Turkish Forum

Tag: Armenian Question

  • Understanding the Armenian Question

    Understanding the Armenian Question

    Preface

    Overcoming Prejudice and Hatred

    The 1915 relocation was a dreadful operation for the Ottoman Armenians. It is undeniable that they suffered a great disaster with many innocent lives lost on their relocation routes.

    The Armenian genocide lobby claims that the Ottoman government intentionally “marched Armenians to their deaths”, thus committing the first genocide in history, and that the relocation law was only a pretext for the extinction of Armenians. This allegation of genocide does not ring true. It has no historical evidence or legal framework. To term the events of 1915 as genocidze is to detach genocide from its legal definition and to use it for political or religious purposes.

    No one has ever found any dependable documentary evidence to support the claim that the Ottoman government intended to exterminate the Armenians through relocation. On the contrary, there is considerable evidence of attempts to prevent such an outcome, though these were not very successful under the extraordinary conditions of World War I.

    The 1915 relocation law introduced by the Ottoman government was a wartime security strategy and operational measure undertaken for reasons of urgent military necessity. The Ottoman Empire was fighting alongside Germany against Britain, France, and Russia. Armenians saw this as an opportunity to establish their own state and they revolted against the Ottoman Empire, of which they were citizens.

    In Eastern Anatolia, tens of thousands of Armenians, including those under arms in the Ottoman army, fled to join the Russian Caucasian Army. Serving as scouts and advance units, they supported the Russian invaders. In Southern Anatolia, thousands of Armenian volunteers joined French Legion troops and took part in the occupation of numerous Ottoman provinces.

    Those Armenians who stayed behind were also a great threat to the Ottoman war effort and to the lives of the Muslims of Eastern Anatolia. Just before the war, more than 12,000 Armenian males of fighting age had gone to Russia from Eastern Anatolia. There, they were trained in partisan and guerrilla tactics. Immediately after Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire, they returned to Anatolia. Joining with others who had never left Turkey, as well as Armenian deserters from the Ottoman army, they organized guerrilla activities on both sides of the Ottoman frontier. Henry Morgenthau, the American Ambassador in Istanbul, reported to Washington on 25 May 1915 that nobody estimated the Armenian guerrillas to be “less than 10,000, and 25,000 thousand is probably closer to the truth”.

    In the spring of 1915, when the British were at the Dardanelles, the Russians attacking in the east, and another British force apparently advancing on Baghdad, Armenian guerrilla activities had gained momentum all over Anatolia. Military supply and transport routes, and the communication channels of the Ottoman military units were sabotaged. Meanwhile the Armenian militias were attacking helpless Muslim villages in Eastern Anatolia and committing massacres against wholly innocent people. In some localities the entire Muslim population was killed. Armenian guerrillas were supported by Armenian villagers as well as by Armenians in the eastern cities that were home to leaders of their rebellion.

    For the Ottoman leaders, the Armenian uprising was the deadliest of all national security threats. On 14 November 1922, the New York Times reported that a total of 200,000 Caucasian and Ottoman Armenian volunteers fought against the Ottoman Empire in World War I. In response, at approximately the same time that the Armenians seized the City of Van, the Ottoman government ordered that the Armenian population residing in or near war zones be relocated to the southern Ottoman provinces, away from the advancing Russian army. Armenians living away from the front, if reported or suspected to be enemy collaborators, were also relocated.

    Understanding the Armenian Question uluc gurkan

    The Ottoman government took numerous measures for the care, protection and feeding of those subjected to deportation. However, under wartime conditions these measures were not fully implemented and unwanted suffering was not prevented. On the way to the south-eastern provinces, those being relocated were sometimes attacked by tribal gangs committing robbery or taking revenge for massacres of Muslims by Armenian bands, in some cases with the connivance of officials. Thousands of Armenians died in these attacks. The loss was multiplied by disease and famine.

    In reaction, the Ottoman government investigated the crimes that had been committed. Hearings were held across the eastern provinces, followed by court-martials, at which nearly 1,000 gang members and more than 600 civilian officials or military personnel were sentenced to imprisonment and, in some cases, execution for the attacks on or abuse of the Armenians.

    The Ottoman trials of 1915–1917, much before the end of war, unquestionably prove that the Ottoman government did not intend to exterminate Armenians through relocation. The number of Armenians who survived relocation also proves that there was no genocide. The well-known Armenian historian Richard Hovannisian has estimated that about 275,000 Ottoman Armenian refugees survived in post-war Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and Iran. More than 100,000 Ottoman Armenians were in France, the United States, and elsewhere. These were survivors who had been completely in the hands of Ottoman soldiers and officials. Had the Ottomans wanted, they could have killed them all. Yet most of the relocated Armenians survived.

    Detailing the suffering and losses during the relocation, even though they were not caused by genocide, is undoubtedly a humanitarian matter. However, this should be treated without prejudice and hatred while giving due scholarly attention to history and facts. The historical fact is that during World War I the suffering of Armenians was one of the many disasters that faced all the peoples of the Ottoman Empire. Those who lived in Anatolia, including Turks, Kurds, Armenians, Greeks, and Jews, suffered and made each other suffer.

    Muslims were the dominant population in the Ottoman lands during World War I. This does not mean, however, that they were not affected by the devastation of this war. As revealed by the reports of some American missionaries, prior to the relocation ruling, Armenians also committed atrocious massacres in the villages they captured, including Van, which they occupied. In addition to the American archives, Russian, French, British, and German national archives are also full of documents recording the suffering inflicted on Muslims by rebel Armenian gangs both before and after the relocation. Moreover, the Greek occupation after World War I was also a period of extreme suffering for Muslims in Anatolia.

    The painful human tragedies of war should be perceived holistically, without any racial and/or religious discrimination. These sufferings should be shared and, when necessary, mourned together. The perception of common suffering can only be realised by understanding the experiences of all Ottoman people, Muslims, and non-Muslims, together.

    However, communicating the suffering in Anatolia during World War I faces two important obstacles today. These stem from the discriminatory and prejudiced approaches of those who try to impose the memory of relocation defined as “genocide”. The first obstacle is that the same sensitivity shown towards the suffering of Christians, especially Armenians, is not shown towards Muslims, Turks, and Kurds. The second is that the one-sided Armenian emphasis on such uffering overrides historical and legal facts and is used to support allegations of “genocide”.

    “Genocide” is a legal concept. The classification of a historical event or a process as “genocide” can only be based on legal rulings, not personal convictions. In other words, the acknowledgement of suffering cannot change the definition of historical and legal facts.

    Furthermore, the Malta Tribunal (1919-1921) which was conducted by the British Attorney General are key to establishing that the alleged Armenian genocide is a farce as it has no historical and judicial basis. The ruling of July 29,1921 corresponds to a “judgement of non-prosecution” which means, “if there is no legal evidence to support the Armenian massacre claims, there is no legal basis to file or bring a lawsuit”. As this ruling constitutes the first step to a court trial, the outcome of the Malta Tribunal is a final judicial decision consistent with the relevant description of 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention. Therefore, absolving the Ottoman Turks that “the “Armenian massacre”, or currently termed “genocide” allegations do not exist.”

    This book aims to cleanse the debate on the “Armenian genocide” of prejudice, positioning it on historical and legal facts, and therefore preventing it from becoming a vicious “hate fight”. This is because prejudice nourishes discriminatory approaches. It damages our will to live together.

    In order to overcome the prejudice surrounding the Armenian genocide and to be freed from the hatred fuelled by this prejudice, historical and legal facts must replace the “subjective-memory records” about the events of 1915, which have been transformed into some kind of “conscience fetishism”.

    Historical and legal facts reveal that life is not black and white, but that there are shades of grey in between. This perspective allows us to see not only that the legitimate reasons for the 1915 relocation do not “justify” Armenian suffering, but also that the suffering inflicted does not eliminate the legitimate reasons for the practice. Historical and legal facts give us the opportunity to meet in this grey zone, which is free from prejudices, is no longer a vicious “hate discourse”, and opens the door to mutual tolerance.

    My primary debt in writing this book is to Bilal Şimşir, a valuable researcher and diplomat who brought the events of the British H.M. Attorney General Office’s prosecution in Malta to Turkey’s agenda and opened his personal archives to me. I would also like to thank Jale (Swailes) Özer, President of the ADD (Atatürk Society UK), who provided me with the missing documents from the British archives.

    My work on this book was made possible by the support of my wife, Nazime Gürkan, and my family. Without their patience and collaboration, it could not have been completed.

    Uluç Gürkan, Ankara 2023

  • Could I get arrested for talking about the Armenian Genocide in Turkey?

    Could I get arrested for talking about the Armenian Genocide in Turkey?

    Irene Ols on Quora answered this question as follows:

    I will answer as an Armenian American, who visited Turkey, No, you are quite safe but when you visit any new country, you want to avoid talking about touchy political subjects with complete strangers. Most Turks are extremely welcoming to Armenians and consider them “one of our own” ethnicities. There are nationalist Turks who post here on Quora but those are an extreme minority. Most people, upon learning that you are Armenian, would normally mention something like “I am very sorry to what happened to Armenians”, “We miss having the rich Armenian culture here”, “All the beautiful homes in Istanbul were built by Armenians and Greeks” etc etc. But of course, you also have to show a non-belligerent behavior and act friendly. You would get a non-friendly attitude if you are showing one yourself today, not because of history.

  • For Sassounian to respond

    For Sassounian to respond

    Re: Garo Paylan being a member of the Kurdish party HDP, below is the slightly revised version of my message published in Turkish Forum 2 days ago, for archival purposes, and for Harut Sassounian to respond. I hope Harut will respond shortly.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Why are the articles of a chief Armenian diaspora propagandist Harut Sassounian being posted in Turkish Forum?

    Imagine a Turkish person who disputes the bogus Armenian genocide accusation trying to have his/her articles posted or published in an Armenian website or platform. He/she would be lambasted – or worse – for even trying such “outrageous” attempt! Opinions opposing “Armenian genocide” are not welcome in Armenian websites or platforms. Even if they do – as is the case occasionally with “HyeTert” published in Turkey – the reader is warned that the contents are misleading and/or prejudiced, etc. Surely, what is reported in “HyeTert” is truthful and impartial!

    I don’t normally comment – in Turkish or English – on Harut bey’s articles posted in Turkish Forum because my comments do not get posted in the “The California Courier.” So, why waste time?

    But on Harut’s latest propaganda piece posted below, I make an exception. His assertion that “Armenian Massacres were discussed and acknowledged by the Ottoman Parliament and Senate in 1918,” does not carry any weight. The Ottoman parliament (Meclis-i Mebûsan), just like the Ottoman military tribunals at that time, were under the watch and command of the occupying foreign forces. The 1919-20 courts martial held under the leadership of Nemrut Mustafa Pasha were “kangaroo courts” held at the instigation of the victorious Allied Powers. These courts issued death sentences to not only the leaders of the “Committee of Unity and Progress,” but also to the leaders of the Nationalist Movement “Kuva-yi Milliye,” including Mustafa Kemal. With no due process, no witnesses, no cross examination, etc., the courts lacked credibility. The Allies considered them travesty of justice, with British High Commissioner Admiral Somerset Arthur Gough-Calthorpe writing to London on August 1, 1919, that these courts were “proving to be a farce and injurious to our own prestige.”

    Ottoman Parliament and Senate in 1918 Acknowledged ‘the Armenian Massacres

    Hence these courts were far from being competent tribunals referred to in the 1948 Genocide Convention. Having witnessed these kangaroo court martials, the British decided to hold the Malta Tribunal. And we know what the results were.

    Those that inflicted harm to the Armenian refugees during re-location in 1915 were in fact punished earlier by the 1915-16 Ottoman courts-martial acting under no pressure by foreign powers.

    Harut should answer: How many rebellious Armenians that terrorized the countryside, killed Muslim civilians, and helped the invading Russian forces were brought to justice in a court of law? Answer: zero, zilch. Nearly 520,000 civilian Muslims were massacred in cold blood in Anatolia alone by the rebellious Armenian forces during 1914-21. There were also 413,000 Muslim losses in the Transcaucasian region.

    And if Harut is seeking legal justification for what he calls “Armenian genocide,” why doesn’t he refer to the decisions of the Malta Tribunal, the 2013/2015 rulings of ECtHR on the Switzerland-Perincek case, and the 1987 ruling of the Constitutional Council of France? As well, from a historical point of view, the views of 69 academicians including eminent historians such as Professors Bernard Lewis and Justin McCarthy, who, in 1985, made a public declaration in U.S.A. that, in their opinion, the 1915 events did not constitute genocide.

    While on the subject, Harut should explain why Armenia to date has not taken its case to the European Court of Justice to adjudicate its claims? And likewise, the Armenian lobby, why it has not asked the UN to convene a special tribunal to hear its allegations? He should also ask himself why the British government – certainly very knowledgeable on the 1915 events – to date has not recognized “Armenian genocide.”

    Speaking of legal justification for a bogus genocide, Harut should also know that the U.S. Congress, just with some of today’s European parliaments, have no authority to pass judgment on “Armenian genocide.” That is the bailiwick of courts of law. The “Armenian genocide” labels today run on the backbone of Jewish Holocaust – to which it has no resemblance – as well a deep-rooted anti-Muslim, anti-Turkish prejudice in the West, including America. We certainly have heard that Armenians were the “First Christian nation.” A statement that certainly makes a big impact in Christian America.

    Lobbying and donations to U.S. politicians – lots of it – of course also make a huge difference.

    As for Harut’s reference to the fact that Armenian members of the Turkish Parliament, Selina Doğan and Garo Paylan, had raised the issue of the Armenian Genocide in the Parliament in 2016, such action does not signify the legitimacy of their cause. Garo Paylan is a member of the Kurdish party HDP, which has argued that Turkey should apologize for the 1915 events, https://hdp.org.tr/tr/ermeni-soykirimi-utanciyla-yuzlesin/15358/. The politicians of HDP are apparently totally ignorant on the suffering of Kurdish people during the Armenian revolt in the Ottoman period. Among the civilian Muslims killed by mutinous Armenian terrorists, including those that fell victim during the Van massacre on April 21, 1915, a good percentage of the victims were Kurdish. Also, during the First Republic of Armenia, 1918-20, 98% of the Kurdish population (a figure of nearly 25,000) perished due to deprivations and massacre under a fascist regime. The losses on the Turkish side numbered 200,000. The source of this information is none other than A.A. Lalaian, a Soviet historian of Armenian origin.

    The judge involved in the 1919-20 military tribunals, Nemrut Mustafa Pasha, was also Kurdish; he was a traitor, and supported the cause of the occupying Allied forces.

    Let us not gloss over the fact that the terrorist Kurdish PKK organization in Turkey also receives some covert help from Armenian elements.

    Harut is a prominent member of the Armenian lobby in U.S., including ANCA-WR. Here is a clip from an Armenian-lobby news outlet – one that belongs to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) -regarding the February 6, 2023 earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey and part of northern Syria: https://armenianweekly.com/2023/02/21/amaa-responds-to-earthquake-stricken-community-in-aleppo/. It is mentioned that some deaths occurred in Syria, and more than 350 Armenian families had found shelter in the halls and courtyard of Bethel Church. But not a single word about the massive human losses and material damage in Turkey! On the date the article was published, there were at least 40,000 deaths in Turkey. So much about the humanity of Armenian websites belonging to the diaspora.

    Harut personally targeted me in 2017 in his article, https://www.thecaliforniacourier.com/turkish-activist-admits-major-blow-when-texas-recognized-armenian-genocide/, to which I replied:

    http://avim.org.tr/Blog/ARMENIAN-LOBBYIST-SELECTIVELY-USES-GENOCIDE-RECOGNITION-ARTICLE-TO-SUIT-OWN-AGENDA. Because he has taken personal interest in me, I now have a personal question to Harut.

    Harut is an “expert” on “Armenian genocide,” and he has even written a book on the subject – a book I am sure would have shocked even Hovhannes Katchaznouni had he read it. Harut’s prolific writings on “Armenian genocide” in The California Courier curiously skip the ASALA/JCAG terror that killed 58 Turkish citizens including 31 diplomats between 1973 and 1998. He meticulously avoided commenting on the 2021 release from prison of Hampig Sassounian, the Armenian gunman who assassinated Turkish Consul General Kemal Arıkan in Los Angeles in 1982. His articles also don’t say a word about the Nazi connections of those like General Dro Drastamat Kanayan during WW-2.

    Harut worked in Geneva from 1978 to 1982, and claims he was a human rights delegate at the United Nations in Geneva for 10 years. In 1980 there was a terror attempt by ASALA to kill the Turkish Ambassador in Geneva, and in June 1981, an actual terror act whereby Turkish Consulate Secretary, Mehmet Savaş Yergüz, was assassinated by an Armenian gunman. The assassin was caught, tried, and convicted for murder.

    Before long, the Swiss authorities received a letter from Armenia; in it a number Armenian organizations and churches were pleading with the Swiss authorities to release the assassin, stating that, if released, they would look after him. A copy of this letter is still in the possession of a Turkish person living in Geneva.

    The question to Harut is: Can he comment on the murderous events in Geneva and the letter mentioned above – events that took place while he was in Geneva? He should certainly know.

    Ferruh Demirmen

  • Is Armenia a failed nation?

    Is Armenia a failed nation?

    I think it is a failed nation. I am not trying to be offensive but there are some things to realize why they are failed.

    Average Armenian still lives in 1915. If you try to make a sensible conversation with an average Armenian the conversation ALWAYS comes to “genocide” at some point. It literally sounds like they are BRAGGING about being a victim all the time; it’s bizarre and annoying because it doesn’t add anything to any conversation and it blocks the development of the relationships between their neighbors hence the rest of the world.

    They always talk about how they survived a genocide etc and they think their neighboring countries are the ones who should be blamed for their poor economy and social infrastructure. But they don’t see the fact that Israel, a real holocaust survivor nation, was born from their ashes and now they are one of the strongest and most influential countries in the world.

    Another thing; A nation’s progress happens through their folk. They need to accept their history and move on. There’s no point to feed the younger generation with hatred. The below pictures are average Armenian’s mindset and the lack of respect for national symbols are saddening. These kids are growing with hate. I’ve seen many similar scenes in Los Angeles. Kids and their grandmas/grandpas are stepping on Turkish flags like they are getting revenge, i think this is pathetic.

    ermeni gorevlilerin nefreti turk bayragi

    (the people in the picture above are Armenian officials..)

    ermeni cocuklar turk ve azerbaycan bayragini eziyor
    armenian kids turkish flag
    armenian kids hate azerbaijan and turkish flag

    I’ve met and interacted with MANY Armenians who live in California and I can honestly say most of them are decent people but extremely ignorant due to their parents. God forbid if you don’t agree with their genocidal claims they become hostile.

    I personally don’t think Armenia will be a developed country ever because their mindset is a huge block on development.

    Damien Roth

  • CHRONOLOGIE – Armenian Issue

    CHRONOLOGIE – Armenian Issue

    CHRONOLOGY

    “The Armenian issue, which aims at meeting the economic interests of the capitalist world rather than bearing in mind the veritable interests of the Armenians themselves was best resolved with the Kars Agreement. The friendly ties between two industrious people coexisting peacefully for centuries have been satisfactorily established anew.”

    Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

    1.3.1922, Inaugural Speech of the 3rd Year of Session of the TGNA


     

    1022Basileios II annexed Armenian territories in the Byzantine Empire and 40.000 Armenians were deported to Anatolia.
    1046The Armenian sovereigns were killed by Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX.
    1054Seljukian Sultan Tugrul Bey gave the Armenians autonomy.
    1098The Armenians collaborated with the Crusaders.
    1461Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror invited Armenian Bishop Hovakim to Istanbul and he was honoured by the title of “Patriarch”. Later some privileges were given to the Armenians.
    1790The First official Armenian school was opened by two Armenians Amira Miricanyan and Shnork Migirdic, in Istanbul, at Kumkapi.
    1823The Bezciyan School was founded by an Armenian called Artin Bezciyan in Istanbul, Kumkapi.
    1824Patriarch Karabet has taken Armenian Grammar School Kumpkapi under his protection.
    1853(October, 22) Armenian Commission of Education was founded.
    1876The Ottoman Assembly accepted the first Armenian deputies.
    1877(December, 7) Armenian National Council decided on forcing their people to join the Army and fight.
    1878(April, 13) The Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, Nerses has sent a note to British Secretary of Foreign Affairs saying that they would not live together with the Turks any longer.(July, 13) The Treaty of Berlin was signed. Article 61 about the Ottoman Armenians was added to the treaty.(August, 3) The British Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lord Salisbury sent an instruction to the British Ambassador Layard and informed him that the Ottoman Government should begin making reforms in the Eastern Anatolia.
    1890(June, 20) Revolt of Erzurum(July) Kumkapi DemonstrationFirst Sason Revolt
    1892 – 1893Merzifon, Kayseri and Yozgat Revolts
    1895(September, 30) Sublime Porte (Government’s Gate) Event in Istanbul.(November) The Armenian attempt for a revolt in Maras.
    1896(October, 30) Armenian Uprising in Istanbul(June, 1) First Van Revolt(August, 26) Raid of the Ottoman Bank
    1902Armenian philologist H. Acaryan published a book called “The Effects of Turkish Language on Armenian Language and The Turkish Words in Armenian”.
    1904Second Sason Revolt
    1905(July, 1921) The Assassination attempt against Sultan Abdulhamid II in Yildiz Mosque.
    1908Armenian newspaper “Jamanak” was statrted to be published.Second National Council has opened and some of the Armenian Committee members were elected deputies.
    1909(April, 14) Armenian Revolt in Adana.
    1915(April, 15) Second Van Revolt(April, 24) Armenian Committees working against the Ottoman Government were closed. The 2345 members of those committees were arrested.(May, 3) Armenian Massacres in Van.(May, 27) The Law of Relocation was passed.
    1918(February, 1) Armenian secret society member Arshak committed massacres in Bayburt.(April, 25) Armenian militants killed 750 Muslims in Subatan village of Kars City.(May, 1) An Armenian militant named Arshak killed 60 Muslims including children in Kars City.
    1919(November, 20) Two Armenian high category bureaucrats of the Ottoman government, Bogos Nubar Pasha and Sherif Pasha signed Armenian-Kurd independence document.
    1920(January, 12) An Armenian mounted unit has tortured Muslims in the Arapdar village of Antep City.(December, 2) Treaty of Gumru was signed.
    1921(March, 15) An Armenian terrorist assassinated Talat Pasha in Berlin.(March, 16) The Moscow Treaty was signed.(March, 18) Misak Torlakyan killed the Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, Cevanshir Han, in Istanbul.(October, 13) Kars Agreement was signed.(December, 6) Armenians killed Sait Halim Pasha in Rome.
    1922(July, 22) Cemal Pasha was killed by Armenians, in Tbilisi.
    1923Armenian Munib Boya entered the Turkish National Assembly as a deputy.(June, 24) The Lausanne Treaty was signed.
    1934Franz Werfel published his novel “Forty Days in Musa Mountain” in USA.
    1935(December, 15) In Pangalti church an Armenian Group burned Werfel’s novel “Forty Days in Musa Mountain” declaring that book “utters maliciously false statements about the Turkish Nation”.
    1936After the publication of Franz Werfel’s “Forty Days in Musa Mountain” in France, it caused a lot of reactions in the Turkish press.
    1937Cevat Rıfat Atilhan, “Musa Dağı” adında kitap yazarak, Franz Werfel’in eserinin gerçekleri yansıtmadığını bildirdi.Werfel’in, “Musa Dağ’da Kırk Gün” adlı eserinin filme alınmasının engellenmesi, ABD Dışişleri Bakanlığı nezdinde gündeme geldi.
    1943Armenian Berc Türker Keresteci entered the Turkish National Assembly as a deputy from Afyonkarahisar.
    1957Migirdich Shellefyan was elected as a deputy from Istanbul in the 27 October elections.
    1964(December 24) The Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kypriano applied to UN Council of Security to get the approval of  “the Armenian Issue” against Turkey.
    1965(April 24) Armenians had organised a demonstration against Turkey, in San Paulo, Brazil.
    1969(April 24) Armenians made a demonstration in front of the Turkish Embassy in London.
    1973(January 27) An Armenian terrorist, Migirdic Yanikyan killed Mehmet Baydar, Turkish Consul General for Los Angeles and his assistant Bahadir Demir.
    1975(January 20) ASALA was founded.(October 22) The Turkish Ambassador in Vienne Danis Tunaligil was killed by Armenian terrorists.(October 24) The Turkish Ambassador in Paris Ismail Erez and a police officer Talip Yener were killed by Armenian terrorists.
    1976(February 16) The First Secretary of Turkish Embassy in Beirut Oktay Cerit was killed by the Armenian terrorists.(May 28) Turkish diplomatic bureau in Zurich was bombed. An Armenian called Noubar Soufoyan was arrested and condemned to 15 years in prison.
    1977(May 29) Istanbul Yesilkoy Airport and Sirkeci Station were bombed. Four people died and 31 people were injured. The attacks were undertaken by the “Extreme Armenian Movement Groups”.(June 9) The Turkish Ambassador in Vatican Taha Carim was killed by the Armenians.
    1978(January 3) The Turkish Embassy in Brussels was bombed. The attack was undertaken by “Armenian New Resistance Organisation”.(June 2) In Madrid, the Turkish Ambassador Zeki Kunaralp’s wife Necla Kunaralp and the ex Ambassador Besir Balcioglu were killed by the Armenians.(July 8) In Paris, the Turkish Diplomatic Bureau and the Tourism Bureau were bombed. The attacks were undertaken by the “Armenian Genocide Justice Committee”(August 6) Turkish General Consulate for Geneva was bombed. The attacks were undertaken by the “The Armenian New Resistance Organisation”.(December 17) The Geneva Bureau of Turkish Airlines was bombed by ASALA.
    1979(April 15) The Greek government approved “The Monument of Armenian Revenge” to be erected in Nea Simirna Square in Athens.(August 22) Assistant Consul Niyazi Adali in Geneva was assassinated by ASALA, in attack three other people were killed.(August 27) Turkish Airlines Bureau in Frankfurt was bombed by ASALA.(October 4) Turkish Airlines Bureau in Copenhagen was bombed by ASALA.(October 12) The son of Ozdemir Benler, the Turkish Ambassador in Amsterdam, Ahmet Benler was killed in La Hague.(December 22) The Tourism Counsellor of Paris Embassy Yilmaz Copan was killed by Armenians.
    1980(January 10) ASALA bombed Turkish Airlines’ Bureau in Tehran.(February 6) Ambassador Dogan Turkmen was injured in an armed attack in Bern.(March 10) Armenian terrorists bombed the Turkish Airlines Bureau in Rome. Two Italians died; 14 Italians injured.(April 8) During meeting in Sayda, ASALA declared the Kurds as their blood brothers by claiming there were resemblances between the two communities.(April 17) The Turkish Ambassador in Vatican Vecdi Turel was attacked by the Armenians, and his police officer Tahsin Guvenc was injured.(April 19) ASALA attacked the Turkish Consulate in Marseille.(June 31) The Turkish Administrative Attaché Galip Ozmen and his daughter Neslihan Ozmen were killed by the Armenian terrorists. (August 5) The Turkish Consulate in Lyon was stormed by the Armenian terrorists and Kadir Atilgan, Ramazan Sefer, Kavas Bozdag and Huseyin Toprak were killed.(September 26) Turkish Press Attaché in Paris Selcuk Bakkalbasi was attacked by the Armenians and he was badly injured.(November 10) ASALA attacked to Turkish Consulate in Strasbourg.(December 17) Turkish Ambassador in Sidney, Sarik Arkyan and his police officer Engin Saver were killed.
    1981(January 13) Armenian terrorists had put a bomb into the car of Ahmet Erbeyli Counselor of Finance in Paris Embassy. He survived by chance.(March 4) The Administrative counsellor of Turkish Embassy in Paris, Resat Morali and imam Tecelli Ari were killed by the Armenians.(April 3) The Armenians shot Cavit Demir the administrative counsellor of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen; he was luckily survived with injuries.(June 9) The Secretary of the Turkish Embassy in Geneva Mehmet S. Yerguz was killed by ASALA.(September 24) The Armenian terrorists stormed the General Consulate in Geneva; and killed police officer Cemal Ozen.(October 3) The Second Secretary of Turkish Embassy in Rome was attacked by Armenian terrorists; he was badly injured.(November 27) “Armenian Students Union in Europe” and “Kurdish Students Association in Europe” made a joint declaration in London.
    1982(January 28) The Turkish General Consulate in Los Angeles, Kemal Arikan was killed by two Armenians Harry Sasunyan and Kirkor Saliba.(April 8) Commerce Counselor in Ottawa Embassy Kemalttin Kani Gungor was injured by an armed attack.(May 5) The Turkish honorary Consul for USA Boston Region Okan Gunduz was killed by Armenians.(June 7) Erkut Akbay the administrative attaché in Lisbon Embassy was killed. On the same day, Atilla Altikat the military attaché in Ottawa, Bora Süelkan the administrative attaché to Bulgaria and chargé d’affaires of Lisbon Embassy Yurtsev Mihcioglu and his wife Cahide Mihcioglu were attacked. Turkish Ambassador in Canada Coskun Kirca was attacked as well.(August 7) Ankara Esenboga Airport was bombed by three Armenian terrorists. Three police officers and nine civil people died. Seventy-eight people were injured. A terrorist called Levon Ekmekciyan was arrested. (August 10) An Armenian named Artin Penik burned himself to protest Esenboga Airport Incident.
    1983(January 29) Levon Ekmekciyan was found guilty of 1982 Esenboga Airport incident and he was executed in Ankara.Harut Levonyan and Rafi Elbekyan attacked to the Turkish Ambassador in Yugoslavia and a man from Belgrade who was passing by was killed.(June 15) Some terrorists of ASALA organisation attacked Turkish Airlines office in Paris Orly Airport. The attack resulted in the death of four Frenchmen, two Turks, an American and a Swedish person. In the incident sixty people were injured.(June 27) Five Armenian terrorists who raided the Turkish Embassy in Lisbon were died.
    1985(March 12) Turkish Embassy in Ottawa was raided by three Armenian terrorists. One of the Canadian civil guards was shot dead. Ambassador Coskun Kirca survived with injuries.
    1991(January 21) Armenians attacked to Hacilar City. Three Soviet soldiers and two Azeris were killed. The terrorists killed an Azeri journalist Savatin Askerova.(April 13) In Karabagh, Armenians and Azeris fought. The Armenians bombarded Azeri villages.(April 23) The Armenians bombarded Azeri villages in Susa region. Three Azeris were killed, three houses were destroyed, and three houses were demolished.(April 26) Four Azeri civil guardians were killed. The attack was undertaken by “Karabakh Warriors”.(September 23) Armenia declared its independence.(December 26) Soviet Union was dissolved. Armenia gained its legal independence.
    1996Levon Petrosyan was elected as the President of Armenia for the second time.
    1997(March 20) One of the leaders of Tashnaksutium Rober Kocaryan became the prime minister of Armenia.(December 20) The Armenians celebrated the 160th year of Surp Agapyan Hospital together with New Year’s fest.
    1998The President of Turkey Suleyman Demirel received Ara Kocunyan the editor of “Jamanak” newspaper in the of 90th anniversary of the newspaper, in his resident.(February) The President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyon resigned. Thus Robert Kocaryan has found a way for presidency. Petrosyan was protested by the extreme nationalists with his peaceful approaches in Karabagh.(February) Elcibey the leader of Azerbeyjan People’s Front evaluated the resignation of Petrosyan, and he said Kocaryan revolted against Azerbeyjan with the Russian assistance in Karabagh. (March 30) Kocaryan was elected the President of Armenia.(July) Abdullah Ocalan the leader of the PKK terrorist organization demanded a special village from Armenia for the use of his organization.(October 14) Mesrob Mutafyan, became the 84th Patriarch of the Turkish Armenians.
  • Grief of all Anatolian people; Christian, Jewish, and Muslim

    Grief of all Anatolian people; Christian, Jewish, and Muslim

    Dear Honorable Members of the House of Commons,

    One-sided pro-Armenian narrative claims that one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire by Turks.

    Although the figures reporting the total pre-World War I Armenian population vary widely, demographic studies prove that prior to World War I, fewer than 1,5 million Armenians lived in the entire Ottoman Empire. British, French and Ottoman sources give figures of between 1,200000 to 1,5 million. Only certain American and dubious Armenian sources claim a pre-war population larger than 1.5 million. Thus, the allegations that 1,5 million Armenians from Eastern Anatolia died must be viewed as grossly exaggerated.

    Moreover, the post-war figures of Armenian population also clearly prove that a great portion of the Ottoman Armenians did not die as claimed. Boghos Nubar , the President of the Armenian National Assembly and the head of the Armenian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919-1920, declared that some 600.000 to 700.000 Armenians were relocated from Anatolia. And after the war 280,000 Armenians remained in the Anatolian portion of the occupied Ottoman Empire while 100,000 of Armenians had emigrated to other countries.  

    Besides war related causes and intercommunal conflict perpetrated by both Christian and Muslim irregular forces, the totality of documents of the time thus far uncovered by historians verify that during the relocation of Armenians to Syria [an Ottoman province at that time] hundreds of thousands of Armenians had died on account of disease, famine and many other consequences of the war. 

    With these in mind, even if the fabrications about the Armenian losses are corrected, the revised numbers will not tell us the exact manner of death of the citizens of Anatolia, regardless of ethnicity. They were caught up in both an international war and an intercommunal conflict and vengeful acts instigated by the Dashnaks – the irregular group from which today’s active Armenian Revolutionary Front (ARF) was born. This group aided and abetted the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), killing more than 42 Turkish diplomats and their families as recent as the nineteen-eighties and promotes such dastardly acts against Turks and their families even today.

    Additionally, the corrected numbers will not be the complete story of the 1915 events. Truth demands every side of the story to be told. If only one side of the tragedy is to be accepted while the other side is regarded as perpetrators of the same tragedy, this leads us, without a doubt,  into the realms of racial and religious discrimination and of double standards.

    Each needless death, either Christian, Jewish or Muslim, is a tragedy. Equally tragic are the double standards designed to inflame discrimination and provoke hatred. 

    The statistical information tells us that nearly 1,1 million Anatolian Muslims (Turks, Kurds) and Jews also perished because of the same war related events, and this should equally be acknowledged as a tragedy and suffering for all the other peoples. Although the evidence for this is overwhelming and confirms the over a million of loss of life an suffering, the actions of several countries and their Parliaments remember only the Christian deaths and suffering! 

    What happened during this period cannot be considered solely the grief of the Armenians who were harmed and suffered. It is the grief and suffering of all Anatolian people, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. The politicians who ignore these facts sadly display their bias and discrimination against Turks and Turkish Nation.

    The events of  1914-1919 constitute a horrible “war time tragedy” for humanity. Therefore, the pain of Anatolia triggered by the World War I of that period should be shared and, when required, mourned together. 

    Yours sincerely,

    Uluc Gurkan

    Lecturer in Politics

    www.ulucgurkan.net – www.twitter.com/Uluc_Gurkan

    [email protected] – [email protected]

    0090 312 4198777 – 0090 532 2180758

    • Deputy Speaker-Turkish Grand National Assembly/TGNA (1995-1999)
    • Vice President-Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe/PACE (2000-2002)
    • Vice President–Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe/OSCE-PA(1992-1995) 
    • Head of the Turkish Delegation-Parliamentary Assembly of the Western European Union/WEU-PA (1999-2002)

              Member- Turkish Grand National Assembly/TGNA (1991-2002)

              Middle East Technical University and Ufuk University (2003-….)