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Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 31 2013
French singer Aznavour criticized by Turkey, Armenian diaspora upon remarks
31 March 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
French-Armenian musician Charles Aznavour has been criticized by both
Turkey and the Armenian diaspora in Switzerland following his remarks
on the death of Armenian people in 1915 at the hands of the Ottomans
and his proposals for normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations.
Aznavour, who is Armenia's ambassador to Switzerland and permanent
delegate to the United Nations office in Geneva, criticized Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an last week in a televised interview in
Switzerland, without naming him. He claimed that the Turkish prime
minister once said he hates Greeks and Armenians, saying that a prime
minister cannot say such things.
In a written statement released on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry
said: `We cannot understand what his stated claims are based on. We
strongly reject this groundless and meaningless accusation. The Turks
have long coexisted peacefully with the Armenians and Greeks.'
The Turkish statement, however, welcomed Aznavour's offering proposals
on the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations as a world-famous
`man of art and intellectual.'
Meanwhile, Aznavour's remarks have also drawn a reaction from the
Armenian diaspora in Switzerland, though from a different viewpoint.
Secretary-General of the Swiss parliament's Switzerland-Armenia
parliamentary friendship group Sarkis Shahinian issued a press release
criticizing Aznavour's remarks for their `banalization' on the
so-called Armenian genocide.
`Turks are using the word `mass killing' -- let them use it,' said
Aznavour, maintaining that he would not ask for anything other than
the opening of the border between the two countries and recognition of
historical events between the two nations. He, however, also stated
that he does not care about using the word `genocide' when defining
the 1915 events, claiming that a simple recognition of the killings is
necessary and sufficient.
Aznavour mentioned that he found it `ridiculous' and `pitiful' that
young Armenians are writing more books by the day and vast libraries
could be filled with all of their efforts spent on the question. He
said that the issue is also a burden on young Turks.
But Aznavour's constructive remarks on the normalization of
Turkey-Armenia ties, recalling that Turkey and Armenia share a border
and there are economic -- even if informal -- and tourism relations
between the two countries, have angered the Armenian diaspora.
Shahinian's statement, released after Aznavour's interview, asked the
Armenian government `what they aim for with having themselves
represented in the international arena by a person [Aznavour] who
fails to grasp the struggle in its totality for the recognition of a
crime related to the destruction of his own people.'
The statement also accused Aznavour of `throwing to the wind a long
struggle in Switzerland which provided for a unique judicial opinion
making it illegal to deny [the so-called Armenian genocide].'
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-311310-french-singer-aznavour-criticized-by-turkey-armenian-diaspora-upon-remarks.html
March 31 2013
French singer Aznavour criticized by Turkey, Armenian diaspora upon remarks
31 March 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
French-Armenian musician Charles Aznavour has been criticized by both
Turkey and the Armenian diaspora in Switzerland following his remarks
on the death of Armenian people in 1915 at the hands of the Ottomans
and his proposals for normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations.
Aznavour, who is Armenia's ambassador to Switzerland and permanent
delegate to the United Nations office in Geneva, criticized Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an last week in a televised interview in
Switzerland, without naming him. He claimed that the Turkish prime
minister once said he hates Greeks and Armenians, saying that a prime
minister cannot say such things.
In a written statement released on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry
said: `We cannot understand what his stated claims are based on. We
strongly reject this groundless and meaningless accusation. The Turks
have long coexisted peacefully with the Armenians and Greeks.'
The Turkish statement, however, welcomed Aznavour's offering proposals
on the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations as a world-famous
`man of art and intellectual.'
Meanwhile, Aznavour's remarks have also drawn a reaction from the
Armenian diaspora in Switzerland, though from a different viewpoint.
Secretary-General of the Swiss parliament's Switzerland-Armenia
parliamentary friendship group Sarkis Shahinian issued a press release
criticizing Aznavour's remarks for their `banalization' on the
so-called Armenian genocide.
`Turks are using the word `mass killing' -- let them use it,' said
Aznavour, maintaining that he would not ask for anything other than
the opening of the border between the two countries and recognition of
historical events between the two nations. He, however, also stated
that he does not care about using the word `genocide' when defining
the 1915 events, claiming that a simple recognition of the killings is
necessary and sufficient.
Aznavour mentioned that he found it `ridiculous' and `pitiful' that
young Armenians are writing more books by the day and vast libraries
could be filled with all of their efforts spent on the question. He
said that the issue is also a burden on young Turks.
But Aznavour's constructive remarks on the normalization of
Turkey-Armenia ties, recalling that Turkey and Armenia share a border
and there are economic -- even if informal -- and tourism relations
between the two countries, have angered the Armenian diaspora.
Shahinian's statement, released after Aznavour's interview, asked the
Armenian government `what they aim for with having themselves
represented in the international arena by a person [Aznavour] who
fails to grasp the struggle in its totality for the recognition of a
crime related to the destruction of his own people.'
The statement also accused Aznavour of `throwing to the wind a long
struggle in Switzerland which provided for a unique judicial opinion
making it illegal to deny [the so-called Armenian genocide].'
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-311310-french-singer-aznavour-criticized-by-turkey-armenian-diaspora-upon-remarks.html