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TURKEY INVITES ARMENIAN LEADER TO WORLD WAR I COMMEMORATION ON 'GENOCIDE' ANNIVERSARY
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 16 2015
President Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has invited his Armenian counterpart
to the 100th anniversary celebration of the Canakkale (Dardanelles)
Campaign of World War I to commemorate the Armenian and Turkish
soldiers who fought and died together side-by-side during the war,
a Turkish daily has reported.
According to the Milliyet daily, Turkey sent invitations to the leaders
of 102 states whose soldiers fought in World War I, inviting them
to attend an event commemorating the anniversary that is scheduled
to take place on April 23-24. However, Armenians commemorate the
anniversary of what they claim was the genocide of their people at
the hands of the late Ottoman Empire on April 24 every year. This
year will also mark the 100th anniversary of the alleged genocide.
A government official, cited by Milliyet, said a large number of
soldiers of Armenian origin fought and died together with Turkish
soldiers during the war.
Speaking to Agos daily on Friday, some Turkish citizens of Armenian
descent reacted strongly to Erdoðan's invitation, calling it a
"joke" and an "ill-mannered" act, and further criticizing it as a
"political maneuvre."
The Canakkale battle, also known as the Gallipoli Campaign, was
an Allied military campaign against the Ottoman Empire that began
on April 25, 1915. The Allied forces were repelled in 1916 and the
campaign went down in history as one of the greatest Ottoman victories
during World War I.
While Erdoðan sent invitations to many of his counterparts, Prime
Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu also invited the heads of numerous states.
In a historic first for the Turkish Republic last year, Erdoðan, who
was prime minister at the time, extended Turkey's condolences to the
grandchildren of Armenians who had lost their lives in 1915. Although
the statement was widely welcomed by the West and Armenians living
in Turkey, Yerevan remained unsatisfied.
An invitation was also sent to US President Barack Obama, whose
statements on the anniversary of the 1915 events are of importance
to both Ankara and Yerevan. Armenia is lobbying the US to recognize
the 1915 events as "genocide," a charge Turkey categorically denies.
Armenia is also preparing a wide-scale anniversary ceremony for the
1915 events. Last year, the Armenian president invited his Turkish
counterpart to visit Armenia on April 24 of this year to commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the events.
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_turkey-invites-armenian-leader-to-wwi-commemoration-on-genocide-anniversary_369973.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 16 2015
President Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has invited his Armenian counterpart
to the 100th anniversary celebration of the Canakkale (Dardanelles)
Campaign of World War I to commemorate the Armenian and Turkish
soldiers who fought and died together side-by-side during the war,
a Turkish daily has reported.
According to the Milliyet daily, Turkey sent invitations to the leaders
of 102 states whose soldiers fought in World War I, inviting them
to attend an event commemorating the anniversary that is scheduled
to take place on April 23-24. However, Armenians commemorate the
anniversary of what they claim was the genocide of their people at
the hands of the late Ottoman Empire on April 24 every year. This
year will also mark the 100th anniversary of the alleged genocide.
A government official, cited by Milliyet, said a large number of
soldiers of Armenian origin fought and died together with Turkish
soldiers during the war.
Speaking to Agos daily on Friday, some Turkish citizens of Armenian
descent reacted strongly to Erdoðan's invitation, calling it a
"joke" and an "ill-mannered" act, and further criticizing it as a
"political maneuvre."
The Canakkale battle, also known as the Gallipoli Campaign, was
an Allied military campaign against the Ottoman Empire that began
on April 25, 1915. The Allied forces were repelled in 1916 and the
campaign went down in history as one of the greatest Ottoman victories
during World War I.
While Erdoðan sent invitations to many of his counterparts, Prime
Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu also invited the heads of numerous states.
In a historic first for the Turkish Republic last year, Erdoðan, who
was prime minister at the time, extended Turkey's condolences to the
grandchildren of Armenians who had lost their lives in 1915. Although
the statement was widely welcomed by the West and Armenians living
in Turkey, Yerevan remained unsatisfied.
An invitation was also sent to US President Barack Obama, whose
statements on the anniversary of the 1915 events are of importance
to both Ankara and Yerevan. Armenia is lobbying the US to recognize
the 1915 events as "genocide," a charge Turkey categorically denies.
Armenia is also preparing a wide-scale anniversary ceremony for the
1915 events. Last year, the Armenian president invited his Turkish
counterpart to visit Armenia on April 24 of this year to commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the events.
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_turkey-invites-armenian-leader-to-wwi-commemoration-on-genocide-anniversary_369973.html