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ERDOGAN: ARMENIAN DIASPORA HINDERS PEACE EFFORTS AND DIALOGUE
Daily Sabah, Turkey
Feb 11 2015
NURBANU KIZIL
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted that Turkey
is ready for a constructive and objective approach to resolve the
tensions between Armenia and Turkey due to the 1915 incidents despite
the objection of the Armenian diaspora
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that every time Turkey tries to
approach Armenia to resolve the issues between the two countries, they
have been left without a response as the Armenian diaspora continues
to block Turkey's efforts to establish peace through dialogue.
As part of his official visit to Colombia, Erdogan spoke on Tuesday
at a symposium co-organized by Bogota Externado University and Ankara
University and urged Armenia to examine the 1915 events in a more
objective manner through the lens of science and not politics. He also
said that Turkey is sincere in its readiness to investigate the issue
in order to reach accurate conclusions. He highlighted that the 1915
events have not been properly examined or discussed.
"On the 100th anniversary of the 1915 events, as Turkey we repeat our
sincere call to Armenia," Erdogan said, urging Armenians to take a
more proactive and objective approach and let scholars and academics
investigate the matter rather than politicians.
Erdogan said that Armenian leaders rejected Turkey's invitation to
attend the ceremony organized in Canakkale to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli in a discourteous manner
and that their offensive statements closed the doors of dialogue
once again.
"We wanted them to be in Canakkale on April 24 and breathe the spirit
in the air, try to comprehend what hundreds of thousands of Turkish
martyrs experienced," Erdogan said, and reiterated that Turkey will
not give up its efforts to reach peace and dialogue with respect to
the 1915 events.
He underscored that Turkey has always been against conflicts and crises
in the region and has made rational and justified objections to such
attempts. "We want peace, justice, friendship and brotherhood in our
region," he said, adding that Turkey is not requesting anything else.
In January, Erdogan sent invitation letters to over 100 world leaders
to take part in the ceremonies commemorating the 100oth anniversary
of the Battle of Gallipoli on April 24.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan reportedly rejected Erdogan's
invitation as being a "short-sighted" attempt to cover the 100th year
commemoration of the 1915 events.
In a the speech, Erdogan said that understanding World War I was
crucial to comprehending the current state of events in the world as
it drew the borders of the current nation-states, which had serious
implications for today.
"Many of our global problems today are rooted in World War I," he
said, explaining that the issue in Palestine and conflicts in Iraq,
Yemen, Egypt, North Africa, the Caucasus and the Balkans can all be
traced back to the war.
"The borders were not only drawn for territories, but were also imposed
on the people," Erdogan said, arguing that abstract borders had been
forcefully imposed on people's mentalities, cultures and religions
and that siblings had been made enemies.
The 1915 events occurred during World War I when a segment of
Armenians living under the Ottoman Empire supported the Russian
invasion and revolted against the state and were relocated to eastern
Anatolia. While Turkey refrains from using the term "genocide" to refer
to the incident, as many Turks also lost their lives due to attacks
carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia, the Armenian state and
diaspora are campaigning for the incident to be recognized as genocide.
Erdogan issued a letter expressing condolences for the 1915 events
on April 23, 2014, which was unprecedented in Turkey's history. In
the letter, he urged for the establishment of a joint historical
commission to investigate the events and called Armenia to open their
archives as Turkey has done.
http://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2015/02/11/erdogan-armenian-diaspora-hinders-peace-efforts-and-dialogue
Daily Sabah, Turkey
Feb 11 2015
NURBANU KIZIL
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted that Turkey
is ready for a constructive and objective approach to resolve the
tensions between Armenia and Turkey due to the 1915 incidents despite
the objection of the Armenian diaspora
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that every time Turkey tries to
approach Armenia to resolve the issues between the two countries, they
have been left without a response as the Armenian diaspora continues
to block Turkey's efforts to establish peace through dialogue.
As part of his official visit to Colombia, Erdogan spoke on Tuesday
at a symposium co-organized by Bogota Externado University and Ankara
University and urged Armenia to examine the 1915 events in a more
objective manner through the lens of science and not politics. He also
said that Turkey is sincere in its readiness to investigate the issue
in order to reach accurate conclusions. He highlighted that the 1915
events have not been properly examined or discussed.
"On the 100th anniversary of the 1915 events, as Turkey we repeat our
sincere call to Armenia," Erdogan said, urging Armenians to take a
more proactive and objective approach and let scholars and academics
investigate the matter rather than politicians.
Erdogan said that Armenian leaders rejected Turkey's invitation to
attend the ceremony organized in Canakkale to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli in a discourteous manner
and that their offensive statements closed the doors of dialogue
once again.
"We wanted them to be in Canakkale on April 24 and breathe the spirit
in the air, try to comprehend what hundreds of thousands of Turkish
martyrs experienced," Erdogan said, and reiterated that Turkey will
not give up its efforts to reach peace and dialogue with respect to
the 1915 events.
He underscored that Turkey has always been against conflicts and crises
in the region and has made rational and justified objections to such
attempts. "We want peace, justice, friendship and brotherhood in our
region," he said, adding that Turkey is not requesting anything else.
In January, Erdogan sent invitation letters to over 100 world leaders
to take part in the ceremonies commemorating the 100oth anniversary
of the Battle of Gallipoli on April 24.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan reportedly rejected Erdogan's
invitation as being a "short-sighted" attempt to cover the 100th year
commemoration of the 1915 events.
In a the speech, Erdogan said that understanding World War I was
crucial to comprehending the current state of events in the world as
it drew the borders of the current nation-states, which had serious
implications for today.
"Many of our global problems today are rooted in World War I," he
said, explaining that the issue in Palestine and conflicts in Iraq,
Yemen, Egypt, North Africa, the Caucasus and the Balkans can all be
traced back to the war.
"The borders were not only drawn for territories, but were also imposed
on the people," Erdogan said, arguing that abstract borders had been
forcefully imposed on people's mentalities, cultures and religions
and that siblings had been made enemies.
The 1915 events occurred during World War I when a segment of
Armenians living under the Ottoman Empire supported the Russian
invasion and revolted against the state and were relocated to eastern
Anatolia. While Turkey refrains from using the term "genocide" to refer
to the incident, as many Turks also lost their lives due to attacks
carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia, the Armenian state and
diaspora are campaigning for the incident to be recognized as genocide.
Erdogan issued a letter expressing condolences for the 1915 events
on April 23, 2014, which was unprecedented in Turkey's history. In
the letter, he urged for the establishment of a joint historical
commission to investigate the events and called Armenia to open their
archives as Turkey has done.
http://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2015/02/11/erdogan-armenian-diaspora-hinders-peace-efforts-and-dialogue