Tweet
TURKEY'S ERDOGAN CONDEMNS EU, POPE FRANCIS OVER ARMENIAN 'GENOCIDE' LABEL
Wall Street Journal, NY
April 15 2015
European Parliament passes resolution commemorating centennial of
the mass killings
By Emre Peker & Valentina Pop
The European Parliament on Wednesday joined Pope Francis in urging
Turkey to recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians as a genocide,
prompting another rebuke from Ankara amid mounting diplomatic tensions
over the century-old dispute.
At stake is a historic categorization that would put modern Turkey's
Ottoman ancestors in the same category as Nazi Germany and a string
of dictators from Stalin to Pol Pot. Ankara vehemently denies
allegations of a systematic killing of Armenians during World War I,
while Armenians have placed the tragedy at the core of their national
identity.
The nonbinding resolution, adopted by a wide majority, repeated
the Parliament's previous use of the word genocide in marking the
centennial of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians deaths in eastern
Turkey during World War I. The area was then part of the Ottoman
Empire.
Advertisement
It also encouraged Turkey to use the anniversary "to recognize the
Armenian genocide and thus pave the way for a genuine reconciliation
between Turkish and Armenian peoples."
On Sunday, the pope had called the deaths "the first genocide of
the 20th century," prompting Ankara to recall its ambassador to the
Vatican for consultations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed the European resolution even
before the vote.
"For us it will go in one ear and out the other," he said in Ankara,
a day after criticizing Pope Francis. "It is impossible for Turkey
to accept this accusation. the stain of genocide on our nation is
out of the question."
Turkey's Foreign Ministry after the vote accused the EU of seeking
to rewrite history.
Armenia's push to build momentum for broader recognition of a genocide
comes less than two months before parliamentary elections in Turkey,
where Mr. Erdogan is seeking to add to the majority held by his
Islamist-rooted, Justice and Development Party.
But with Turkey beset by sagging economic growth, fragile peace
talks to end a long Kurdish insurgency and mounting security
threats stemming from Iraq and Syria, the ruling party is waging an
increasingly nationalistic campaign, pledging to build a "New Turkey"
that restores the Ottoman Empire's glory days.
"There is an evil gang forming against us, this front's calculations
are all geared toward blocking the party's path," Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu said Wednesday. "The pope has joined these traps that are
being set against Turkey."
Ankara argues that hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Muslim,
were killed in conflicts that engulfed the eastern Ottoman Empire
during World War I. Armenians are predominantly Christian.
Mr. Erdogan took an unprecedented step last year and apologized for
the deaths, a move welcomed by Western partners but criticized by
some for shirking responsibility.
On Monday, he reiterated his call for a historical commission and
pledged to make Turkish archives available to researchers. But some
EU lawmakers argued that recognition of a genocide must come first
to start reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia.
"This is the responsibility of politicians, not historians, as Mr.
Erdogan claims," said Cristian Preda, a Romanian member of the
Parliament who helped draft the resolution. Turkey needs to "signal
Europeanness, which is more and more needed today, not tomorrow,"
said Petras Austrevicius, a member from Lithuania.
At a time when EU-Turkey relations are tense, and Ankara's long-sought
membership in the bloc seems as remote as ever, the parliament's move
is poised to further strain ties.
"Turkey treats a country's stance on the events of 1915 as a barometer
of bilateral relations," said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara-based
director at the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. "Turkish leaders
also have a domestic agenda, where they take credit for responding
to resolutions and statements in a decisive manner."
About two dozen countries--including Turkey's NATO allies France and
Germany, and its biggest natural-gas supplier Russia--recognize the
Armenian genocide.
The diplomatic fight will now turn largely to the U.S., where the issue
strains ties between Washington and Ankara on an almost annual basis.
This year, 40 members of Congress introduced a resolution to formally
recognize the Armenian genocide. Last year, President Barack Obama
called the Armenian massacres "one of the worst atrocities of the
20th century," but didn't use the word genocide.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/turkeys-erdogan-condemns-eu-pope-francis-over-armenian-genocide-label-1429101392
From: Baghdasarian
Wall Street Journal, NY
April 15 2015
European Parliament passes resolution commemorating centennial of
the mass killings
By Emre Peker & Valentina Pop
The European Parliament on Wednesday joined Pope Francis in urging
Turkey to recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians as a genocide,
prompting another rebuke from Ankara amid mounting diplomatic tensions
over the century-old dispute.
At stake is a historic categorization that would put modern Turkey's
Ottoman ancestors in the same category as Nazi Germany and a string
of dictators from Stalin to Pol Pot. Ankara vehemently denies
allegations of a systematic killing of Armenians during World War I,
while Armenians have placed the tragedy at the core of their national
identity.
The nonbinding resolution, adopted by a wide majority, repeated
the Parliament's previous use of the word genocide in marking the
centennial of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians deaths in eastern
Turkey during World War I. The area was then part of the Ottoman
Empire.
Advertisement
It also encouraged Turkey to use the anniversary "to recognize the
Armenian genocide and thus pave the way for a genuine reconciliation
between Turkish and Armenian peoples."
On Sunday, the pope had called the deaths "the first genocide of
the 20th century," prompting Ankara to recall its ambassador to the
Vatican for consultations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed the European resolution even
before the vote.
"For us it will go in one ear and out the other," he said in Ankara,
a day after criticizing Pope Francis. "It is impossible for Turkey
to accept this accusation. the stain of genocide on our nation is
out of the question."
Turkey's Foreign Ministry after the vote accused the EU of seeking
to rewrite history.
Armenia's push to build momentum for broader recognition of a genocide
comes less than two months before parliamentary elections in Turkey,
where Mr. Erdogan is seeking to add to the majority held by his
Islamist-rooted, Justice and Development Party.
But with Turkey beset by sagging economic growth, fragile peace
talks to end a long Kurdish insurgency and mounting security
threats stemming from Iraq and Syria, the ruling party is waging an
increasingly nationalistic campaign, pledging to build a "New Turkey"
that restores the Ottoman Empire's glory days.
"There is an evil gang forming against us, this front's calculations
are all geared toward blocking the party's path," Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu said Wednesday. "The pope has joined these traps that are
being set against Turkey."
Ankara argues that hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Muslim,
were killed in conflicts that engulfed the eastern Ottoman Empire
during World War I. Armenians are predominantly Christian.
Mr. Erdogan took an unprecedented step last year and apologized for
the deaths, a move welcomed by Western partners but criticized by
some for shirking responsibility.
On Monday, he reiterated his call for a historical commission and
pledged to make Turkish archives available to researchers. But some
EU lawmakers argued that recognition of a genocide must come first
to start reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia.
"This is the responsibility of politicians, not historians, as Mr.
Erdogan claims," said Cristian Preda, a Romanian member of the
Parliament who helped draft the resolution. Turkey needs to "signal
Europeanness, which is more and more needed today, not tomorrow,"
said Petras Austrevicius, a member from Lithuania.
At a time when EU-Turkey relations are tense, and Ankara's long-sought
membership in the bloc seems as remote as ever, the parliament's move
is poised to further strain ties.
"Turkey treats a country's stance on the events of 1915 as a barometer
of bilateral relations," said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara-based
director at the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. "Turkish leaders
also have a domestic agenda, where they take credit for responding
to resolutions and statements in a decisive manner."
About two dozen countries--including Turkey's NATO allies France and
Germany, and its biggest natural-gas supplier Russia--recognize the
Armenian genocide.
The diplomatic fight will now turn largely to the U.S., where the issue
strains ties between Washington and Ankara on an almost annual basis.
This year, 40 members of Congress introduced a resolution to formally
recognize the Armenian genocide. Last year, President Barack Obama
called the Armenian massacres "one of the worst atrocities of the
20th century," but didn't use the word genocide.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/turkeys-erdogan-condemns-eu-pope-francis-over-armenian-genocide-label-1429101392
From: Baghdasarian