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TURKEY PM CALLS FOR 'NEW BEGINNING' WITH ARMENIANS
Agence France Presse
January 20, 2015 Tuesday 5:33 PM GMT
Istanbul, Jan 20 2015
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday called for a "new
beginning" in relations between Turkey and Armenians scarred by a
bitter historical dispute over mass killings during World War I.
"We call on all Armenians, and invite all those who believe in
Turkish-Armenian friendship to contribute to a new beginning,"
Davutoglu said in a statement marking the eighth anniversary of the
murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who campaigned for
reconciliation between the two neighbours.
Armenians accuse Ottoman forces of carrying out a genocide against
their forebears during World War I that left an estimated 1.5 million
people dead.
But modern Turkey has always vehemently resisted terming the mass
killings as genocide, saying there were heavy casualties on both
sides as Ottoman forces battled Russian troops for control of eastern
Anatolia in 1915.
Last year President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then premier, offered an
unprecedented expression of condolence for the massacres of Armenians.
But this month Erdogan said he would "actively" challenge a campaign
to pressure Turkey to recognise genocide during the 100th anniversary
year.
"Only by breaking taboos can we hope to begin addressing the great
trauma that froze time in 1915," said Davutoglu.
Dink, 52, was shot dead in broad daylight outside the offices of his
bilingual newspaper in Istanbul in January 2007 in a killing that
shocked both countries.
Despite the cautious overtures of the Turkish government, many
Armenians remain deeply suspicious of Ankara's intentions during the
centenary year of the 1915 tragedy.
Armenian commentators have angrily accused Turkey of trying to eclipse
its commemorations of the tragedy by apparently moving forward by one
day Turkish ceremonies to mark the 1915 Gallipoli landings in World
War I.
The resistance by Ottoman forces at the battle is seen as their
greatest hour in World War I and a key moment in the foundation of
the nation state.
Although the anniversary is usually marked on April 25, the Gallipoli
ceremony has been brought forward to April 24, exactly the same day
as major commemorative events are planned in Yerevan.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has not accepted an invitation from
Erdogan to attend the Gallipoli ceremonies, accusing him of trying to
"divert world attention from the activities marking centennial of
the Armenian genocide."
Agence France Presse
January 20, 2015 Tuesday 5:33 PM GMT
Istanbul, Jan 20 2015
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday called for a "new
beginning" in relations between Turkey and Armenians scarred by a
bitter historical dispute over mass killings during World War I.
"We call on all Armenians, and invite all those who believe in
Turkish-Armenian friendship to contribute to a new beginning,"
Davutoglu said in a statement marking the eighth anniversary of the
murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who campaigned for
reconciliation between the two neighbours.
Armenians accuse Ottoman forces of carrying out a genocide against
their forebears during World War I that left an estimated 1.5 million
people dead.
But modern Turkey has always vehemently resisted terming the mass
killings as genocide, saying there were heavy casualties on both
sides as Ottoman forces battled Russian troops for control of eastern
Anatolia in 1915.
Last year President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then premier, offered an
unprecedented expression of condolence for the massacres of Armenians.
But this month Erdogan said he would "actively" challenge a campaign
to pressure Turkey to recognise genocide during the 100th anniversary
year.
"Only by breaking taboos can we hope to begin addressing the great
trauma that froze time in 1915," said Davutoglu.
Dink, 52, was shot dead in broad daylight outside the offices of his
bilingual newspaper in Istanbul in January 2007 in a killing that
shocked both countries.
Despite the cautious overtures of the Turkish government, many
Armenians remain deeply suspicious of Ankara's intentions during the
centenary year of the 1915 tragedy.
Armenian commentators have angrily accused Turkey of trying to eclipse
its commemorations of the tragedy by apparently moving forward by one
day Turkish ceremonies to mark the 1915 Gallipoli landings in World
War I.
The resistance by Ottoman forces at the battle is seen as their
greatest hour in World War I and a key moment in the foundation of
the nation state.
Although the anniversary is usually marked on April 25, the Gallipoli
ceremony has been brought forward to April 24, exactly the same day
as major commemorative events are planned in Yerevan.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has not accepted an invitation from
Erdogan to attend the Gallipoli ceremonies, accusing him of trying to
"divert world attention from the activities marking centennial of
the Armenian genocide."