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'ARMENIANS WANT CONDEMNATION OF 'CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY,' NOT PERPETRATORS'
Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Oct 13 2013
Oct 13, 2013
One of Turkey's most prominent experts on the Caucasus, Mehmet Fatih
Oztarsu, who now lives in Armenia, has said Armenians do not expect
Turks to visit Tsitsernakaberd, a memorial in Armenia dedicated to
the victims of the alleged 1915 Armenian genocide, or to condemn the
perpetrators of the alleged genocide but instead want them to denounce
the 'crime committed against humanity.'
Oztarsu, who studied at a university in Azerbaijan, went to Armenia
to conduct research about the region and ended up settling there. He
recently finished compiling his impressions and observations in a
book titled 'Ama Hangi Turkler ve Ermeniler' (But Which Turks and
Armenians).
The border between Turkey and Armenia has been closed since 1993,
after Turkey objected to Armenia's war with Turkish ally Azerbaijan
over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The two countries
do not enjoy diplomatic relations. In addition, Turkish-Armenian
relations have often been overshadowed by a dispute over the massacre
of ethnic Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire more than
90 years ago.
Armenians accuse Ottoman Turks of committing genocide and killing
more than a million Armenians starting in 1915. Turkey strongly denies
these allegations.
Oztarsu said he has always tried to be impartial during his
observations in Armenia but that the issue turns into a matter of
honor after some point.
'This is the same for Armenians. Armenians even say, 'Those who come
to the genocide memorial from Turkey and betray their nation, saying
'Our ancestors massacred these people',' do not benefit us. Until now,
the problem between Turkey and Armenia has persisted due to people
with such a mentality [expecting Turks to condemn their ancestors].
This is not what the Armenian side wants. What they want is the
condemnation of the crime committed against humanity. They don't want
Turks to pursue hostility against [Ottoman] Turks,' he said.
The researcher said he is hurt by the claims by most Armenians about
former Turkish leaders as they present them, including Ottoman Sultan
Abdulhamid II and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey,
as 'killers.'
When asked how his life had changed after settling in Armenia,
Oztarsu said it was a turning point for him to decide to live in
Armenia given that he is from Malatya, where there was a significant
Armenian population, and had studied in Azerbaijan.
'Malatya, where many Armenians used to live and is also the hometown
of [slain Turkish-Armenian journalist] Hrant Dink, is important
for Armenians. Coming from Malatya was sufficient for me to face
accusations while I was in Azerbaijan. Some people thought I was
Armenian because I am from Malatya. I just tried to ignore such
claims. ... There are some who are very racist,' he said.
With regards as to how a Turk can conduct official proceedings in
Armenia, Oztarsu said such a thing is impossible because Turkey does
not have a diplomatic mission in Armenia. He said many people have
recently begun talking about settling the problems of Turks in Armenia
and Armenians in Turkey through their respective embassies in Tbilisi.
'No matter what the problem is, you cannot ignore the existence of
a country which is your neighbor. You cannot treat it as an African
country that is far away,' he said.
Oztarsu, who had the opportunity to compare the perceptions that Turks
and Armenians have about each other in 2004-2005 while doing research
in Armenia, said Turks and Armenians do not actually know each other.
'I have been asked several times about how Armenians view Turks. They
have like a ghost in their minds that massacres people. There are
some Armenians who are prejudiced against Turks and curse them even
though they have never met any Turks before in their lives. But there
are different attitudes among Turks. Just as there are those with
feelings of hostility and anger, there are also some Turks who say,
'We used to have nice Armenian neighbors'.'
Oztarsu said there are some Armenians who still want to return to
their homeland in Turkey and they have great longing for the country.
'I have come across many interesting people. I was struck by an
elderly woman who was carrying a photo of an old Turkish actor in her
wallet. I am surprised by their longing for Turkey. When I asked them
what they would do if they go to Turkish provinces such as Sivas or
Malatya, they said, 'No problem, we just want to return there and die
there.' They see these places as their homeland. Some neighborhoods
in Yerevan are named after Turkish provinces,' he said.
'For instance, Turkey established dialogue with Greece [despite the
Cyprus problem]. People come and go from Greece to Turkey and vice
versa. There is an ongoing communication via TV series, commercial
activities, etc. In order to ensure Turkey's presence in the Caucasus
and to end Armenia's isolation, dialogue is a must. There should be
communication between the Turkish and Armenian peoples. We are duty
bound to achieve this,' he said.
From: Baghdasarian
Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Oct 13 2013
Oct 13, 2013
One of Turkey's most prominent experts on the Caucasus, Mehmet Fatih
Oztarsu, who now lives in Armenia, has said Armenians do not expect
Turks to visit Tsitsernakaberd, a memorial in Armenia dedicated to
the victims of the alleged 1915 Armenian genocide, or to condemn the
perpetrators of the alleged genocide but instead want them to denounce
the 'crime committed against humanity.'
Oztarsu, who studied at a university in Azerbaijan, went to Armenia
to conduct research about the region and ended up settling there. He
recently finished compiling his impressions and observations in a
book titled 'Ama Hangi Turkler ve Ermeniler' (But Which Turks and
Armenians).
The border between Turkey and Armenia has been closed since 1993,
after Turkey objected to Armenia's war with Turkish ally Azerbaijan
over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The two countries
do not enjoy diplomatic relations. In addition, Turkish-Armenian
relations have often been overshadowed by a dispute over the massacre
of ethnic Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire more than
90 years ago.
Armenians accuse Ottoman Turks of committing genocide and killing
more than a million Armenians starting in 1915. Turkey strongly denies
these allegations.
Oztarsu said he has always tried to be impartial during his
observations in Armenia but that the issue turns into a matter of
honor after some point.
'This is the same for Armenians. Armenians even say, 'Those who come
to the genocide memorial from Turkey and betray their nation, saying
'Our ancestors massacred these people',' do not benefit us. Until now,
the problem between Turkey and Armenia has persisted due to people
with such a mentality [expecting Turks to condemn their ancestors].
This is not what the Armenian side wants. What they want is the
condemnation of the crime committed against humanity. They don't want
Turks to pursue hostility against [Ottoman] Turks,' he said.
The researcher said he is hurt by the claims by most Armenians about
former Turkish leaders as they present them, including Ottoman Sultan
Abdulhamid II and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey,
as 'killers.'
When asked how his life had changed after settling in Armenia,
Oztarsu said it was a turning point for him to decide to live in
Armenia given that he is from Malatya, where there was a significant
Armenian population, and had studied in Azerbaijan.
'Malatya, where many Armenians used to live and is also the hometown
of [slain Turkish-Armenian journalist] Hrant Dink, is important
for Armenians. Coming from Malatya was sufficient for me to face
accusations while I was in Azerbaijan. Some people thought I was
Armenian because I am from Malatya. I just tried to ignore such
claims. ... There are some who are very racist,' he said.
With regards as to how a Turk can conduct official proceedings in
Armenia, Oztarsu said such a thing is impossible because Turkey does
not have a diplomatic mission in Armenia. He said many people have
recently begun talking about settling the problems of Turks in Armenia
and Armenians in Turkey through their respective embassies in Tbilisi.
'No matter what the problem is, you cannot ignore the existence of
a country which is your neighbor. You cannot treat it as an African
country that is far away,' he said.
Oztarsu, who had the opportunity to compare the perceptions that Turks
and Armenians have about each other in 2004-2005 while doing research
in Armenia, said Turks and Armenians do not actually know each other.
'I have been asked several times about how Armenians view Turks. They
have like a ghost in their minds that massacres people. There are
some Armenians who are prejudiced against Turks and curse them even
though they have never met any Turks before in their lives. But there
are different attitudes among Turks. Just as there are those with
feelings of hostility and anger, there are also some Turks who say,
'We used to have nice Armenian neighbors'.'
Oztarsu said there are some Armenians who still want to return to
their homeland in Turkey and they have great longing for the country.
'I have come across many interesting people. I was struck by an
elderly woman who was carrying a photo of an old Turkish actor in her
wallet. I am surprised by their longing for Turkey. When I asked them
what they would do if they go to Turkish provinces such as Sivas or
Malatya, they said, 'No problem, we just want to return there and die
there.' They see these places as their homeland. Some neighborhoods
in Yerevan are named after Turkish provinces,' he said.
'For instance, Turkey established dialogue with Greece [despite the
Cyprus problem]. People come and go from Greece to Turkey and vice
versa. There is an ongoing communication via TV series, commercial
activities, etc. In order to ensure Turkey's presence in the Caucasus
and to end Armenia's isolation, dialogue is a must. There should be
communication between the Turkish and Armenian peoples. We are duty
bound to achieve this,' he said.
From: Baghdasarian