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NEW SOUTH WALES PARLIAMENT IRKS TURKS FOR POLITICIZING CONTROVERSIAL HISTORY EVENT
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 27 2013
27 August 2013 /NESİBE HİCRET SOY, ANKARA
Disturbed by a politically charged step to reassess history, Turkish
local and government officials have signaled that they will not welcome
Australia's New South Wales MPs due to the state's formal recognition
in its legislative council of the controversial 1915 events in Turkey
as a genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.
The mayor of Canakkale, Ulgur Gökhan, told Today's Zaman that they had
made a decision in the local council expressing their wish to prevent
the NSW MPs' upcoming centenary commemorations at Gallipoli in 2015,
although Anzac Cove is outside the municipality's jurisdiction.
In May of this year the NSW parliament passed a motion recognizing
the alleged genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the move. "The fact that this
motion has been passed as a fait accompli by a local politician whose
antagonistic attitude and behavior towards Turkey are well known,
during a session at the state parliament attended by a small number of
parliamentarians, shows how lightly and superficially such a sensitive
issue is dealt with," said the statement.
In August, the Turkish consul general in Sydney, Gulseren Celik,
responded to the decision of the NSW parliament to describe the events
of 1915 as genocide.
"We expect Australians to show the same kind of respect that we have
shown to their history and their ancestry," Celik said in her speech
to the ABC channel. "Those individuals who show no respect to our
history will not be welcome in Turkey," she added.
Turkey is expected to deny visas to the NSW MPs for the centenary
commemorations at Gallipoli, Canakkale, in 2015. When Celik was asked
by ABC if this meant that NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, and indeed the
entire NSW parliament, would not be given visas to attend the centenary
commemorations, Celik recalled the Turkish Foreign Ministry's previous
statement and replied, "Yes."
Regarding the ban on the NSW MPs in the centenary commemorations at
Gallipoli in 2015, the Turkish Foreign Ministry declared that Turkey
will not welcome those who passed this motion. "These people who
tried to damage the spirit of Canakkale and Gallipoli will not have
a place in the Canakkale ceremonies, where together we commemorate
our sons lying side by side in our soil."
In 2009, Turkey reacted negatively to a monument erected by the
Assyrian Universal Alliance in the Australian city of Fairfield,
where 10 percent of the population is Assyrian, in commemoration of
the so-called Assyrian genocide.
The erection of the monument was approved by the Fairfield Council in
Sydney's western suburbs. Denying the Assyrians' genocide claims,
Turkey's former ambassador to Australia, Oguz Ozge, called the
council's ruling "very offensive," noting that the Turkish government
was considering legal action against the council's decision.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry had already condemned the monument while
reiterating Ankara's stance on controversial historical disputes,
saying that the issue should only be discussed by historians after
objective analysis.
Generally, bilateral relations between Turkey and Australia are
extremely good. In May of this year, Australia's ambassador to Turkey,
Ian Biggs, talking to Today's Zaman at the Australia-Turkey Dialogue
Workshop in Akcakoca, organized by the Abant Platform, emphasized
the "excellent bilateral relations" between Turkey and Australia
and expressed his desire for more trade and investment between the
two countries. Biggs pointed to "the common history in the Gallipoli
conflict" as a "very unusual basis for friendship."
On April 25 of every year, thousands of Australians and New Zealanders,
the grandchildren of those who fell at Arıburnu in Canakkale, gather
for a commemorative dawn service at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli
(Gelibolu) Peninsula. 2015 will see the 100th Anzac commemoration
ceremony take place in Canakkale.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-324681-new-south-wales-parliament-irks-turks-for-politicizing-controversial-history-event.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 27 2013
27 August 2013 /NESİBE HİCRET SOY, ANKARA
Disturbed by a politically charged step to reassess history, Turkish
local and government officials have signaled that they will not welcome
Australia's New South Wales MPs due to the state's formal recognition
in its legislative council of the controversial 1915 events in Turkey
as a genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.
The mayor of Canakkale, Ulgur Gökhan, told Today's Zaman that they had
made a decision in the local council expressing their wish to prevent
the NSW MPs' upcoming centenary commemorations at Gallipoli in 2015,
although Anzac Cove is outside the municipality's jurisdiction.
In May of this year the NSW parliament passed a motion recognizing
the alleged genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the move. "The fact that this
motion has been passed as a fait accompli by a local politician whose
antagonistic attitude and behavior towards Turkey are well known,
during a session at the state parliament attended by a small number of
parliamentarians, shows how lightly and superficially such a sensitive
issue is dealt with," said the statement.
In August, the Turkish consul general in Sydney, Gulseren Celik,
responded to the decision of the NSW parliament to describe the events
of 1915 as genocide.
"We expect Australians to show the same kind of respect that we have
shown to their history and their ancestry," Celik said in her speech
to the ABC channel. "Those individuals who show no respect to our
history will not be welcome in Turkey," she added.
Turkey is expected to deny visas to the NSW MPs for the centenary
commemorations at Gallipoli, Canakkale, in 2015. When Celik was asked
by ABC if this meant that NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, and indeed the
entire NSW parliament, would not be given visas to attend the centenary
commemorations, Celik recalled the Turkish Foreign Ministry's previous
statement and replied, "Yes."
Regarding the ban on the NSW MPs in the centenary commemorations at
Gallipoli in 2015, the Turkish Foreign Ministry declared that Turkey
will not welcome those who passed this motion. "These people who
tried to damage the spirit of Canakkale and Gallipoli will not have
a place in the Canakkale ceremonies, where together we commemorate
our sons lying side by side in our soil."
In 2009, Turkey reacted negatively to a monument erected by the
Assyrian Universal Alliance in the Australian city of Fairfield,
where 10 percent of the population is Assyrian, in commemoration of
the so-called Assyrian genocide.
The erection of the monument was approved by the Fairfield Council in
Sydney's western suburbs. Denying the Assyrians' genocide claims,
Turkey's former ambassador to Australia, Oguz Ozge, called the
council's ruling "very offensive," noting that the Turkish government
was considering legal action against the council's decision.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry had already condemned the monument while
reiterating Ankara's stance on controversial historical disputes,
saying that the issue should only be discussed by historians after
objective analysis.
Generally, bilateral relations between Turkey and Australia are
extremely good. In May of this year, Australia's ambassador to Turkey,
Ian Biggs, talking to Today's Zaman at the Australia-Turkey Dialogue
Workshop in Akcakoca, organized by the Abant Platform, emphasized
the "excellent bilateral relations" between Turkey and Australia
and expressed his desire for more trade and investment between the
two countries. Biggs pointed to "the common history in the Gallipoli
conflict" as a "very unusual basis for friendship."
On April 25 of every year, thousands of Australians and New Zealanders,
the grandchildren of those who fell at Arıburnu in Canakkale, gather
for a commemorative dawn service at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli
(Gelibolu) Peninsula. 2015 will see the 100th Anzac commemoration
ceremony take place in Canakkale.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-324681-new-south-wales-parliament-irks-turks-for-politicizing-controversial-history-event.html