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ERDOGAN VOWS NEVER TO RECOGNISE 1915 KILLINGS AS 'GENOCIDE'
Gulf Times, Qatar
April 15 2015
Ankara
Turkey has warned the European Parliament that it would ignore any
resolution calling on Ankara to recognise the 1915 killings of
Armenians in World War I as genocide.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said any such statement would go "in
one ear and out from the other".
The European Parliament is voted later in the day on a "motion for
resolution on the commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian
genocide".
The vote took place against the backdrop of growing tensions over the
characterisation of the tragedy ahead of the 100th anniversary of the
Ottoman-era massacres this month.
"Whatever decision the European Union Parliament makes today would go
in one ear and out from the other because it is not possible for
Turkey to accept such a sin or crime," Erdogan told reporters at an
Ankara airport before leaving for Kazakhstan.
The EU parliament had itself recognised the killings as genocide in 1987.
Furious with Pope Francis's use of the word "genocide" at the weekend
to describe the killings, Turkey responded by summoning the Vatican's
ambassador in Ankara and recalling the Turkish envoy to the Holy See
in a show of protest.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whose country is a Nato member and
long-time European Union hopeful, warned the Pope not to use
"blackmail against Turkey".
"We will not let our nation be insulted over history," Davutoglu said
in an address to his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in
Ankara.
"The Pope has also joined those traps set against the AK Party and
Turkey," he said, railing at the "unfair accusations" made ahead of
Turkey's June 7 elections.
The United States on Tuesday called for a "full, frank"
acknowledgement of the mass killings while shying away from calling
the massacres "genocide".
"I don't know right now what sort of decision they will make ... but I
barely understand why we, as the nation, as well as print and visual
media, stand in defence," Erdogan said, referring to the European
parliament, before the vote. "I personally don't bother about a
defence because we don't carry a stain or a shadow like genocide."
Armenia and Armenians in the diaspora say that some 1.5mn of their
forefathers were killed by Ottoman forces in a targeted campaign to
eradicate the Armenian people from Anatolia, in what is now eastern
Turkey.
Turkey takes a sharply different view, saying that hundreds of
thousands of both Turks and Armenians lost their lives as Ottoman
forces battled the Russian Empire for control of eastern Anatolia
during World War I.
Erdogan said yesterday that Turkey was home to some 100,000 Armenian
citizens, who were working in the country, some illegally.
"We could have deported them but we did not. We're still hosting them
in our country. It is not possible to understand such a stance against
a country which displays" hospitality, he said.
Turkey is also still home to a small Turkish-Armenian community,
mostly based in Istanbul, who number around 60,000.
Armenians around the world will commemorate the 100th anniversary of
the tragedy on April 24, the same day as Turkey is planning major
commemorations of the World War I battle of Gallipoli.
http://www.gulf-times.com/uk-europe/183/details/435145/erdogan-vows-never-to-recognise-1915-killings-as-%E2%80%98genocide%E2%80%99
Gulf Times, Qatar
April 15 2015
Ankara
Turkey has warned the European Parliament that it would ignore any
resolution calling on Ankara to recognise the 1915 killings of
Armenians in World War I as genocide.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said any such statement would go "in
one ear and out from the other".
The European Parliament is voted later in the day on a "motion for
resolution on the commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian
genocide".
The vote took place against the backdrop of growing tensions over the
characterisation of the tragedy ahead of the 100th anniversary of the
Ottoman-era massacres this month.
"Whatever decision the European Union Parliament makes today would go
in one ear and out from the other because it is not possible for
Turkey to accept such a sin or crime," Erdogan told reporters at an
Ankara airport before leaving for Kazakhstan.
The EU parliament had itself recognised the killings as genocide in 1987.
Furious with Pope Francis's use of the word "genocide" at the weekend
to describe the killings, Turkey responded by summoning the Vatican's
ambassador in Ankara and recalling the Turkish envoy to the Holy See
in a show of protest.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whose country is a Nato member and
long-time European Union hopeful, warned the Pope not to use
"blackmail against Turkey".
"We will not let our nation be insulted over history," Davutoglu said
in an address to his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in
Ankara.
"The Pope has also joined those traps set against the AK Party and
Turkey," he said, railing at the "unfair accusations" made ahead of
Turkey's June 7 elections.
The United States on Tuesday called for a "full, frank"
acknowledgement of the mass killings while shying away from calling
the massacres "genocide".
"I don't know right now what sort of decision they will make ... but I
barely understand why we, as the nation, as well as print and visual
media, stand in defence," Erdogan said, referring to the European
parliament, before the vote. "I personally don't bother about a
defence because we don't carry a stain or a shadow like genocide."
Armenia and Armenians in the diaspora say that some 1.5mn of their
forefathers were killed by Ottoman forces in a targeted campaign to
eradicate the Armenian people from Anatolia, in what is now eastern
Turkey.
Turkey takes a sharply different view, saying that hundreds of
thousands of both Turks and Armenians lost their lives as Ottoman
forces battled the Russian Empire for control of eastern Anatolia
during World War I.
Erdogan said yesterday that Turkey was home to some 100,000 Armenian
citizens, who were working in the country, some illegally.
"We could have deported them but we did not. We're still hosting them
in our country. It is not possible to understand such a stance against
a country which displays" hospitality, he said.
Turkey is also still home to a small Turkish-Armenian community,
mostly based in Istanbul, who number around 60,000.
Armenians around the world will commemorate the 100th anniversary of
the tragedy on April 24, the same day as Turkey is planning major
commemorations of the World War I battle of Gallipoli.
http://www.gulf-times.com/uk-europe/183/details/435145/erdogan-vows-never-to-recognise-1915-killings-as-%E2%80%98genocide%E2%80%99