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Turkish Diaspora Forms New Platforms Against Armenian Genocide Claim

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  • Turkish Diaspora Forms New Platforms Against Armenian Genocide Claim

    TURKISH DIASPORA FORMS NEW PLATFORMS AGAINST ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CLAIMS

    ABHaber, Belgium
    March 14 2006

    The Turkish diaspora is stepping up efforts to rescind recognition of
    Armenian genocide claims and to win support against its proponents
    ahead of April 24, the date Armenians say is the anniversary of the
    so-called genocide.

    While Turkish associations in France joined forces under an umbrella
    committee to overturn the 2001 French law recognizing the Armenian
    genocide claims, the Workers' Party (IP) gathered over the weekend
    in Istanbul to outline plans for the Talat Pasha Movement, which
    will include a mass rally in Berlin on Saturday to denounce the
    Armenian claims.

    The Turkish groups' decision to put forward a unified response to
    French recognition of Armenian genocide claims came during a meeting on
    Sunday with the participation of representatives from 10 associations
    under the leadership of the Anatolian Culture Center and the Kemalist
    Thought Association.

    Besides starting an initiative to bring about the repeal of a the
    French law that recognizes the Armenian genocide, the umbrella
    committee decided to launch an initiative to give concrete answers
    "based on historic realities to foreign claims that aim at damaging
    Turkish independence." They also decided to conduct programs to
    inform and inspire Turkish society against Armenian claims and to
    inform French society about the realities of the issue.

    Representatives of Turkish associations in France stressed at the
    meeting that they are not against the existence of Armenians but aim
    at making the historic realities supported by documents an issue of
    discussion for French citizens.

    Turkish associations also stated they will give priority to the
    publishing of a book in French. They also announced that they will
    gather again next month to view strategies and activities that will
    be followed during the campaigns.

    At a press conference last week, the groups organizing the committee
    meeting demanded that the French Parliament's recognition of the
    alleged genocide in 2001 be reversed, saying that judging history
    was up to historians not lawmakers, making reference to an earlier
    statement by French President Jacques Chirac.

    As part of the activities to overturn Armenian claims, the organizers
    of the Talat Pasha Movement met over the weekend in Istanbul to
    finalize preparations to launch the movement in Berlin beginning
    on Saturday.

    A mass demonstration aimed at denouncing Armenian genocide claims, to
    be held in Berlin under the slogan "Take your flag and come to Berlin,"
    has caused tension between Turkey and Germany. Flyers announcing the
    movement read, "If Western capitals don't want to be burned like Paris,
    unjust treatment towards Turkey must end."

    IP leader Dogu Perincek and former Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
    (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas will lead the planned demonstration
    with the participation of many representatives from Turkish political
    parties and European non-governmental organizations (NGOs) within the
    framework of the Talat Pasha Movement. The main aim of the group is to
    put pressure on the German Parliament to remove official recognition
    of the Armenian genocide claims. The movement also aims to attract
    some 5 million supporters, including some 1,000 from Turkey.

    Denktas is expected to lay flowers at the place in Berlin where
    Talat Pasha was assassinated on March 15, 1921 by an Armenian, and
    an assembly will gather in a memorial for Talat Pasha on Sunday.

    In an effort to hamper these efforts, the German Embassy in Ankara
    turned down yesterday visa applications for some who might be intending
    to participate in the demonstration.

    The same group last year also held a demonstration to mark the
    82nd anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne. At that demonstration
    Perincek lashed out at a decision by Switzerland to punish those who
    deny the Armenian genocide claims, saying, "The Armenian genocide is
    an international lie," after which the prosecutor from Winterthur
    opened an investigation into Perincek and the incident turned into
    a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Switzerland.

    http://www.abhaber.com/news_page.asp ?id=2375
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