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ARMENIAN EXPERT: TURKISH PLANS FOR APRIL 24 BATTLE OF GALLIPOLI COMMEMORATION SUFFER DIPLOMATIC SETBACK
GENOCIDE | 25.02.15 | 10:40
Andranik Ispiryan
GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The Turkish government may have denied a pro-opposition newspaper's
report that it plans to cancel celebrations of the 100th anniversary
of a historical event scheduled for April 24 - and widely believed
to be aimed at eclipsing the Genocide Centennial commemoration in
Yerevan - but in Armenia many believe "there's no smoke without fire".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angered Armenians in mid-January
by proposing to stage on April 24 celebrations of the 100th anniversary
of the Battle of Gallipoli, one of the major World War I campaigns
in which the allied powers (France, Britain, Australia, New Zealand)
fought Ottoman forces. He invited leaders of more than a hundred
nations, including Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, to attend the
events in Istanbul.
Sargsyan rebuffed the invitation, calling it a "primitive" attempt
to overshadow the centenary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire. In his reply the Armenian leader also reminded Erdogan about
his earlier invitation to him to visit Yerevan "to face up to history"
on April 24.
The Armenian side also noted that no previous anniversary of the
battle that commenced on April 25, 1915 and ended on January 9,
2016 was marked on April 24.
Sunday's Zaman, citing its sources, reported over the weekend that the
Turkish government had canceled the event "due to the unwillingness
of international leaders to visit Ankara and overshadow the genocide
ceremonies in Yerevan". Official Ankara later denied the report.
Andranik Ispiryan, a Yerevan-based specialist on Turkey, thinks that
even after this denial the whole story appears to be a big diplomatic
blow against the Turkish government.
"If Turkey understands that with this ceremony they get disgraced
even more than by not holding it, they will cancel it, thus they
will choose between the bad and the worst. A step is taken already,
Turkey has already taken the risk by planning to hold the project on
April 24," he said at a press conference, adding that both Turkish
media and society took the decision to hold the celebrations on April
24 negatively.
http://armenianow.com/news/60926/armenia_gallipoli_battle_turkey_april_24
From: A. Papazian
GENOCIDE | 25.02.15 | 10:40
Andranik Ispiryan
GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The Turkish government may have denied a pro-opposition newspaper's
report that it plans to cancel celebrations of the 100th anniversary
of a historical event scheduled for April 24 - and widely believed
to be aimed at eclipsing the Genocide Centennial commemoration in
Yerevan - but in Armenia many believe "there's no smoke without fire".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angered Armenians in mid-January
by proposing to stage on April 24 celebrations of the 100th anniversary
of the Battle of Gallipoli, one of the major World War I campaigns
in which the allied powers (France, Britain, Australia, New Zealand)
fought Ottoman forces. He invited leaders of more than a hundred
nations, including Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, to attend the
events in Istanbul.
Sargsyan rebuffed the invitation, calling it a "primitive" attempt
to overshadow the centenary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire. In his reply the Armenian leader also reminded Erdogan about
his earlier invitation to him to visit Yerevan "to face up to history"
on April 24.
The Armenian side also noted that no previous anniversary of the
battle that commenced on April 25, 1915 and ended on January 9,
2016 was marked on April 24.
Sunday's Zaman, citing its sources, reported over the weekend that the
Turkish government had canceled the event "due to the unwillingness
of international leaders to visit Ankara and overshadow the genocide
ceremonies in Yerevan". Official Ankara later denied the report.
Andranik Ispiryan, a Yerevan-based specialist on Turkey, thinks that
even after this denial the whole story appears to be a big diplomatic
blow against the Turkish government.
"If Turkey understands that with this ceremony they get disgraced
even more than by not holding it, they will cancel it, thus they
will choose between the bad and the worst. A step is taken already,
Turkey has already taken the risk by planning to hold the project on
April 24," he said at a press conference, adding that both Turkish
media and society took the decision to hold the celebrations on April
24 negatively.
http://armenianow.com/news/60926/armenia_gallipoli_battle_turkey_april_24
From: A. Papazian