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COME BACK, TURKISH MAYOR TELLS ASSYRIANS AND ARMENIANS
Assyrian International News Agency AINA
Sept 26 2012
The mayor of Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality has invited all
Armenians and other non-Muslim peoples whose ancestors were born in
the southeastern province before being forced to flee during the 1915
events to return to the city.
"An Armenian, an Assyrian and a Chaldean, whose grandfathers or
great-grandfathers were born in Diyarbakır, have the same right to
live in Diyarbakır as I have, [speaking] as a Kurdish person who was
born in Diyarbakır. I would like to invite all the ethnic groups whose
ancestors lived in Diyarbakır back to Diyarbakır again. Come back
to your city," Osman Baydemir told Turkish and Armenian journalists
on Sept. 25 on the sidelines of a roundtable conference called
"Expanding the Scope of Dialogue: Media and Armenia-Turkey Relations
at the Current Stage" that was organized by the Yerevan Press Club
in Diyarbakır.
Kurds, Armenians, Chaldeans, Yezidis and all the ethnic groups
that once lived in Diyarbakır took part in the construction of
Diyarbakır's city walls, Baydemir said. "So all of these people have
a right to this city."
According to "Talat PaÅ~_a's Black Book," written by the historian
Murat Bardakcı, there were 56,166 Armenians living in Diyarbakır
before the events of 1915. Baydemir also said "he curses the cruelty of
1915 within his conscience." "We refuse the legacy of our grandfathers,
who took part in this massacre [the events of 1915], we refuse to be a
part of what they lived, and we commemorate those of our grandfathers
who were opposed to this massacre and cruelty," said Baydemir, who
is from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which is focused on the
Kurdish issue.
Many researchers have said the ruling Party of Union and Progress
during the Ottoman Empire used Kurdish militias known as the "Hamidiye
troops" against the Armenians in the events of 1915.
"Denying the crimes that were committed by some of our grandfathers
would be the same as becoming a part of [those crimes]. We first have
to accept the sufferings of the people in order to be able to heal
the wounds," the mayor said.
Baydemir said one of his biggest dreams was to construct a common
monument in memory of all of those who were lost in the region,
including Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Assyrians and Chaldeans up until
the 1930s. "I would like to visit this monument with Turks, Armenians
and Kurds all together and cry for our lost ones all together. Turks,
Kurds, Persians, Arabs -- we all have to succeed in negotiation and
dialogue in order to be able to live with each other."
source: www.hurriyetdailynews.com
http://www.aina.org/news/20120926191221.htm
Assyrian International News Agency AINA
Sept 26 2012
The mayor of Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality has invited all
Armenians and other non-Muslim peoples whose ancestors were born in
the southeastern province before being forced to flee during the 1915
events to return to the city.
"An Armenian, an Assyrian and a Chaldean, whose grandfathers or
great-grandfathers were born in Diyarbakır, have the same right to
live in Diyarbakır as I have, [speaking] as a Kurdish person who was
born in Diyarbakır. I would like to invite all the ethnic groups whose
ancestors lived in Diyarbakır back to Diyarbakır again. Come back
to your city," Osman Baydemir told Turkish and Armenian journalists
on Sept. 25 on the sidelines of a roundtable conference called
"Expanding the Scope of Dialogue: Media and Armenia-Turkey Relations
at the Current Stage" that was organized by the Yerevan Press Club
in Diyarbakır.
Kurds, Armenians, Chaldeans, Yezidis and all the ethnic groups
that once lived in Diyarbakır took part in the construction of
Diyarbakır's city walls, Baydemir said. "So all of these people have
a right to this city."
According to "Talat PaÅ~_a's Black Book," written by the historian
Murat Bardakcı, there were 56,166 Armenians living in Diyarbakır
before the events of 1915. Baydemir also said "he curses the cruelty of
1915 within his conscience." "We refuse the legacy of our grandfathers,
who took part in this massacre [the events of 1915], we refuse to be a
part of what they lived, and we commemorate those of our grandfathers
who were opposed to this massacre and cruelty," said Baydemir, who
is from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which is focused on the
Kurdish issue.
Many researchers have said the ruling Party of Union and Progress
during the Ottoman Empire used Kurdish militias known as the "Hamidiye
troops" against the Armenians in the events of 1915.
"Denying the crimes that were committed by some of our grandfathers
would be the same as becoming a part of [those crimes]. We first have
to accept the sufferings of the people in order to be able to heal
the wounds," the mayor said.
Baydemir said one of his biggest dreams was to construct a common
monument in memory of all of those who were lost in the region,
including Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Assyrians and Chaldeans up until
the 1930s. "I would like to visit this monument with Turks, Armenians
and Kurds all together and cry for our lost ones all together. Turks,
Kurds, Persians, Arabs -- we all have to succeed in negotiation and
dialogue in order to be able to live with each other."
source: www.hurriyetdailynews.com
http://www.aina.org/news/20120926191221.htm