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Journal of Turkish Weekly
Aug 12 2005
Briner: 1915 Events Should Be Investigated by Turks and Armenians
Jan SOYKOK (ANKARA
~U Briner, a member of the centre-right Radical Party, maintains the
Senate's position is that a committee of historians from the two
countries involved should investigate the events of 1915. Briner has
given an interview to SwissInfo and repeated that the Armenian issue
is not business of parliaments. Briner says "we felt that the policy
of our government was the wiser".
~U Briner had said 'Armenia issue' is not the business of Swiss
Parliament
~U Armenian Government claims that 1915 Events was a 'genocide'
while the Turkish Government rejects the allegations, claiming that
the Armenian deaths as a result of mass evacuation and starvation
were not a result of a state-sponsored plan of extermination. More
than 520,000 Turks were also massacred by the Armenians during the
1915 Events. According to the Turkish historians 1915 Events was an
Armenian riot when Turks were in war against the Russians. Turkish
scientists have found many mass killing graves of Turkish villagers
in Eastern provinces of Turkey. Dr. Nilgun Gulcan says "Of course
many Armenians were also killed during the communal clashes. However
thousands of Turkish villagers were tortured and massacred as well.
Armenians just focus on their pain. They cannot see our memories."
--------------------------------------------- Full-text of Interview
with Peter Briner by SwissInfo
swissinfo: You say reports are false which claim you said the Senate
will never recognise the Turkish massacre of Armenians 90 years ago
as genocide. What is the Senate's position regarding those events?
Peter Briner: Those reports are based on either a misquote or a
misunderstanding - and this is of course most regrettable. What I did
say was that when the Swiss House of Representatives had [voted to]
recognise the genocide, this was not an issue in the Senate.
The policy of our government - and the Senate foreign-affairs
committee - is that the two countries involved, Turkey and Armenia,
should investigate the terrible events of 1915 with a committee of
historians from both sides.
swissinfo: Two years ago the House of Representatives recognised the
massacre as genocide. Why did the debate not pass to the Senate?
P.B.: The House of Representatives vote was only [in response to]
a motion and not on the parliament's agenda. We discussed this and
we felt that the policy of our government was the wiser course.
swissinfo: So the Armenian question is still a topic of discussion
for the Senate?
P.B.: I can never be sure what will be on the Senate's agenda, of
course, but right now the postponement of Economics Minister Joseph
Deiss' invitation to Turkey will certainly be discussed during our
next committee meeting on August 23.
swissinfo: Morally, shouldn't the Senate recognise the Armenian deaths
as genocide like other western countries?
P.B.: I think that the position of our government is the better one.
I don't feel comfortable being the judge of the whole world and of
something that happened a long time ago.
These are evidently terrible events and I think that they should
be investigated, but they should be primarily investigated by the
parties involved.
swissinfo: How would you describe Swiss-Turkish relations at the
moment?
P.B.: They are normally good - we felt this when a delegation of the
Senate foreign-affairs committee visited the Turkish parliament last
September. Then a Turkish delegation visited us this summer and we
talked about these things in a friendly way.
Relations have of course been strained by recent events but I think in
the long run good relations will prevail. I think relations between
the two countries will remain good and prosper as they have done in
the past.
swissinfo-interview: Thomas Stephens
Aug 12 2005
Briner: 1915 Events Should Be Investigated by Turks and Armenians
Jan SOYKOK (ANKARA
~U Briner, a member of the centre-right Radical Party, maintains the
Senate's position is that a committee of historians from the two
countries involved should investigate the events of 1915. Briner has
given an interview to SwissInfo and repeated that the Armenian issue
is not business of parliaments. Briner says "we felt that the policy
of our government was the wiser".
~U Briner had said 'Armenia issue' is not the business of Swiss
Parliament
~U Armenian Government claims that 1915 Events was a 'genocide'
while the Turkish Government rejects the allegations, claiming that
the Armenian deaths as a result of mass evacuation and starvation
were not a result of a state-sponsored plan of extermination. More
than 520,000 Turks were also massacred by the Armenians during the
1915 Events. According to the Turkish historians 1915 Events was an
Armenian riot when Turks were in war against the Russians. Turkish
scientists have found many mass killing graves of Turkish villagers
in Eastern provinces of Turkey. Dr. Nilgun Gulcan says "Of course
many Armenians were also killed during the communal clashes. However
thousands of Turkish villagers were tortured and massacred as well.
Armenians just focus on their pain. They cannot see our memories."
--------------------------------------------- Full-text of Interview
with Peter Briner by SwissInfo
swissinfo: You say reports are false which claim you said the Senate
will never recognise the Turkish massacre of Armenians 90 years ago
as genocide. What is the Senate's position regarding those events?
Peter Briner: Those reports are based on either a misquote or a
misunderstanding - and this is of course most regrettable. What I did
say was that when the Swiss House of Representatives had [voted to]
recognise the genocide, this was not an issue in the Senate.
The policy of our government - and the Senate foreign-affairs
committee - is that the two countries involved, Turkey and Armenia,
should investigate the terrible events of 1915 with a committee of
historians from both sides.
swissinfo: Two years ago the House of Representatives recognised the
massacre as genocide. Why did the debate not pass to the Senate?
P.B.: The House of Representatives vote was only [in response to]
a motion and not on the parliament's agenda. We discussed this and
we felt that the policy of our government was the wiser course.
swissinfo: So the Armenian question is still a topic of discussion
for the Senate?
P.B.: I can never be sure what will be on the Senate's agenda, of
course, but right now the postponement of Economics Minister Joseph
Deiss' invitation to Turkey will certainly be discussed during our
next committee meeting on August 23.
swissinfo: Morally, shouldn't the Senate recognise the Armenian deaths
as genocide like other western countries?
P.B.: I think that the position of our government is the better one.
I don't feel comfortable being the judge of the whole world and of
something that happened a long time ago.
These are evidently terrible events and I think that they should
be investigated, but they should be primarily investigated by the
parties involved.
swissinfo: How would you describe Swiss-Turkish relations at the
moment?
P.B.: They are normally good - we felt this when a delegation of the
Senate foreign-affairs committee visited the Turkish parliament last
September. Then a Turkish delegation visited us this summer and we
talked about these things in a friendly way.
Relations have of course been strained by recent events but I think in
the long run good relations will prevail. I think relations between
the two countries will remain good and prosper as they have done in
the past.
swissinfo-interview: Thomas Stephens