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Journal of Turkish Weekly
Jan 20 2015
Turkey calls for a 'new beginning' with Armenia
20 January 2015
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu has called on all Armenians to
jointly seek ways to resolve their historical differences with Turkey,
stressing that it is a must for Turks and Armenians to "engage in
humane relations and to recognize each other in light of 800 years of
common history."
`It's possible for two ancient people to have the maturity to
understand each other and to look to the future together. Turks and
Armenians, sharing the same geography and long history, can only talk
to each other about their problems and seek together ways to resolve
them. It is a necessity for us to develop mutual trust and
cooperation, to know each other again in light of our 800 years of
common history, and to engage in a humane relationship,' DavutoÄ?lu
said in a written statement issued on Jan. 20, a day after the eighth
anniversary of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink.
`With this understanding, we invite our Armenian friends to pay more
visits to Turkey in order to remove mutual prejudices,' he added.
DavutoÄ?lu's call to Armenians comes on the centennial anniversary of
the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire
during World War I, recognized as the Armenian genocide by a number of
countries. Armenia is preparing to hold massive ceremonies to mark the
100th anniversary in Yerevan on April 24 and has invited Turkish
President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an to the events. Ankara, on the other
hand, is planning to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of
Gallipoli and extended an invitation to Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan to attend the ceremony in western Turkey. Sargsyan
immediately turned the invitation down.
In his Jan. 20 statement, DavutoÄ?lu also vowed that Turkey will
continue to value "prominent Armenian figures who have contributed to
the preservation of Armenian cultural artifacts and Ottoman/Turkish
culture."
`It's our candid wish to re-establish friendships, heal wounds and
share sufferings. Our vision is of friendship and peace,' he stated.
Describing Dink as an `Anatolian intellectual', who abandoned neither
his Armenian roots nor his loyalty to Turkey and sought ways for both
Turks and Armenians to build a common future, the prime minister said
he was "committed to following the torch lit by Dink."
`We invite everyone believing in Turkish-Armenian friendship to
contribute to a new beginning, and we want to call out to all
Armenians: Having already stated that the policies of forced
deportation implemented in war conditions, in 1915, created inhuman
consequences, Turkey shares the suffering of Armenians. It makes
efforts to once again establish sympathy between the two people with
patience and commitment,' DavutoÄ?lu said.
He also described the official message of condolence issued by Turkey
on April 23, 2014 as a "clear and concrete expression of Turkey's
intention to overcome this problem."
`The way to leave the great tragedy that had frozen history in 1915 is
to break taboos. Turkey, for its part, has moved beyond this point and
left stereotypical rhetoric and generalizations in the past,'
DavutoÄ?lu stated.
20 January 2015
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/178896/turkey-calls-for-a-39-new-beginning-39-with-armenia.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Jan 20 2015
Turkey calls for a 'new beginning' with Armenia
20 January 2015
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu has called on all Armenians to
jointly seek ways to resolve their historical differences with Turkey,
stressing that it is a must for Turks and Armenians to "engage in
humane relations and to recognize each other in light of 800 years of
common history."
`It's possible for two ancient people to have the maturity to
understand each other and to look to the future together. Turks and
Armenians, sharing the same geography and long history, can only talk
to each other about their problems and seek together ways to resolve
them. It is a necessity for us to develop mutual trust and
cooperation, to know each other again in light of our 800 years of
common history, and to engage in a humane relationship,' DavutoÄ?lu
said in a written statement issued on Jan. 20, a day after the eighth
anniversary of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink.
`With this understanding, we invite our Armenian friends to pay more
visits to Turkey in order to remove mutual prejudices,' he added.
DavutoÄ?lu's call to Armenians comes on the centennial anniversary of
the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire
during World War I, recognized as the Armenian genocide by a number of
countries. Armenia is preparing to hold massive ceremonies to mark the
100th anniversary in Yerevan on April 24 and has invited Turkish
President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an to the events. Ankara, on the other
hand, is planning to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of
Gallipoli and extended an invitation to Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan to attend the ceremony in western Turkey. Sargsyan
immediately turned the invitation down.
In his Jan. 20 statement, DavutoÄ?lu also vowed that Turkey will
continue to value "prominent Armenian figures who have contributed to
the preservation of Armenian cultural artifacts and Ottoman/Turkish
culture."
`It's our candid wish to re-establish friendships, heal wounds and
share sufferings. Our vision is of friendship and peace,' he stated.
Describing Dink as an `Anatolian intellectual', who abandoned neither
his Armenian roots nor his loyalty to Turkey and sought ways for both
Turks and Armenians to build a common future, the prime minister said
he was "committed to following the torch lit by Dink."
`We invite everyone believing in Turkish-Armenian friendship to
contribute to a new beginning, and we want to call out to all
Armenians: Having already stated that the policies of forced
deportation implemented in war conditions, in 1915, created inhuman
consequences, Turkey shares the suffering of Armenians. It makes
efforts to once again establish sympathy between the two people with
patience and commitment,' DavutoÄ?lu said.
He also described the official message of condolence issued by Turkey
on April 23, 2014 as a "clear and concrete expression of Turkey's
intention to overcome this problem."
`The way to leave the great tragedy that had frozen history in 1915 is
to break taboos. Turkey, for its part, has moved beyond this point and
left stereotypical rhetoric and generalizations in the past,'
DavutoÄ?lu stated.
20 January 2015
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/178896/turkey-calls-for-a-39-new-beginning-39-with-armenia.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress