere ait fotoğraflardır.Malesef Novorossik’teki Ermeni Mültecilere ait sayısal bir değere ulaşamıyoruz.
Kafkasya’da Erivan Taşnak Hükümeti sınırları içindeki mülteci sayısı hakkında ise, 31 Aralık 1921 tarihli Near East Relief raporunda, 500.000 kişiye yardım edildiğinden bahsedilir.
1.Dünya Savaşı ile başlayıp 3 Aralık 1920 deki Gümrü Antlaşması’ na kadar süren ve ertesi gün, 4 Aralık 1920′de Ermenistan’ın Bolşevikler tarafından işgal edilmesiyle tamamen son bulan Türk-Ermeni Savaşı boyunca, Ermenistan’a giden Ermeni Mültecilerin tam sayısını, Milletler Cemiyeti (League of Nations) Mülteciler Yüksek Komiseri Fridjof Nansen net olarak söylüyor.
Milletler Cemiyeti’nin 19 Ekim 1928 tarihli sekizinci oturumunda Hindistan temsilcisinin sorusuna verdiği cevapta , ”Erivan Ermeni Hükümeti’nin 1.000.000 luk nüfusunun 400.000 inin savaş boyunca gelen mültecilerden oluştuğunu söylüyor.
Bu belgeden bütün Kafkasya ve Güney Rusya’daki Ermenilerin sayısını öğrenemesek bile, Ermenistan’a 400.000 Osmanlı Ermenisi’nin geçiş yaptığını öğreniyoruz.
Diğer taraftan Fransa’nın 20 Ekim 1921 tarihinde Ankara Hükümeti ile yaptığı anlaşma ile , Fransızların Çukurova’dan (Cilicia) çekilmesi, Çukuroava’ya geri dönen 200.000 kadar Ermeni’nin, geri dönmemek üzere başka ülkelere mülteci olarak yerleşmesi sonucunu doğurdu.Anadolu’da Ermeni Silahlı Birlikleri tarafından öldürülen 500.000 den fazla Müslüman olması, artık Ermeniler ile Müslümanların birlikte yaşayamayacağı sonucunu doğuruyordu.
Fransızların Çukurova’dan çekilmesiyle başlayan Ermeni göçü hakkında, Amerikan Ulusal arşivlerindeki 1922 tarihli , ”Dünya’daki Ermeni Populasyonu’ nu gösteren belge, bize bu konuda bilgi veriyor. 1921 yılı başlarında Osmanlı sınırları içindeki 624.900 Ermeni’nin, Milletler Cemiyeti’ninde faaliyetleriyle ilk mülteci hareketlerini bu şekilde izliyoruz.
Bu hareketlilik, 2 Şubat 1923 tarihinde, Ermeni Milli Delegasyonu’nun, Lozan Konferansı için hazırladığı bildiride de yine teyit edilir.
SONUÇ:
Dünya Savaşının başlangıcından 1921 yılına kadar ;
Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun sınırları içinde 624.900 , Erivan Ermenistan’ınanda en az 400.000, İran’da en az 40.000 Osmanlı Ermenisi bulunmaktadır.1914 ile 1921 yılları arasında, Güney Rusya,Gürcistan,Mısır,Yunanistan,Abd ve Avrupa’ya ne kadar Osmanlı Ermenisi’nin göç ettiği hakkında net bir rakama ulaşamıyoruz.
Ama bu belgelerden öğrendiğimiz en kesin şey, savaş öncesinde sayıları 1.6 milyon olan Osmanlı Ermenileri’nin , savaş sonunda en az 1.1 milyonunun hayatta olduğudur.
05 Mart 2009 Perşembe
Photo Galerie
Armenian Genocide Tale
Photo Galerie 1Armenian Genocide Tale
Photo Galerie 211 Şubat 2009 Çarşamba
The Report of Emory Niles & Arthur Surherland in U.S. National Archives
Captain Emory Niles and Mr. Arthur Sutherland were Americans ordered by the United States Government (in 1919) to investigate the situation in eastern Anatolia. Their report was to be used as the basis for granting relief aid to the Armenians by the American Committee for Near East Relief.
U.S. National Archives 184.021/175Pls,click to image for read!
Abd Ulusal Arşivleri’ndeki Emory Niles ve Arthur Sutherland Raporu
Amerikalı Yüzbaşı Emory Niles ve Arthur Sutherland,Amerika Birleşik Devletleri Hükümeti tarafından,Doğu Anadolu’nun durumunu araştırmak üzere görevlendirildi.
Bu rapor,Amerikan Yakın Doğu Yardım Kuruluşu (Near East Relief) tarafından, Ermenilere yardım aşamasında referans olarak kullanıldı.
Amerika Ulusal Arşivleri 184.021/175IV. Mezalimler
Bizim araştırma konumuzla direkt ilgili olmamasına rağmen bizde iz bırakan çok çarpıcı bir gerçek var ki o da, Bitlis’ten Trabzon’a kadar geçtiğimiz tüm noktalarda, diğer bölgelerde Türkler tarafından Ermeniler’e karşı işlenen suçlar ve yapılan zulümlerin aynısının bu bölgelerde Ermeniler tarafından Türkler’e yapılmış olmasıdır. İlk başta bize anlatılan hikayelere kuşkulu yaklaşmakla birlikte, görgü tanıklarının ifadelerindeki fikir birliğini, kendilerine yapılan yanlışları gözle görülür bir istekle anlatmalarını, Ermeniler’e karşı duydukları bariz nefreti ve herşeyden daha önemlisi, ortadaki somut kanıtları gördükten sonra şu gerçekler hakkında ikna olduk:
1- Ermeniler Müslümanlar’a büyük çaplı olarak çeşitli zalimliklerde bulunmuşlardır.
2- Köylerde ve kasabalarda meydana gelen yıkımlardan büyük oranda Ermeniler sorumludur.Ruslar ve Ermeniler ülkeyi 1915 ve 1916 yıllarında hatırı sayılır bir zaman birlikte işgal etmişlerdir ve bu süre içinde çok az düzeyde karışıklık çıkmış olmasına rağmen Ruslar’ın verdiği zararlar şüphesizdir. 1917 yılında Rus ordusu dağılmış ve Ermeniler’i yönetim ve kontrolde kendi başlarına bırakmıştır. Bu dönemde başıbozuk Ermeni askeri çeteleri, ülkeyi amaçsızca dolaşıp köyleri yağmalamışlar ve Müslüman sivil halkı katletmişlerdir. Türk ordusunun Erzincan, Erzurum ve Van’da ilerlemesi üzerine dağılan Ermeni ordusunun düzenli ve düzensiz birliklerini oluşturan tüm askerleri ise bunun arkasından bölgedeki Müslüman halkın mal mülklerine zarar vermişler ve bölge halkına türlü zulümler yapmışlardır. Bunun sonucunda, geriye ülke halkının eski nüfüsunun yaklaşık olarak sadece dörtte biri kalmış ve ülkede bulunan yapıların gene yaklaşık olarak sekizde yedisi talan edilmiştir. Tamamen harabeye dönmüş olan bu ülkedeki en acıklı olay ise Ermeniler’den nefret eden Müslümanlar’ın bu nefretinin, iki ırkın şu gün itibariyle aynı bölgede birlikte yaşama olasılığını tamamen ortadan kaldırmasıdır. Müslümanlar, bir Ermeni Hükümeti’nin boyunduruğu altında yaşamaya zorlanırlarsa savaşacaklarını beyan etmişler ve bize de bu tehditlerini gerçekleştirecek gibi görünmüşlerdir ki bu görüşümüz, karşılaştığımız tüm Türk görevliler, Amerikan görevliler ve İngiliz görevliler tarafından paylaşılmıştır.
Durumu daha da kötüleştirici diğer bir konu ise sınır ötesindeki gidişattır. Mültecilerin şikayetlerinin ne kadarının ne ölçüde doğru olduğunu bilmemize ya da Müslümanların bu duruma ne ölçüde sebebiyet verdiklerini yani gerçekte Ermeniler’e karşı organize bir direniş göstermeleri yüzünden bu durumdan sorumlu olup olmadıklarını bilmemize imkan yoktur. Her halükarda, hududun Türk tarafında olan yerli halk, sınırın Ermeni tarafında bulunan din kardeşlerinin Ermeniler tarafından katledildiğine ve mümkün olabilecek en büyük zalimliklere maruz kaldığına inanmakta ve bu durum da halkın Ermenilere karşı olan hislerini bir kat daha yoğunlaştırmaktadır. Kafkasya’daki gerçek gidişatı tespit etmeye yönelik bir araştırmanın yapılması şiddetle tavsiye edilmektedir. Bu araştırma sonucunda şayet Müslümanlar’ın ifadelerinin doğru olduğu ortaya çıkar ise halihazırda kalıcı bir uzlaşmayı kaçınılmaz kılan şartlar sözkonusu iken, bu durumu daha da zora koşacak olası karışıklıkların ve isyanların bir an evvel engellenmesi gerekmektedir.
Mültecilerin ve yerli halkın ekte bulunan mezalimler ile ilgili ifadelerine dikkat etmeniz hususu arz olunur.
Full Report:
Others Links:
https://armenians-1915.blogspot.com/2005/07/67-captain-emory-niles-and-mr-arthur.html
http://www.tallarmeniantale.com/niles-sutherland.htm
http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=39745808&pageid=r&mode=ALL&n=0&query=emory+niles29 Ocak 2009 Perşembe
800 Thousand Kurds Were Annihilated With The Attacks Of Armenians
Russian commander: “I consider adding that Armenians are looting Kurdish villages and raping Kurdish women as my duty.” The publication of Armenian nationalists: “The area, where 800 thousands Kurds inhabited were completely emptied.” General Bolhovitinov: “When the hunter battalion came back it encountered with bodies of 20 Muslim children, who were cut into pieces.” Another Russian commander: “Which precautions shall we take against looter Armenian volunteers?”20 children who were cut into pieces in Tatvan –>Click for Continue
Turkish
Ermeni Saldırılarıyla 800.000 Kürt yok oldu.
Rus Komutan: ”Ermenilerin Kürt köylerini yağmaladıklarını ve Kürt kadınlarına tecavüz ettiklerini eklemeyi görev sayarım”
Ermeni milliyetçilerinin yayın organı: ”800 bin Kürt’ün yaşadığı alan tamamen boşaldı.Yüzlerce Kürt köyü boşaldı ve yerle bir oldu”
General Bolhovitinov: ”Avcı taburu döndüğünde 20 müslüman çocuğu doğranmış halde bulmuş”
Bir başka Rus komutan: ”Yağmacı Ermeni gönüllülere karşı hangi önlemleri alacağız?”Tatvan’da doğranan 20 çocuk –>Yazının tamamını için(pdf file)
Remember Khojaly
Armenian Genocide Ballyhoo
Innocent Angels Of 1915
——— YURARIKI SAYFALAR VE YORUM SAHIBI ———–
Şu yazınız için yeni bir yorum yapıldı: #12454 “Talât Paşa’nın Evrak-ı Metrûkesi”
URL :
Yorum:
!.5 milyon civarındaki Osmanlı Ermenisi’ne ne oldu? İşte cevabı.http:// angelsof1915.blogspot. com
Armenian Refugees Movements and Genocide Claims
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Jews check Armenian genocide stance
An official with a leading American Jewish organization told the The Jerusalem Post on Monday that a deterioration in Israel-Turkey relations might prompt his group and others to reconsider Armenian efforts to win recognition of the century-old Turkish massacres as genocide.
In this photo provided by the Photlure photo agency in Armenia, a boy pauses in front of a wall-sized poster depicting the faces of 90 survivors of the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, in Yerevan, Armenia.
Photo: AP [file]A bill that would ensure such recognition by the US, which was backed by Rep. Adam Schiff – a Jewish Democrat who represents a heavily Armenian area of Los Angeles – failed to make it to a Congressional vote in 2007. However, it sparked a row in the American Jewish community between those who sided with Turkey in an effort to protect Israel’s political interests, and those who argued that Jews were particularly responsible for helping other groups block the public denial of genocide.
“No Jew or Israeli in his right mind will insult Turkey,” the official told the Post. “But next time… they might not come to Turkey’s aid or equivocate quite so much on the issue.”
The Bush administration opposed the bill out of concern for what it would do to US-Turkey relations.
The current blowup between Israel and Turkey comes amid expectations that the Obama administration will name academic and writer Samantha Power, an expert on genocide, to a key National Security Council post dealing with multilateral institutions. Power has been outspoken in labeling the Turkish massacre of Armenians genocide, albeit from outside the government.
One Washington-based Jewish community leader said Jewish organizations were unlikely to reorient their views and begin backing legislation to recognize the Armenian genocide, arguing that this would only make a delicate situation far worse.
“If organizations aren’t backing Armenian genocide resolutions because of the Turkish-Israeli relationship and their concern about the Turkish Jewish community, I don’t think they would change now,” he said. “Those same concerns remain, and those same pressures remain.”
Anti-Defamation League head Abraham Foxman – whose opposition to the Armenian genocide legislation in 2007 provoked widespread criticism – told the Post that as long as Israel maintained its diplomatic ties with Turkey, he saw no immediate reason to change his position on any future genocide resolutions.
“This is not a punishment or a reward issue – we don’t change our position on what’s right or wrong based on what people say,” Foxman said. “The interests between Israel and Turkey continue.”
Foxman also noted that he knew of Jewish friends who had cancelled trips to Turkey over Erdogan’s comments, but described the Erdogan flap as a disagreement between “friends.”
“There have been some very inappropriate harsh statements by the leadership, especially by the prime minister, which we think are inappropriate,” he said, “but they have not changed the basic relationship [with Israel].”
Hilary Leila Krieger and Haviv Gur Rettig contributed to this report.
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AZERBAIJAN: ARMS SCANDAL STIRS SUSPICIONS OF MOSCOW
Shahin Abbasov 27/01/09
Azerbaijani allegations about the reported transfer of a multi-million-dollar stash of Russian weapons to Armenia should prompt Baku to rethink its relationship with Moscow both in terms of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and energy policy, local analysts say.
On January 8, the independent “Mediaforum.az” portal first published the copy of a document allegedly signed by Lieutenant General Vyacheslav Golovchenko, deputy commander of armaments for Russia’s North Caucasus military district, that listed weapons and army vehicles transferred in 2008 to Armenia’s defense ministry from Russia’s military base in the northern Armenian town of Gyumri.
The 69-item list included 27 T-72 tanks, several armored personnel carriers, various types of missiles and guns, grenade launchers, machineguns, submachine guns, mines, and shells. Anonymous experts cited by Mediaforum.az put the approximate value of the transfer at roughly $800 million.
The document’s source was not indicated.
While both Moscow and Yerevan have denied the transfer, Azerbaijani officials tell EurasiaNet that they have no doubts that the handover took place.
One Azerbaijani government source, who asked not to be named, told EurasiaNet that the signed document was “first . . .obtained by the Azerbaijani security services via their channels in Moscow, and then leaked to Mediaforum.az.”
“We have enough information on the issue,” the source said. He did not, however, specify what further steps Baku plans to take.
In a January 15 statement, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry noted that the “Russian actions cause special concern . . . in the context of strategic partnership relations between Baku and Moscow and Russia’s mediating role in the Karabakh conflict’s resolution.”
Parliamentarians have taken up the cry. Aydin Mirzazade, deputy chairman of the parliamentary commission on defense and security, argues that Azerbaijan should demand that Armenia return the weapons and vehicles to Moscow – or that Moscow withdraw from a role in the negotiations over Nagorno Karabakh, APA news agency reported.
Whether or not the transfer actually took place is not a subject for public debate. The story has reawakened memories of the late Russian Lieutenant General Lev Rokhlin’s 1997 accusation that the Russian defense ministry was transferring weapons to Armenia without the Kremlin’s assent.
Instead, analysts and parliamentarians alike are focusing on how Baku should respond, and reasons for the alleged transfer.
Analyst Ilham Ismayil believes that Azerbaijan should now express clear support for the Nabucco gas pipeline – a project designed to offer an alternative to Russian supply routes to Europe – during the January 26-27 Nabucco summit in Budapest.
“It is abnormal when a country [Russia] which you call a strategic partner transfers arms to your enemy,” Ismayil commented. Azerbaijani observers had earlier expressed concerns that arms withdrawn from Russia’s former bases in Georgia would end up in Armenia – the current scandal is cited as justification for those fears.
Rauf Mirkadirov, political columnist for the Baku-based Zerkalo (Mirror) daily, goes still further. The Kremlin, he believes, hoped to use the arms transfer to trigger a fresh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh in 2009, and thereby block the Nabucco project. The transfer acted as a de facto response to Azerbaijan’s own military buildup, he said; Azerbaijani military spending now stands at well over $2 billion per year.
“[T]aking into account all of Russia’s recent actions, the possibility of the conflict resuming soon is unfortunately increasing again,” Mirkadirov said.
The South Caucasus’ territorial conflicts are the only lever left for Russia to keep its influence in the region, to oppose Georgia and Azerbaijan’s integration with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and to block energy projects like Nabucco, Mirkadirov added
But while Azerbaijani tempers simmer, Moscow shows little sign of changing its story.
On January 21, the Russian foreign ministry gave the Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow an official note that affirms that the Russian defense ministry did not transfer or sell to Armenia any of the arms described in the Mediaforum.az report. The note described the report as “disinformation, which has a clearly anti-Russian character,” news agencies reported.
In a January 16 statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that a joint investigation with the Russian General Staff had shown that ” [t]he person whose name is mentioned in the Azerbaijani media did not sign any documents and Russia did not supply arms to Armenia last year. We came to the conclusion that this document is false.”
Lavrov emphasized that, as co-members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Russia has programs of “military-technical cooperation” with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. “Our Azerbaijani friends know it and there were no concerns in the past,” he said.
Editor’s Note: Shahin Abbasov is a freelance correspondent based in Baku. He is also a board member of the Open Society Institute-Azerbaijan.
Eurasianet
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Turkish-Australian community speech of Senator Ferguson
PLEASE JOIN US IN THANK YOU CAMPAIGN FOR SENATOR FERGUSON
From: Nihat Canikli <[email protected]>
Subject: Turkish-Australian community speech
To: [email protected]
Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 9:36 PMDear Senator Ferguson, As a Turk living in Ankara, Turkey, I was informed of your Turkish-Australian community speech in the Senate on 18 March 2009. I would like to express that most of the Turks respect their enemies although Turks suffered a lot facing invading armies and their collaborators. As you may know, Turks and Muslims experienced massive death, exile and atrocities in the final period of Ottoman Empire. My grandfather fought in the World War I including Gallipoli front and later in the War of Independence against Greek army. In spite of all these wars and sufferings, we, Turks, do not feel hatred and animosity against our former enemies, their country and people.
Unfortunately, most of the Greeks and Armenians continue anti-Turkish racist hate campaigns with the aim of gaining support from politicians and government officials in different parts of the world including Australia. They give a distorted picture of events in Turkey between 1915-1923. Armenians who collaborated with invading Russian army in eastern Anatolia in World War I caused mass killings of more than five hundred thousand Muslims and Greeks committed atrocities against Turks with the occupation of Greek army although those Christian communities enjoyed peace and prosperity in the Ottoman Empire for centuries.
I thank you for your fair and objective position on the history of and modern-day Turkey. Your remarks will undoubtedly contribute a lot to the friendship of Australia and Turkey.
With warmest regards,
Nihat Canikli
Ankara, Turkey
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From: Turkish Consulate General Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 12:21 PM To: Turkish Consulate General Subject: Duyuru (1000 adrese dagitimli) Sayi: 1247
Tarih: 20/03/2009Sayi: Melburn – 1247
E-Konsolosluk:
Melburn, 20 Mart 2009
Kanberra Buyukelciligimizin girisimi ile Guney Avustralya Senatoru Alan Ferguson’un 18 Mart 2009 tarihinde Avustralya Parlamentosu’nda yaptıgı konusma:
Senator Ferguson, gundem dısı soz alarak yaptıgı konusmada, Adelaide’daki Goc Muzesi’nde 20 Aralık 2008’de acılan “Pontus” plaketi ve bu munasebetle Guney Avustralya Eyaleti Cokkulturluluk, Adalet ve Muharip Gaziler Bakanı Atkinson’un konusmasına yonelik tepkisini ortaya koymaktadır.
Vatandaslarimiza saygi ile duyurulur.
T.C. Melburn Baskonsoloslugu
Level 8, 24 Albert Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Tel: 03 9696 6046
Fax: 03 9696 6104
email: [email protected]
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From: [email protected] Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 1:31 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Your Speech on 18 March 2009 Turkish – Australian Relations
Dear Senator Ferguson, I have had the privilege of reading your speech in relation to the above mentioned topic in the Senate on the 18 March 2009. I would like to convey my most heart felt gratitude to you and your family for such an inspiring speech. One can well glean from the content, text and context of your speech that you are a man of honour and integrity, which are two very rare character traits in many politicians of the modern era. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting onto the public record such important facts as you have. I myself am a Turkish born Australian citizen and it is very rare that we as a community ever get the Australian “Fair Go” from any politician but especially the Australian Media. I grew up in this beautiful nation of ours facing racism and continual allegations about how barbaric the Turkish race was and still is. The political ploy employed by Pope Urban when he called on the first crusades is still alive and being used to this very date. The most disappointing and hurtful of all is when democratically elected Politicians use the same or similar rhetoric as used by Pope Urban all those centuries ago, and the fact that the Australian Media by and large fall for it hook line and sinker. Yet when a Turk tries to put forward their side of the story (whatever issue or topic it may be on) we are continually shut down and not heard. This great Nation of ours needs more men and women of integrity and honour such as yourself if we are to successfully navigate through the troubled waters that lay ahead of us. Sir I wish to mention that I was like many other Turks a committed Labor voter for many years until relatively recent times, however after your speech and dare I say the former Prime Minister Howard’s stance on the fallacious Armenian Genocide issue I will forever VOTE Liberal and I will try and convey that message to as many Turks as I can all over Australia. Regardless of any perceived faults that Mr Howard may have had, I also admire him and his utmost honourable stance on the alleged Armenian Genocide issue which in reality cost him his seat at the last Federal Elections. That fact has not been missed by the Australian Turkish Community. He too could have pandered to the Armenian Voters in his former electorate like that grubby vote grabbing dishonest Maxine Mckew. Mr Howard will always be remembered by the Australian Turkish Community as a man of principle, integrity and honour, as you will too. The month of April is nearly upon us again, and another ANZAC Day nearing, what certain sections of the Armenian community could not achieve via acts of war, treachery, treason and terrorism, they are now trying to achieve via political means. Like many thousands of other Australian Turks I hope that our voices will be heard one day by Australian politicians but especially the Australian Media and that we get a fair go in putting our side of the story to various issues. Certain sections of the Armenian community are now trying to disgrace the memory of ANZAC day in this country by supposedly connecting their fallacious genocide claims with ANZAC day. There is much that I would like to say but alas I do not wish to bore you with details. You have provided me with great hope that my three children will grow up in an Australia that is fair and Just and that they will not face the same accusations that I faced whilst at school of coming from a barbaric race that slaughtered many millions of Armenians, Greeks and others. We truly do live in the Luckiest Country in the world. Sir I can not thank you enough. My warmest regards Ataman Atlas -
Turkey To Launch Armenian-Language Radio Station
Turkey’s state broadcaster plans to launch an Armenian-language radio station, Anatolian state news agency said on Friday, amid tentative moves by Turkey and its neighbor Armenia towards restoring diplomatic ties.
Relations between the two countries are haunted by the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One, which Armenia says amounted to genocide. Ankara accepts many Armenians were killed, but denies genocide was committed. Since then large numbers of Armenian speakers have left Turkey but some 40-50,000 remain, mostly in Istanbul.
“At this stage, we will refrain from any comments,” an Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman said when asked about the report of the planned radio station on Friday.
The announcement comes as some U.S. lawmakers, ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama to Turkey on April 6-7, are renewing a push to brand the 1915 massacre genocide.
Ankara has warned that a new resolution by the U.S. Congress could seriously hurt Washington’s ties with NATO ally Turkey. It also argues such a resolution would derail the drive to mend relations with Armenia, including moves to open the border.
Anatolian said the Armenian-language channel should go on air in “two to three months.” The official day of remembrance in Armenia is April 24.
The genocide issue, which caused U.S.-Turkish relations to plummet in 2007, threatens to complicate Obama’s trip as Washington hopes to work closely with Turkey on Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and the Caucasus. During his 2008 campaign for the White House, Obama referred to the killings of Armenians in World War One as genocide. Obama is now confronted with a choice between breaking a campaign pledge or risking defense ties with Turkey.
Turkey and Armenia have no formal diplomatic relations but officials have held recent tentative discussions. Anatolian said state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corp (TRT), which launched a television channel in the once-banned Kurdish language in January, also planned to launch a Kurdish radio channel.
An Armenian allegation of genocide is monetary scam which has been planed by the New World Occupiers. The fact is London Bankers decided Armenian uprising way before 1915. Yes indeed Turkish genocide has been planned by the imperial war lords. Yes indeed Armenian rebels have been used as private arm forces. Result is 2.7 million Turkish Graves…
Comment by Gusan Yedic — March 23, 2009 @ 3:44 pm
A March 23, 1920, letter of Col. Charles Furlong, an Army
intelligence officer and U.S. Delegate to the Paris Peace Conference,
to President Woodrow Wilson elaborated: “We hear much, both truth and
gross exaggeration of Turkish massacres of Armenians, but little or
nothing of the Armenian massacres of Turks. … The recent so-called
Marash massacres [of Armenians] have not been substantiated. In fact,
in the minds of many who are familiar with the situation, there is a
grave question whether it was not the Turk who suffered at the hands
of the Armenian and French armed contingents which were known to be
occupying that city and vicinity. … Our opportunity to gain the
esteem and respect of the Muslim world … will depend much on
whether America hears Turkey’s untrammeled voice and evidence which
she has never succeeded in placing before the Court of Nations.”
Capt. Emory Niles and Arthur Sutherland, on an official 1919 U.S.
mission to eastern Anatolia, reported: “In the entire region from
Bitlis through Van to Bayezit, we were informed that the damage and
destruction had been done by the Armenians, who, after the Russians
retired, remained in occupation of the country and who, when the
Turkish army advanced, destroyed everything belonging to the
Musulmans. Moreover, the Armenians are accused of having committed
murder, rape, arson and horrible atrocities of every description upon
the Musulman population. At first, we were most incredulous of these
stories, but we finally came to believe them, since the testimony was
absolutely unanimous and was corroborated by material evidence. For
instance, the only quarters left at all intact in the cities of
Bitlis and Van are Armenian quarters … while the Musulman quarters
were completely destroyed.”
Niles and Sutherland were fortified by American and German
missionaries on the spot in Van. American Clarence Ussher reported
that Armenians put the Turkish men “to death,” and, for days, “They
burned and murdered.” A German missionary recalled that, “The memory
of these entirely helpless Turkish women, defeated and at the mercy
of the [Armenians] belongs to the saddest recollections from that
time.”
Comment by Ismail — March 23, 2009 @ 2:03 pm
Hello my Armenian friends!!
I do not know much about Armenian Genocide because I was born in 1965, but I was around when Armenians were KILLING Turkish Embassy staff all around the world in 70’s.. The newspapers were reporting the killings almost on daily basis. At the time I was living a small town called “Samatya” in Istanbul, Turkey where 20% population were Armenians. We (Turks) never had any problems with them. We lived and worked together for decades. Some of my good friends were armenians. We never bother them when their countryman were killing Turks. They were not responsible for someone else whether they were Armanian or not. We were all equally treated at the school, hospital, shops.. There was no such Genocide claims by Armenians by then, even if so I never heard of it.
35 years on, they started this talk about so called “Armenian Genocide”. Nobody knew exactly what has happened in 1915. The history says 4 Turks died for each Armenian dead. We know they were in a war, we know they killed each other. I am asking how can you blame today Turks today what may or may not happened 100 years ago in a war. What about all the Turks who were killed by Armenians at the time. Should we go and kill their grandchildren today? Come on guys, its time to behave responsibly. You have no rights to create “hate” between the two neighbouring nations. They should improve the trade between countries. Time for Peace, not War!! Nobody gains if Turkish and Armenian people had bad relationship. There are still many many armenians living and working in Turkey. If you create bad air, they will feel unsecure and unwanted by Turks. This B.S. needs to end foe everyones sake!!! Go and listen some John Lennon songs..
Comment by Altan Demiray — March 23, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
Here are some excerpts from First Armenian Prime Minister of Republic of Armenia– Hovannes Kachaznouni…
He explains regretfully for forming bands against Ottoman Turks and fighting them.. Does this sound to you like a one sided genocide of Armenians??
What’s below is the complete edition of the 1955 booklet released by the Armenian Information Service, offering a record of Hovhannes Katchaznouni’s parting words to the Dashnagtzoutiun, given in the form of an address to the Party congress in 1923 Bucharest.
……………
If the formation of bands was wrong, the root of that error must be sought much further and more deeply. At the present time it is important to register only the evidence that we did participate In that volunteer movement to the largest extent and we did that contrary to the decision and the will of the General Meeting of the Party.
The Winter of 1914 and the Spring of 1915 were the periods of greatest enthusiasm and hope for all the Armenians in the Caucasus, including, of course, the Dashnagtzoutiun. We had no doubt the war would end with the complete victory of the Allies; Turkey would be defeated and dismembered, and its Armenian population would at last be liberated.
We had embraced Russia whole-heartedly without any compunction. Without any positive basis of fact we believed that the Tzarist government would grant us a more-or-less broad self-government in the Caucasus and in the Armenian vilayets liberated from Turkey as a reward for our loyalty, our efforts and assistance.
We had created a dense atmosphere of illusion in our minds. We had implanted our own desires into the minds of others; we had lost our sense of reality and were carried away with our dreams. From mouth to mouth, from ear to ear passed mysterious words purported to have been spoken in the palace of the Viceroy; attention was called to some kind of a letter by Vorontzov-Dashkov to the Catholicos as an important document in our hands to use in the presentation of our rights and claims — a cleverly composed letter with very indefinite sentences and generalities which might be interpreted in any manner, according to one’s desire.
We overestimated the ability of the Armenian people, its political and military power, and overestimated the extent and importance of the services our people rendered to the Russians. And by overestimating our very modest worth and merit we were naturally exaggerating our hopes and expectations.
The deportations and mass exiles and massacres which took place during the Summer and Autumn of 1915 were mortal blows to the Armenian Cause. Half of historical Armenia —the same half where the foundations of our independence would be laid according to traditions inherited from the early eighties and as the result of the course adopted by European diplomacy — that half was denuded of Armenians: the Armenian provinces of Turkey were without Armenians. The Turks knew what they were doing and have no reason to regret today. It was the most decisive method of extirpating the Armenian Question from Turkey.
Again, it would be useless to ask today to what extent the participation of volunteers in the war was a contributory cause of the Armenian calamity. No one can claim that the savage persecutions would not have taken place if our behavior on this side of the frontier was different, as no one can claim the contrary, that the persecutions would have been the same even if we had not shown hostility to the Turks. This is a matter about which it is possible to have many different opinions.
The proof is, however — and this is essential — that the struggle begun decades ago against the Turkish government brought about the deportation or extermination of the Armenian people in Turkey and the desolation of Turkish Armenia. This was the terrible fact!
Civilized humanity might very well be shaken with rage in the face of this unspeakable crime. Statesmen might utter menacing words against criminal Turkey. “Blue”, “yellow”, “orange” books and papers might be published condemning them. Divine, punishment against the criminals might be invoked in churches by clergymen of all denominations. The press of all countries might be filled with horrible descriptions and details and the testimony of eye-witnesses. . . . Let them say this or that .. . but the work was already done and words would not revive the corpses fallen in the Arabian deserts, rebuild the ruined hearths, repopulate the country now become desolate. The Turks knew what they ought to do and did it.
The second half of 1915 and the entire year of 1916 were periods of hopelessness, desperation and mourning for us. The refugees, all those who had survived the holocaust, were filling Russian provinces by tens and hundreds of thousands. They were famished, naked, sick, horrified and desperate floods of humanity, flooding our villages and cities. They had come to a country which was itself ruined and famished. They piled upon each other, before our own eyes, on our thresholds dying of famine and sickness
And we were unable to save those precious lives. Angered and terrified, we sought the culprits and quickly found them: the deceitful politics of the Russian government. With the politically immature mind peculiar to inconsequential men, we fell from one extreme to another. Just as unfounded was our faith in the Russian government yesterday, our condemnation of them today was equally blind and groundless.
http://www.tallarmeniantale.com/1923Manifesto-record.htm
Comment by Cem Tuncoglu — March 23, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Obama has been extremely foolish to back the lies he has been fed by the Armenians and paid historians and should not even be talking about the Armenian deportations as “genocide”.
One of our foreign ministers was right when in a speech in Brussels he said ‘Turkey would not have been the great country it is today had the Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians been allowed to stay” .
It is right that the US should take note of Turkey, the US needs Turkey much more than Turkey needs America – Turkey is now the leading voice in the middle east.
Comment by Van der Galien — March 22, 2009 @ 8:26 am