Tag: Armenian Question

It is time for Turkey to recognise the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide

It is now 98 years since 1.5m Armenians were systematically massacred. Recognising what happened is the only way to help us all move forward.

BY BENJAMIN ABTAN

An Armenian Genocide commemoration ceremony in Yerevan in 2012. Photo: Getty

It has been 98 years since – following a premeditated plan with a methodic implementation – one million and a half Armenians were massacred in the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian people were the victims of a genocide which would soon serve as a gruesome reference for those that followed.

Today in Turkey, the mere enunciation of this historical fact still provokes ferocious opposition, sometimes even physical threats. Genocide denial serves as an encouragement to racism and hate against Armenians and other non-Muslim minorities. Some want to pretend that acknowledging the reality of the Armenian Genocide is an attack on all Turkish people and on “Turkishness”. It is not: it is a step towards justice.

Several years ago, the genocide of Armenians began to be commemorated in Turkey itself. The participants are still few but their number grows every day despite an official discourse of genocide-denial. Today, those among us who have taken part in these commemorations in Turkey are calling for solidarity beyond borders.

This year on 24 April – the widely recognised starting date of the massacre – we ask citizens, civil society leaders, antiracist activists, intellectuals and artists, of Armenian and other diverse origins, in Turkey and across the world, to unite in calling for the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide to be recognised at last.

Our shared initiative is one of solidarity, of justice, and of democracy.

It is an initiative of solidarity between all who fight for historical truth. Today the divide is not between Turks and Armenians, but between those who struggle for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, whatever their origins are and wherever they live, and those who promote denial. In a word, it is not a question of blood, but of ideas; not a question of origins, but of a common goal.

It is an initiative of justice. In the words of writer and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, “Genocide kills twice, the second time by silence.” Denial, then, is the perpetuation of genocide. Fighting against denial is trying to quell the trauma in Armenian communities from one generation to another. It is not an end to this part of history – because when it comes to genocide, there is unfortunately no true end – but it offers new generations the opportunity to look together towards the future.

Finally, it is an initiative for democracy. Echoing writer and Buchenwald survivor Jorge Semprun’s frequent reminder, democracy requires vitality from civil society. Strengthening Turkish civil society by establishing bridges with the rest of the European civil society is strengthening democratic values, thus combating racism and promoting human rights, in Turkey as well as in the rest of Europe.

In solidarity, for justice and democracy, for the respect of the victims and their descendents, we will commemorate together the Armenian Genocide on 24 April, in Turkey.

Signed by:

Benjamin Abtan, President of the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement – EGAM

Cengiz Algan & Levent Sensever, Spokespeople for Durde! (Turkey)

Alexis Govciyan , European President & Nicolas Tavitian, Member of the Board of the Armenian General Benevolent Union – AGBU (Europe)

Meral Çildir, Member of the Board of Directors & Ayse Gunaysu, Member of the Commission against Racism and Discrimination of the Turkish Association for Human Rights – IHD (Turkey)

April 26, 2013
Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide victims held in Istanbul

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS. The state may deny the fact of the Armenian Genocide, but the people can direct the events in the way they want. As reports “Armenpress” one of the demonstrators stated this in the Sultan Ahmet Square in Istanbul. One of the organizers of the event stated: “Today there are fascists living in our country, notwithstanding there are also good people living in here and their number is increasing every year. The official viewpoint remains unchanged, although the people’s knowledge about the reality is growing. And the event organized in Diyarbakir is to prove that.”

The fact of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman government has been documented, recognized, and affirmed in the form of media and eyewitness reports, laws, resolutions, and statements by many states and international organizations. The complete catalogue of all documents categorizing the 1915 wholesale massacre of the Armenian population in Ottoman Empire as a premeditated and thoroughly executed act of genocide, is extensive. Uruguay was the first country to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide in 1965. The massacres of the Armenian people were officially condemned and recognized as a genocide in accordance with the international law by France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Greece, Slovakia, Cyprus, Lebanon, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Canada, Vatican, and Australia.

April 25, 2013
Foreign delegation to commemorate Armenian Genocide in Istanbul

PanARMENIAN.Net – On April 24, Turkish people commemorating the 98th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide will be joined for the first time by a foreign delegation composed of 20 anti-racist and Armenian representatives from 15 countries, Today’s Zaman reported.

“The delegation consists of two main groups; one group is represented by people who work in organizations fighting racial discrimination, and the other group is from the Armenian diaspora,” said Levent Şensever from DurDe! (Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism!)

The organizations include the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Young Professionals from Bulgaria, the Roma Center in Romania, and France’s AGBU office. There are also representatives from the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina fighting against racism.

The delegation came together this week with representatives from Turkish civil society organizations in Istanbul, including the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER), the Hrant Dink Foundation and the Human Rights Association (İHD).

“It is historic for the delegation to commemorate April 24 in Istanbul. It was unthinkable 10 years ago,” said Benjamin Abtan, president of the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement (EGAM), which was created two years ago to combat racism and anti-Semitism.

The first commemoration ceremony in recent years was held in 2010 in Taksim Square, in İzmir and in Diyarbakır. This year a commemoration is planned in İzmir and Adana.

The İHD will mark April 24 at 12:30 p.m. at the Sultanahmet Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, which was a prison in 1915 when prominent Armenian figures were held before they were imprisoned and then killed.

Following the commemoration at Sultanahmet, the group will visit the grave of Sevag Balıkçı, a young man of Armenian descent who was killed on April 24, 2011 while serving in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) as a conscripted private. His death is believed to be a hate crime committed because of the victim’s ethnic background.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, the Italian Chamber of Deputies, majority of U.S. states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium and Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Chamber of Commons of Canada, Polish Sejm, Vatican, European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

April 25, 2013
Armenian genocide commemorated in Istanbul

Dozens of people gathered in Istanbul to commemorate the 1915 Armenian genocide Wednesday, in what they saw as a sign of an increasingly conciliatory stance by the government.

For the first time, Armenian diaspora groups from Europe also attended the ceremony at the invitation of the Turkish government.

“Ten years ago, such an event was impossible in Turkey,” said Benjamin Abtan, president of the European Grassroots Anti-racist Movement (EGAM).

“This shows attitudes are changing here,” he said at the event marking Armenian genocide remembrance day.

The crowd mostly made up of Turkish-Armenians congregated in front of the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, which was once a prison where Armenians were held before deportation during World War I.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were systematically killed between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of modern Turkey, was falling apart.

Turkey says 500,000 died of fighting and starvation during World War I and categorically rejects the term genocide.

Some of the activists carried the portraits of victims of genocide and unfurled banners: “The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum was a prison in 1915” and “Armenian intellectuals were imprisoned here before deportation.”

pa-fo/jmm

April 25, 2013
Victims of Armenian Genocide to be commemorated in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir

Taksim’de Ermeni Soykırımı Anma merasimi düzenleyecek kadar ileri demokrasimizde tek ezilen kaldı; o da Türkler!

16:35, 20 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS: Victims of the Armenian Genocide will be commemorated in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, reports Armenpress, referring to marksist.org.

Turkish news web site called on Turkish activists, journalists, academicians and artists to gather on April 24 and participate in the commemoration ceremony at Taksim Square. “These lands have seen a lot of pain during last 100 years. Anatolia, which was a mosaic of different nations, lost its entire colors only for becoming homogenous nation. First of all non-Muslim nations were expelled, losing everything they had. Those who managed to stay were merged, and if not were destroyed. Nevertheless, the most horrible happened to the most ancient owners of these lands, Armenian, in 1915. On April 24, 1915 Armenian nation was massacred. In order to commemorate this tragedy we call on our compatriots to pay tribute to their memory,” it is noted in the message.

April 21, 2013
Turkey wants end to Canada’s stance on Armenian genocide

Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press

Published Sunday, April 7, 2013 12:40PM EDT

OTTAWA — Turkey’s ambassador to Canada says the Harper government’s decision to brand the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide may be hindering a potentially lucrative trading relationship.

Ambassador Tuncay Babali made clear in a wide ranging interview with The Canadian Press that Canada’s position on the First World War-era slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians still carries a sting for his country.

But that doesn’t mean Turkey doesn’t want to press on with forging a deeper economic relationship with Canada, ideally a free trade agreement to compliment the current Canada-EU free trade talks once they are completed, he said.

Thousands of people march to mark the death of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman empire, in Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 24, 2012. (AP / Nick Ut)

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/turkey-wants-end-to-canada-s-stance-on-armenian-genocide-1.1227732#ixzz2PqZIHhWZ

Thousands of demonstrators march to mark the death of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman empire in Los Angeles in this 2012 file photo. (AP / Damian Dovarganes)

“I’m a true believer in the potential of our two nations. Canada has a lot to offer Turkey and Turkey in return has a lot to offer Canada,” said Babali, noting that Canada’s internal Foreign Policy Plan has identified Turkey as a key country of focus.

“It cannot be business as usual while accusing a nation of genocide. It’s a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.”

Babali said he suspects Canada is not engaging as quickly as Turkey would like because the genocide issue is still hanging over relations.

“There is a pacing issue here,” he said. “We want results. We want action. We want concrete steps forward. Talking about positive things is ok, but it takes two to tango.”

The $2.5 billion in two-way trade between countries “is far from the potential” of what Turkey predicts would result from deeper economic ties: $10-$15 billion within five years, he said.

He said Turkey would like to open free trade talks with Canada.

But on the genocide question, Babali said Turkey would like to see a gesture from Canada that the government is “trying to leave this behind us.”

A significant gesture would be a “high level” visit by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to Turkey. Baird cancelled a planned trip in November, Babali said, because of an important cabinet meeting in Ottawa.

Babali was also encourged by Baird’s plans to travel to the West Bank on the weekend to discuss future Canadian aid contributions to the Palestinian Authority.

He suggested Canada can do more in the Middle East peace process, even though Turkey is well aware of Ottawa’s strong support of Israel.

“I think aid is important. To keep the channels open. You have to hear both sides. Canada has leverage that can play in those issues as well. It should be used in a stronger way.”

Babali praised the efforts of Baird for mending fences with Turkey, including the personal friendship he has forged with his counterpart, Ahmet Davutolu, who visited Canada this past September.

“We have good room to manoeuvre here after our minister’s visit. But it takes two to tango,” he said.

“If there is a political will from the Canadian side to move forward and improve our relations further, to live up to the promise and potential, we need concrete steps.”

Canada’s Parliament voted in 2004 to recognize the events of 1915 to 1923 as a genocide carried out by Ottoman Turks during the Armenian uprising.

The Harper government formally adopted that position after winning power, a decision that angered Ankara and sparked the temporary withdrawal of its ambassador from Ottawa.

Turkey has lobbied hard internationally to block the genocide designation, although many other countries have used the term.

In 2010, when the U.S. Congress abandoned a plan to declare the killings a genocide, Davutolu said ties could have been harmed between the two countries had “common sense” not prevailed.

Last year, when France passed a law that makes it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide, Turkey responded by suspending military, economic and political ties.

Last summer, Canada took steps to heal the rift with Turkey. It unveiled a cone-shaped metal-and-wood monument dedicated to Col. Atilla Altikat, the country’s military attache gunned down in Ottawa, allegedly by Armenian terrorists, 30 years earlier.

That appeared to go a long way towards bridging the gap between the two countries, both NATO allies.

Babali reiterated what Davutolu said during his visit — that Turkey would like to strike a joint commission with Armenians to discuss the historical facts surrounding the issue.

During the visit, Baird did not back away from his government’s earlier position, but said he appreciated the sensitivities at play.

Babali said Turkey wants deeper economic ties with Canada, and it appears the country is open for business despite any bitterness over the Armenia policy.

In the next 10 years, Turkey will launch 150 infrastructure projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars, many in the transportation sector. Babali cited Bombardier Inc. and SNC-Lavalin as potential investors.

He also said there are also opportunities for Canadian companies in his country’s developing nuclear energy program and in shale gas exploration.

via Turkey wants end to Canada’s stance on Armenian genocide | CTV News.

April 8, 2013