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Hurriyet, Turkey
March 19 2010
No comment from Turkish ministers on Armenian 'deportation'
Friday, March 19, 2010
Yurdagül Å?imÅ?ek
Ankara: Radikal
Members of the Cabinet have remained mum on the prime minister's
remarks about expelling undocumented Armenian workers in order not to
engage in a possible confrontation with him.
While the debate resonate over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an's
threat sending undocumented Armenians back amid tensions over
allegations that Armenians were victims of `genocide' during the last
days of the Ottoman Empire, the deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç,
and ministers Hayati Yazıcı, Sadullah Ergin and Recep AkdaÄ? made no
comment on the issue.
Furthermore, for some members of the ruling Justice and Development
Party, or AKP, the prime minister's remarks should not be considered
as promoting `racism and deportation' but remarks to sustain the
`element of pressure.'
Zafer Ã`skül, the head of Parliament's Investigating Committee on Human
Rights, reminded that there were many undocumented immigrants in
Turkey for different reasons. `It is not a solution to send them back.
If they go, they will come back. Most of them already do that.'
Ã`skül said a regulation is needed on undocumented workers in Turkey.
`Many since they cannot get a work permit, regularly have to do a
border crossing and come right back into Turkey. This undocumented
population needs a regulation. That is for sure. I see no difference
between an Armenian and a Moldavian citizen who comes to Turkey,' he
said.
According to Ã`skül, it is a little far-fetched to say that ErdoÄ?an's
approach is racist since Turkey is a home many Turkish-Armenian
citizens. `We are trying our best to sustain their inalienable civic
rights. When you say racism, you refer to a general approach against
those having a particular nationality. This is not the case here. This
is rather like a pressuring declaration to force the Armenian
government to solve the issues in their hands. But I refuse racism or
deportation.'
However, Ufuk Uras, Istanbul Member of Parliament of the pro-Kurdish
Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, said that the prime minister had
crossed the line again.
`The Prime minister's remarks reflect the deportation concept of the
21st century,' he said. `While we consider similar remarks as racist
or xenophobic when directed to Turkish immigrants living in Europe, it
is unacceptable to talk in this manner about the immigrants in our
country,' Uras said.
March 19 2010
No comment from Turkish ministers on Armenian 'deportation'
Friday, March 19, 2010
Yurdagül Å?imÅ?ek
Ankara: Radikal
Members of the Cabinet have remained mum on the prime minister's
remarks about expelling undocumented Armenian workers in order not to
engage in a possible confrontation with him.
While the debate resonate over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an's
threat sending undocumented Armenians back amid tensions over
allegations that Armenians were victims of `genocide' during the last
days of the Ottoman Empire, the deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç,
and ministers Hayati Yazıcı, Sadullah Ergin and Recep AkdaÄ? made no
comment on the issue.
Furthermore, for some members of the ruling Justice and Development
Party, or AKP, the prime minister's remarks should not be considered
as promoting `racism and deportation' but remarks to sustain the
`element of pressure.'
Zafer Ã`skül, the head of Parliament's Investigating Committee on Human
Rights, reminded that there were many undocumented immigrants in
Turkey for different reasons. `It is not a solution to send them back.
If they go, they will come back. Most of them already do that.'
Ã`skül said a regulation is needed on undocumented workers in Turkey.
`Many since they cannot get a work permit, regularly have to do a
border crossing and come right back into Turkey. This undocumented
population needs a regulation. That is for sure. I see no difference
between an Armenian and a Moldavian citizen who comes to Turkey,' he
said.
According to Ã`skül, it is a little far-fetched to say that ErdoÄ?an's
approach is racist since Turkey is a home many Turkish-Armenian
citizens. `We are trying our best to sustain their inalienable civic
rights. When you say racism, you refer to a general approach against
those having a particular nationality. This is not the case here. This
is rather like a pressuring declaration to force the Armenian
government to solve the issues in their hands. But I refuse racism or
deportation.'
However, Ufuk Uras, Istanbul Member of Parliament of the pro-Kurdish
Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, said that the prime minister had
crossed the line again.
`The Prime minister's remarks reflect the deportation concept of the
21st century,' he said. `While we consider similar remarks as racist
or xenophobic when directed to Turkish immigrants living in Europe, it
is unacceptable to talk in this manner about the immigrants in our
country,' Uras said.