Tweet
TURKEY KEEPS EYEING MINORITIES AS INFERIOR PEOPLE - DEBATE
16:23 06.08.13
A debate devoted to Turkey's "minority code" was held Tuesday in
Yerevan to address the country's discriminatory policies in relation
to the minority groups.
The participants - journalists and experts specialized in Turkey
affairs - focused particularly on the situation of Turkish-Armenians,
agreeing unanimously that the country's attitude towards ethnic
minorities hasn't changed since the 1900s.
It comes after the Turkish-Armenian publication Agos last week that
the identity documents of the Turkish minorities are given secret codes
under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. The figure for the Armenians is two.
Lilit Gasparyan, a journalist and Turkish studies specialist attending
the debate, said Turkey is the kind of state which has always pursued
discriminatory policies in relation to its minority members. "The
Ministry of Education said this is not an encryption, but rather a
measure to facilitate the minority children's admission to schools.
That's just ridiculous and unacceptable," she said, adding that the
country's stance on the minorities continues to remain the same.
"The so-called codification is one of the trump cards we can use,
but no one has addressed the topic now that a week has passed [since
the publication of the article]. Had such a revelation been made in
Germany, that would entail a change of regime," Gasparyan continued.
Addressing the topic, the political analyst Ara Papyan blamed the
foreign ministry for being inactive despite having possibility to
react in a prompt manner. "Wouldn't Turkey have used that to organize
the Armenian massacres? If Turkey fails to fulfill international
commitments to people, I doubt whether it will not in relation to
other states," he said.
Aris Nalcin, a news director of the IMC TV channel who joined the
debate through Skype, said the Turkish Interior Ministry had to confirm
the minority codes after the government failed to take timely measures
to settle the problem.
As for the Armenian community's response, he said the older generation
is greatly concerned over the revelation. "It turns out, actually, the
documents give a secondary role to the Armenians in Turkey," he said.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/08/06/turkey-code/
16:23 06.08.13
A debate devoted to Turkey's "minority code" was held Tuesday in
Yerevan to address the country's discriminatory policies in relation
to the minority groups.
The participants - journalists and experts specialized in Turkey
affairs - focused particularly on the situation of Turkish-Armenians,
agreeing unanimously that the country's attitude towards ethnic
minorities hasn't changed since the 1900s.
It comes after the Turkish-Armenian publication Agos last week that
the identity documents of the Turkish minorities are given secret codes
under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. The figure for the Armenians is two.
Lilit Gasparyan, a journalist and Turkish studies specialist attending
the debate, said Turkey is the kind of state which has always pursued
discriminatory policies in relation to its minority members. "The
Ministry of Education said this is not an encryption, but rather a
measure to facilitate the minority children's admission to schools.
That's just ridiculous and unacceptable," she said, adding that the
country's stance on the minorities continues to remain the same.
"The so-called codification is one of the trump cards we can use,
but no one has addressed the topic now that a week has passed [since
the publication of the article]. Had such a revelation been made in
Germany, that would entail a change of regime," Gasparyan continued.
Addressing the topic, the political analyst Ara Papyan blamed the
foreign ministry for being inactive despite having possibility to
react in a prompt manner. "Wouldn't Turkey have used that to organize
the Armenian massacres? If Turkey fails to fulfill international
commitments to people, I doubt whether it will not in relation to
other states," he said.
Aris Nalcin, a news director of the IMC TV channel who joined the
debate through Skype, said the Turkish Interior Ministry had to confirm
the minority codes after the government failed to take timely measures
to settle the problem.
As for the Armenian community's response, he said the older generation
is greatly concerned over the revelation. "It turns out, actually, the
documents give a secondary role to the Armenians in Turkey," he said.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/08/06/turkey-code/