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Journal of Turkish Weekly
May 2 2014
Erdogan's historic statement on 1915 killings pleases both sides
2 May 2014
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent statement of condolences
for the 1915 mass killings of Armenians, the first such statement by
the Turkish government, was welcomed by Armenians, Turks and the
European Union.
After Erdogan's statement was published in nine languages, EU
Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule sent out a tweet saying
"reconciliation is a key EU value" and expressing hope that "steps in
this spirit would follow."
Erdogan called the events of 1915 "inhumane."
"The incidents of the First World War are our shared pain. To evaluate
this painful period of history through a perspective of just memory is
a humane and scholarly responsibility. Millions of people of all
religions and ethnicities lost their lives in the First World War.
Having experienced events which had inhumane consequences -- such as
expulsion -- during the First World War, should not prevent Turks and
Armenians from establishing compassion and mutually humane attitudes
toward one another," the statement read.
The deaths of more than 1 million people, primarily Armenians at the
hands of Ottomans, are considered genocide by Armenia and some
international organisations. Turkey disputes the characterisation.
Professor Ayhan Kaya, director of the European Institute in Istanbul
Bilgi University, said the prime minister's statement should be
perceived as a major step for Turkey in terms of normalising relations
with Armenia. "Actually, since the AKP [Justice and Development Party]
came to power, there were attempts on the part of the Turkish state
and society to come to terms with the past. These attempts were going
in parallel with the Europeanisation of Turkey," Kaya told SES
Türkiye.
Hundreds of people, including Armenians, gathered in Istanbul's Taksim
Square to show solidarity on April 23rd.
The Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul released a statement on the same
day, saying Erdogan's statement was encouraging for Armenian and
Turkish people to take positive steps in the future, and that it
helped to ease the pain of Armenians.
In his statement on April 24th, Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan did
not refer to Erdogan's remarks but emphasised that Armenia believes
that "the denial of a crime constitutes direct continuation of that
very crime; and only recognition and condemnation can prevent the
repetition of such crimes in the future."
"We do not consider the Turkish society as our enemy. Bowing to the
memory of the innocent victims we remember all those Turks and Turkish
families who lent a helping hand to their Armenian neighbours," he
added.
Last December, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu paid Turkey's first
high-level state visit to Armenia in five years. The visit was
considered as a significant step for the rapprochement between the two
neighbours. The territorial border has been closed since Turkey shut
its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan, which was in
a dispute with Armenia over the control of the Nagorno-Karabakh
region. Kevork Gallosyan, an Armenian citizen living in Istanbul and
working as the project co-ordinator of Fair Memory Initiative,
congratulated Erdogan for his courage but added that more needs to be
done.
"It is just the beginning of a process. There is still a widespread
lack of knowledge and prejudice in the Turkish society toward Armenian
people," Gallosyan told SES Türkiye. "We need to shape our common
future by combating such approaches and preventing extreme animosities
on both sides through a fair memory."
Aghavni Karakhanian, director of Yerevan-based Institute for Civil
Society and Regional Development, said Turkey should recognise the
deaths as genocide.
"The new conceptualisation of Armenian-Turkish relations can occur
only with recognition by Turkey the fact of Armenian genocide.
Erdogan's statement lacks something that's vital for the Armenians
issue: recognition," she said.
2 May 2014
SES Türkiye
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/166340/erdogan-39-s-historic-statement-on-1915-killings-pleases-both-sides.html
May 2 2014
Erdogan's historic statement on 1915 killings pleases both sides
2 May 2014
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent statement of condolences
for the 1915 mass killings of Armenians, the first such statement by
the Turkish government, was welcomed by Armenians, Turks and the
European Union.
After Erdogan's statement was published in nine languages, EU
Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule sent out a tweet saying
"reconciliation is a key EU value" and expressing hope that "steps in
this spirit would follow."
Erdogan called the events of 1915 "inhumane."
"The incidents of the First World War are our shared pain. To evaluate
this painful period of history through a perspective of just memory is
a humane and scholarly responsibility. Millions of people of all
religions and ethnicities lost their lives in the First World War.
Having experienced events which had inhumane consequences -- such as
expulsion -- during the First World War, should not prevent Turks and
Armenians from establishing compassion and mutually humane attitudes
toward one another," the statement read.
The deaths of more than 1 million people, primarily Armenians at the
hands of Ottomans, are considered genocide by Armenia and some
international organisations. Turkey disputes the characterisation.
Professor Ayhan Kaya, director of the European Institute in Istanbul
Bilgi University, said the prime minister's statement should be
perceived as a major step for Turkey in terms of normalising relations
with Armenia. "Actually, since the AKP [Justice and Development Party]
came to power, there were attempts on the part of the Turkish state
and society to come to terms with the past. These attempts were going
in parallel with the Europeanisation of Turkey," Kaya told SES
Türkiye.
Hundreds of people, including Armenians, gathered in Istanbul's Taksim
Square to show solidarity on April 23rd.
The Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul released a statement on the same
day, saying Erdogan's statement was encouraging for Armenian and
Turkish people to take positive steps in the future, and that it
helped to ease the pain of Armenians.
In his statement on April 24th, Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan did
not refer to Erdogan's remarks but emphasised that Armenia believes
that "the denial of a crime constitutes direct continuation of that
very crime; and only recognition and condemnation can prevent the
repetition of such crimes in the future."
"We do not consider the Turkish society as our enemy. Bowing to the
memory of the innocent victims we remember all those Turks and Turkish
families who lent a helping hand to their Armenian neighbours," he
added.
Last December, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu paid Turkey's first
high-level state visit to Armenia in five years. The visit was
considered as a significant step for the rapprochement between the two
neighbours. The territorial border has been closed since Turkey shut
its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan, which was in
a dispute with Armenia over the control of the Nagorno-Karabakh
region. Kevork Gallosyan, an Armenian citizen living in Istanbul and
working as the project co-ordinator of Fair Memory Initiative,
congratulated Erdogan for his courage but added that more needs to be
done.
"It is just the beginning of a process. There is still a widespread
lack of knowledge and prejudice in the Turkish society toward Armenian
people," Gallosyan told SES Türkiye. "We need to shape our common
future by combating such approaches and preventing extreme animosities
on both sides through a fair memory."
Aghavni Karakhanian, director of Yerevan-based Institute for Civil
Society and Regional Development, said Turkey should recognise the
deaths as genocide.
"The new conceptualisation of Armenian-Turkish relations can occur
only with recognition by Turkey the fact of Armenian genocide.
Erdogan's statement lacks something that's vital for the Armenians
issue: recognition," she said.
2 May 2014
SES Türkiye
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/166340/erdogan-39-s-historic-statement-on-1915-killings-pleases-both-sides.html