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Der Spiegel, Germany
Dec 30 2008
APOLOGIZING TO THE ARMENIANS
'Eroding One of Turkey's Biggest Taboos'
More than 25,000 Turks have added their names to an online statement
apologizing for Ottoman war crimes committed during World War
I. SPIEGEL spoke with campaign initiator Baskin Oran.
SPIEGEL: Since the beginning of your online campaign, more than 25,000
Turks have signed a statement apologizing for war crimes committed by
the Ottoman Empire during World War I. More than a million Armenians
lost their lives in the catastrophic events, which began in 1915. Is
this the beginning of a critical examination of the past?
AP
Mt. Ararat from Armenia.
Baskin Oran: The Turks who are now apologizing are not responsible for
the sins of 1915. There is no collective crime, but there is a
collective conscience. With our campaign, we are eroding one of
Turkey's biggest taboos. But still, the campaign is coming decades
late.
SPIEGEL: Turkish nationalists say that you are damaging the country's
image. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agrees.
Oran: I disagree. I think that our image abroad will actually
improve. Beyond that, though, it is the grandchildren of the Armenians
who should finally hear an apology -- in a country like Turkey, where
there is no "culture of apology."
SPIEGEL: What effect will the campaign have on Turkish-Armenian
relations?
Oran: The majority of Armenians welcome our initiative. But there are
hardliners who criticize our petition for not specifically using the
word "genocide." They are afraid that our apology could foil Armenian
demands for reparations. Such people merely see us as lackeys of the
Turkish state.
SPIEGEL: What kind of reactions have you received from Turkish
citizens.
Oran: Unfortunately, they have mostly been negative. Every day, I
personally receive around 200 pieces of hate mail. Many accuse me of
having insulted the Turkish people. But one has to bear in mind that
every child here learns that Armenians killed Muslims. Our education
is to blame for the country's collective amnesia. In eastern Turkey,
though, it is true that, in the past, many people did suffer from
Armenian revenge attacks.
Interview conducted by Daniel Steinvorth
Photo: BASKIN ORAN
AP Baskin Oran, 63, is a political science professor at the University
of Ankara. In mid- December, he launched an online campaign together
with almost 1,000 Turkish intellectuals to gather signatures for an
apology to the Armenians for war crimes committed by the Ottomans
during World War I.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,15 18,598746,00.html
Dec 30 2008
APOLOGIZING TO THE ARMENIANS
'Eroding One of Turkey's Biggest Taboos'
More than 25,000 Turks have added their names to an online statement
apologizing for Ottoman war crimes committed during World War
I. SPIEGEL spoke with campaign initiator Baskin Oran.
SPIEGEL: Since the beginning of your online campaign, more than 25,000
Turks have signed a statement apologizing for war crimes committed by
the Ottoman Empire during World War I. More than a million Armenians
lost their lives in the catastrophic events, which began in 1915. Is
this the beginning of a critical examination of the past?
AP
Mt. Ararat from Armenia.
Baskin Oran: The Turks who are now apologizing are not responsible for
the sins of 1915. There is no collective crime, but there is a
collective conscience. With our campaign, we are eroding one of
Turkey's biggest taboos. But still, the campaign is coming decades
late.
SPIEGEL: Turkish nationalists say that you are damaging the country's
image. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agrees.
Oran: I disagree. I think that our image abroad will actually
improve. Beyond that, though, it is the grandchildren of the Armenians
who should finally hear an apology -- in a country like Turkey, where
there is no "culture of apology."
SPIEGEL: What effect will the campaign have on Turkish-Armenian
relations?
Oran: The majority of Armenians welcome our initiative. But there are
hardliners who criticize our petition for not specifically using the
word "genocide." They are afraid that our apology could foil Armenian
demands for reparations. Such people merely see us as lackeys of the
Turkish state.
SPIEGEL: What kind of reactions have you received from Turkish
citizens.
Oran: Unfortunately, they have mostly been negative. Every day, I
personally receive around 200 pieces of hate mail. Many accuse me of
having insulted the Turkish people. But one has to bear in mind that
every child here learns that Armenians killed Muslims. Our education
is to blame for the country's collective amnesia. In eastern Turkey,
though, it is true that, in the past, many people did suffer from
Armenian revenge attacks.
Interview conducted by Daniel Steinvorth
Photo: BASKIN ORAN
AP Baskin Oran, 63, is a political science professor at the University
of Ankara. In mid- December, he launched an online campaign together
with almost 1,000 Turkish intellectuals to gather signatures for an
apology to the Armenians for war crimes committed by the Ottomans
during World War I.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,15 18,598746,00.html