Tag: Gulen

Turkey’s state-dominated past goes up in smoke

The protests in Ankara have been going on since December

By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Ankara

Kenan and his colleagues huddled around a wood-fired stove, rubbing their hands to ward off Ankara’s bitter winter chill, and sipping tea.

They were angry, so angry that it was difficult to get them to speak one at a time.

“Our prime minister is crazy”, said Kenan, “he’s such a bully. You can’t run a state like this.”

The seven men in Kenan’s tent were tobacco workers from Izmir.

All around them, filling Sakarya Street – normally the site of central Ankara’s main market – were other tents, each from a different district of Turkey.

Adana, Adiyaman, Batman, Bitlis… more than 50 places represented in all.

The protest started in December when the government announced that more than 10,000 workers, in what was left of the once-dominant state tobacco monopoly Tekel, would lose their jobs.

Most are manual labourers from the tobacco distribution centres – the state-owned tobacco processing factories were privatised and sold to British American Tobacco two years ago.

Sustained protest

The remaining workers have been offered alternative employment in the state sector, but only on short-term contracts, without benefits and at much lower wages.

The state’s role should be to provide basic services, and the word ‘basic’ is important here

Bulent Gedikli
Economic advisor and MP

With thousands joining their regular street protests, it has been the most sustained industrial unrest to confront the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan since he was first elected in 2002.

A group of men from Batman in the south-east explained what this meant for them.

“My salary is 1,400 lira ($950) a month”, said one.

“Under the new contract I would get only half that. They give us 11-month contracts so we never know if we will have a job the next year. We cannot see any clear future for ourselves.”

The government argues that it is being generous in conceding even this much.

After all, it points out, unemployment has hit 14% in Turkey, and millions of people earn even less than the salaries these tobacco workers are being offered.

Driven by business

“The state should not be a manager, it should not be involved in trade or running companies”, says Bulent Gedikli, a member of parliament from the governing AK Party (AKP) and an economic advisor to the prime minister.

“The state’s role should be to provide basic services, and the word ‘basic’ is important here.”

The AKP’s new headquarters towers over its surroundings

From its shiny new headquarters that towers over the squat, 1930s buildings of Ankara, the AK Party is projecting a very different vision of Turkey than the one envisioned by the country’s founding father, Ataturk.

Often described as Islamist because of the conservative religious habits of its leaders, the party is actually driven at least as much by business as by faith.

Prime Minister Erdogan is more of a Margaret Thatcher than an Ayatollah Khomeini.

“The AKP is in favour of the market, against state enterprises – they have a prejudice that everything the market does is proper and just and successful”, says Professor Burhan Sanatalar, an economist at Istanbul’s Bilgi University.

“The revenue side is also very important to them”, he says.

“From the 1980s to 2008 privatization generated around $36bn, and 70% of that has been received during the AKP’s period in government.”

“Statism”

The AKP’s approach has helped generate impressive economic growth over the past decade, and spawned hundreds of successful new private businesses.

Tekel workers say they will no longer vote for the AKP

But in a country where the state has dominated so much of life since the founding of the Turkish republic 87 years ago, it has also come as a shock to many Turks.

Back in 1931 Ataturk announced his “Six Arrows” – the six principles that he believed should underpin the character of the nation.

One was “statism”, a belief that the state should play a leading role in Turkey’s economic development.

Even as late as the mid-1990s, more than half a million people were employed by state enterprises, about 20% of the industrial workforce.

One of the areas brought under state management was tobacco and alcohol, in the huge monopoly known as Tekel.

Once the country’s most important agricultural crop, by 1980 the tobacco monopoly employed more than 50,000 people.

However that number dropped as the government sold off manufacturing plants to multinational corporations.

Ataturk and raki

Not far from where the Tekel workers were holding their sit-in, stands the first factory built in Ankara on the orders of Ataturk, at the start of his mission to modernise and industrialise his country.

Now it is deserted, awaiting a buyer. But you can still see the giant wooden barrels that indicate what it once was – a Tekel distillary.

The Tekel distillery – now deserted – was Ankara’s first factory

A keen drinker of raki – an aniseed spirit popular in Turkey – Ataturk’s choice for his country’s first step into the industrial age also reflected his determination to push back the influence of Islam.

Upstairs they still preserve the rooms, and their art deco furniture, where the great man used to sit with his friends and colleagues, drinking and planning his new state.

You can hold the large tin ladle with which he sampled the produce.

Back on Sakarya Street, the last beneficiaries of that statist dream queued up at soup kitchens set up by volunteers to support the protest.

A few days after my visit they suspended their sit-in, still hoping to wring more concessions from the government.

The wave of public sympathy for the Tekel workers has certainly caught the government off-guard, but it will not budge from its basic position.

The workers will lose their health and other benefits, and they will lose their job security.

Many of the disillusioned Tekel employees say they voted for the AKP in the last two elections – never again, they say.

But they are a diminishing force in today’s Turkey.

The days when millions of Turks could expect the state to look after them seem to be over.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8579872.stm

March 23, 2010
Turkey’s Political Revolution
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

OPINION EUROPE MARCH 22, 2010

Ankara’s civil-military struggle has global significance

By MORTON ABRAMOWITZ AND HENRI J. BARKEY

An unprecedented political drama has been unfolding in Turkey, leading toward the elimination of military tutelage over the country’s political life. Prosecutors recently arrested some of Turkey’s most senior military leaders, both active and retired.

How this civil-military struggle evolves is critically important for Turkey’s future, but also has global significance. If the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is successful in tapering Turkey’s escalating political polarization, avoiding petty religious issues, and enhancing its own democracy, the impact in the Islamic world, however intangible, could be enormous. Turkey’s friends can help by both making it clear where they stand, and by holding AKP’s feet to the fire.

Shortly after the 2002 AKP electoral victory, elements of the Turkish military, including senior commanders, began worrying that the AKP would transform Turkey from the secular democracy inherited from Ataturk to a more religious and authoritarian state. Some, as we now know, began plotting against the new government. Their fears turned out to be correct, not because the AKP has turned Turkey into an Islamic state—it has not and is not likely to—but because it has gone very far in eliminating the military’s role in Turkish political life. That is an extraordinary achievement, although it is not AKP’s alone. Rather, it is the result of a profound and long-coming societal change—namely, the emergence of a conservative and pious middle class.

Shaken by the arrests, a tough response from the Turkish military cannot be ruled out. Senior judges and prosecutors remain squarely in the military’s camp even if their subordinates do not, and the military may rely on the Turkish judiciary to somehow check the AKP, as it has tried to do before. Even if that succeeds, it would be a Pyrrhic victory and, in the end, be unlikely to change the course of Turkish politics’ steady civilianization. The Turkish military will, of course, not lose its importance. It is a formidable force in an unstable area and Turks cherish its patriotism and its contributions to the country’s security. It will retain much of its independence and remain a thorn in the side of the AKP. But its days as a kingmaker of governments are coming to an end.

The military’s past attempts at interfering in political issues, ranging from the selection of the president to judicial processes, have served to undermine its own legitimacy, while helping the AKP win a second electoral victory in 2007. Still, the paralysis and distraction engendered by the court cases against the military have also taken a toll on the AKP. The party remains the most popular and powerful, but it is more vulnerable than ever, with its poll numbers dropping.

The AKP has done much to modernize and democratize Turkey—something only a pious and conservative party could have achieved. However, its increasingly combative style and its modus operandi of picking domestic fights rather than carrying out meaningful economic and political reforms have helped reduce its popularity. Its all-powerful prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has turned into an increasingly authoritarian leader, contemptuous of criticism. Mr. Erdogan’s proclaimed activist foreign policy in the Middle East, especially his softness on the Iranian nuclear program and harshness on Israel, has won him domestic and occasional foreign plaudits, but it has also contributed to his sense of invincibility. Neither will his international efforts, however popular at home, compensate for rising unemployment and stalled reform efforts. A party cannot live by foreign policy alone, especially when it also sets the stage for serious overreaching and the alienation of friends and allies. Mr. Erdogan’s remarkable outburst threatening to expel all “100,00 Armenians living illegally in Turkey” in retaliation for the adoption of resolutions in some countries recognizing the 1915 Armenian Genocide, is likely to call into question Turkey’s sincerity in reconciling with its neighbor Armenia, and has even earned him criticism at home.

Turks will make up their own minds about how to deal with the AKP. Turkey’s tragedy has been the absence of a serious opposition to challenge the AKP. The resulting vacuum has usually been filled by the military. The inability of the opposition to focus effectively on economic or judicial reforms may be a major boon to the ruling party, but it has seriously undermined Turkish democracy.

Despite Turkey’s impressive strides under AKP rule and the praise it has received from the West, the U.S. and other Western countries still have to put their money where their mouths are. While a genuinely free-market party, the AKP is not a liberal party in the traditional sense—Mr. Erdogan rules his party with an iron fist. Nor does the AKP appear to have much time for the needs of those who oppose it. It has ignored the legitimate fears of pro-secular groups, especially women, and it is intent on subduing the media rather than reforming it. It has also yet to effectively tackle the major cleavages in Turkish life: It made a start on the Kurdish issue but has lost its appetite; has long ignored the need to overhaul its authoritarian constitution and unfair election practices; and has failed to make clear to the public whether it is a truly secular party, as it proclaims.

Turkey will only move forward if the AKP reshapes itself and acts on its promises to make Turkey a better-functioning democracy. That will not be easy, since politics in Turkey have been a zero-sum game this past decade. The West has praised the AKP until now, but it does Turks no favors by shying away from declaring that major changes are essential for Turkey to be a part of the EU and the wider democratic world. If the AKP doesn’t hear and heed that message, it may engender precisely what Turkey’s Western friends would loathe to see: The re-emergence of an authoritarian society, or even the military’s political comeback.

Mr. Abramowitz, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, was American Ambassador to Turkey from 1989 to 1991. Mr. Barkey is a visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a professor of international relations at Lehigh University.
March 22, 2010
Turkey to lodge lawsuit against states, recognizing Armenian genocide

03/22/2010

Turkish oppositional parties’ MPs from National Unity and Republican People’s Party intend to come up with a lawsuit against the states, that recognized Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Ottoman Empire, Turkish Hurriyet reads.

The final decision on the matter should be made by Turkish government, that is yet silent.

According to the Republican MP Sukru Elekdag, international court should give a precise response to Turkey about its fault. He reckons that both countries’ parliaments break assumption of innocence, accusing Turkey of the genocide: “I suppose that if we achieve the international out-of-court settlement, extensive work should be done to establish our case.”

He deems the states, that already recognized the fact of genocide should realize the meaning of the word and determine whether one state can accuse the other of such a crime.

S.T.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

March 22, 2010
Uncomfortable Truth ; Mr Erdogan’s unfortunate threats
Re: Uncomfotable Truth – 18/03/2010 as below.

Dear Editor,

Mr Erdogan’s unfortunate threats are truly regrettable especially as he does not represent the views of most Turkish People. His threats were quickly denied by his own Foreign Secretary Mr Davutoglu, indicating that this is not part of an Turkish Foreign Policy agenda. You are right in finding his intervention as demagogic and disreputable but he is still the same Prime Minister whose reputation and achievements have been held up as an example of a leader of a moderate Islamic government by most commentators in EU and US until very recently!

Regarding the Armenian genocide claims, this is far from being an accepted fact and an ‘uncomfortable truth’ for Turkey. The claims have been strongly disputed by hundreds of archives (English, French and Russian) and many non Turkish and Turkish scholars. By the way the Armenian Government refuses to open its own archives. The real truth is that there were awful killings and deaths on both sides due to war, starvation and extreme cold and that in fact more Turks than Armenians had died tragically during this period. Unfortunately the powerful Armenian Diaspora continues to distort history and many people are blind to the obvious facts. Only last year Lord Avebury, along with Armenian activists were trying to lobby the Turkish Parliament by impressing on them the notorious and discredited ‘Blue Book’ and had to be stopped ( details are available).

We hope that we are all interested in the real truth and that it must prevail.

Yours faithfully,

Betula Nelson
Media Relations
The Ataturk Society of the UK

From The Times

March 18, 2010

Uncomfortable Truth

Turkish threats to expel Armenian migrants to make a political point are shameful
9 Comments

Recommend? (16)
Deportations have powerful symbolism in modern European history. The notion that the government of a would-be member state of the EU might propose the forced collective expulsion from its territory of a specified nationality ought to be unthinkable. Yet that course was casually threatened yesterday by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, against 100,000 Armenian migrants.

Its purported justification was the recent passage of non-binding resolutions in the US Congress and the Swedish parliament. These motions describe as genocide the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during and after the First World War. Turkey takes strong issue with the claim of genocide. The history and politics of TurkishArmenian relations are convoluted, but the ethics of Mr Erdogan’s remarks are not. His intervention is demagogic and disreputable.

The US and Swedish votes were carried by narrow margins and were opposed by their respective governments. The historical events that they recall began with the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. The very word “genocide” is a post-1945 coinage, intended to define the peculiar barbarity of Nazism. Only gradually did the Armenian massacres come to be recognised as the first authentic case of genocide in the 20th century. But so they were. On conservative historical estimates, around a million Armenians were killed in a xenophobic purge that continued till 1923. It was a crime without precedent in modern history.

Historical truth matters. It is extraordinary that the Government of modern Turkey should resist it. No one alive today was responsible for these barbarities. They were committed by an imperial power that has long since passed into history along with Wilhelmine Germany, to which it was allied in the First World War. While running for the presidency, Barack Obama declared his intention of being a leader who would speak the truth about the Armenian genocide. In practice, while his views are a matter of record, Mr Obama has been conciliatory in relations with Turkey.

Mr Erdogan has little cause for complaint about the symbolic diplomacy of resolutions on historical events. He has no justification whatever for threats against Armenian migrants. Turkey is home to thousands of illegal immigrants from Armenia. Few would dispute that sovereign nations have the right to determine barriers to entry on the part of non-citizens, but these are migrants who have sought refuge from disaster. Forming an impoverished population that does necessary but low-wage work, they include many whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed in the Armenian earthquake of 1988. Mr Erdogan estimated yesterday that of 170,000 Armenians in Turkey, only 70,000 held Turkish citizenship. He threatened directly to tell the rest to leave.

Turkey is a member state of Nato and a strategically important power within the Western alliance. It borders Iraq, in whose stability the Western democracies have an intense interest. But the Government in Ankara cannot exploit that status in order to advance its own diplomatic goals at the expense of liberal values. To object to a proper historical accounting of awesome crimes is a demeaning and destructive stance. But then to retaliate against the most vulnerable people within Turkey’s borders is unconscionable.
March 22, 2010

Advice to Prime Minister Erdogan:

Continue Denying the Armenian Genocide

Mr. Erdogan, please keep up the good work. Armenians need your kind assistance to pursue their cause until justice is done.

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

sassounian32

It is a well-known fact that Turkish leaders are exceptional diplomats. However, as soon as they hear the words Armenian Genocide, Greece, Cyprus or Kurdistan, these diplomats lose their “cool” and resort to emotional outbursts and undiplomatic actions that harm their own interests.

Realizing that this is the 95^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Turkish officials have been nervously preparing themselves for the upcoming tsunami of commemorations that would remind the international community of the crimes against humanity committed by Ottoman Turks.

The first unexpected shot was fired on February 26 by the Parliament of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Spain, when it unanimously recognized the Armenian Genocide. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately contacted his Spanish counterpart and Catalonian officials venting his anger and demanding an apology!

Two days later, an expose of the Armenian Genocide was aired by CBS’s 60 Minutes, showing bones of Armenian victims still protruding from Syrian desert sands, almost a century later! The Turks were livid, accusing Armenians of unduly influencing the CBS network and questioning, as usual, the authenticity of the bones and the sand!

Four days later, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a resolution acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. Turkey lost despite:

n Pressuring the Obama administration to oppose the resolution;

n Hiring multi-million dollar lobbying firms;

n Sending teams of Turkish parliamentarians to Washington;

n E-mail campaigns by Turkish and Azeri Americans; and

n Threatening to boycott U.S. defense contractors if they did not oppose the resolution.

Immediately after losing that vote, Turkey recalled its Ambassador from Washington, indicating that he may be kept in Ankara until after April 24. State Minister Zafer Caglayan postponed his U.S. visit, intended to develop economic ties, “until the United States corrects its mistake.” A scheduled trip by the executive board of the Turkish Industrialists’ & Businessmen’s Association to Washington on March 16 and 17 was also canceled, and anti-American protests were held in Turkish cities. More importantly, Prime Minister Erdogan indicated that he might cancel his planned participation in the global summit on nuclear security to be held in Washington next month.

Before Turkish passions had cooled down, Sweden’s Parliament dealt a second devastating blow to Ankara on March 11, by reaffirming the genocide of Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks, by a vote of 131-130. Once again, Turkey recalled its Ambassador, and Prime Minister Erdogan canceled his upcoming trip to Stockholm which was to be accompanied by a large trade delegation. And, anti-Swedish demonstrations were held in several Turkish cities.

These overly dramatic reactions prompted Turkish and foreign commentators to have a field day, speculating that if more countries recognize the Armenian Genocide, Turkey won’t have ambassadors left anywhere in the world, and Turkish officials won’t be visiting other countries, having to cancel their overseas trips. Furthermore, Turkey would be left without any imported goods and a weakened military, having canceled all purchases from the outside world. Turkey’s isolation is a just retribution for its denialist policy. By trying to punish others, Turkey is simply punishing itself.

Vahe Magarian of Cincinnati, Ohio, sent a pointed letter to the New York Times last week, suggesting that Turkey’s recalled Ambassadors, “rather than flying home, should be made to march home on foot. Forced marches were the preferred means of travel during the dying days of the Ottoman Empire.”

Prominent Turkish commentator Can Dundar wrote in Haber1 an article titled: “Are we going to recall all our Ambassadors?” He stated that, at this rate, by the time the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide rolls around in 2015, there won’t be a single country left not accusing Turkey of genocide. Isn’t it about time that we search out what dirty work our fathers did 95 years ago? Shouldn’t we ask what did we do wrong, Dundar implored.

The main reason why Turkish officials panic every time the Armenian Genocide is acknowledged by yet another country is their fear of being asked to pay compensation for Armenian losses and return the occupied lands. Prime Minister Erdogan and his colleagues don’t seem to understand that Genocide recognition by itself does not lead to legal claims. How many inches of land have Armenians managed to liberate from Turkey as a result of such recognition by more than 20 countries? If Turkish leaders would only understand that parliamentary resolutions have no legal effect, maybe they would not get so excited over them!

Nevertheless, there should be no doubt that Armenians still demand the return of their ancestral lands located in Eastern Turkey. Such claims have to be pursued in various courts, unless an unexpected cataclysmic event occurs first, causing the collapse or dismemberment of the Turkish State.

In the meantime, we advise Mr. Erdogan to continue denying the Genocide at every opportunity, in order to encourage Armenians to persist in their efforts to expose Ankara’s lies. Were it not for Turkish officials’ vehement denials, there would not have been a worldwide outcry to reaffirm the facts of the Armenian Genocide by airing TV documentaries and adopting genocide resolutions.

Mr. Erdogan, please keep up the good work. Armenians need your kind assistance to pursue their cause until justice is done.

March 21, 2010

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 1

Armenian Genocide Tale
Photo Galerie 2

11 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 184.021/175

Pls,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 184.021/175

IV. 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+niles

29 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

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- 2785) Media Scanner 22 Mar 2009
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- 2783) Love Story: Australian Nurse Rose & Turkish Lieutenant Kemal During Korean War: New Book Release
- Armenian Refugees Movements And Genocide Claims
- Kultige Feuerbändiger
- Armenian Orphans Refugees in Kaiser’s Farm ( ? ) , in Sivas – Turkey
——— 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

https://www.turkishnews.com/en/content/2009/03/24/armenian-refugees-movements-and-genocide-claims/
March 19, 2010

Tag: Gulen

Turkey’s state-dominated past goes up in smoke

Turkey’s Political Revolution

Ankara’s civil-military struggle has global significance

By MORTON ABRAMOWITZ AND HENRI J. BARKEY

Turkey to lodge lawsuit against states, recognizing Armenian genocide

03/22/2010

Uncomfortable Truth ; Mr Erdogan’s unfortunate threats

Uncomfortable Truth

Turkish threats to expel Armenian migrants to make a political point are shameful

Advice to Prime Minister Erdogan:

Continue Denying the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Refugees Movements And Genocide Claims

05 Mart 2009 Perşembe

Photo Galerie

11 Şubat 2009 Çarşamba

The Report of Emory Niles & Arthur Surherland in U.S. National Archives

29 Ocak 2009 Perşembe

800 Thousand Kurds Were Annihilated With The Attacks Of Armenians

Remember Khojaly

Armenian Genocide Ballyhoo