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Daily Sabah, Turkey
Jan 28 2015
The changing mindset of Turkish state
NAGEHAN ALÇI @Nagehanalci
I have some bad news for those who, driven by a categorical sense of
hostility against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), want
to present Turkey as if it were under the administration of a
self-enclosed government that is moving away from the West. This news,
which is rather hard to swallow, is also for those who invent lies
that the government joins hands with al-Qaida and who accuse President
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an of anti-Semitism due to his firm stance against
Israel's offensive in Gaza.
My first news item concerns a ceremony that is being held today, Jan.
27, a date that was set by the U.N. in 2005 as an international day of
commemoration in memory of Holocaust victims. The ceremony, which is
being held at Bilkent University, is being attended by a top-level
parliamentary delegation for the first time, as well as
representatives of the Jewish community, to condemn the Holocaust.
Parliamentary speaker Cemil Çiçek, who recently went to Prague to
attend commemoration ceremonies, is taking part in this ceremony as
well. Even though these ceremonies were previously held in synagogues,
they were taken outside synagogues for the first time last year, when
the ceremony was held at Kadir Has University.
Another point to emphasize is the state's revolutionary approach to
the Armenian issue and the message that was published on the 1915
incidents on the Prime Ministry's website. As you might remember, on
April 24, 2014, then prime minister, President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an
issued quite a historic message to offer his condolences to the
descendants of Armenians who lost their lives during the 1915
incidents. This message clearly indicated that the mentality of denial
policies as a stereotyped reaction of the state for years changed
considerably and this issue went beyond a taboo for the state. The
message said, "It is a duty of humanity to acknowledge that Armenians
remember the suffering experienced in that period, just like every
other citizen of the Ottoman Empire. In Turkey, expressing different
opinions and thoughts freely on the events of 1915 is the requirement
of a pluralistic perspective as well as of a culture of democracy and
modernity."
Another message that was published by the Prime Ministry this year on
the eighth year commemoration of the assassination of Hrant Dink shows
that the same mental transformation continues. I advise Turkish
readers to read Ali BayramoÄ?lu's relevant article in Yeni Å?afak. The
message read: "Having already underscored the inhumane consequences of
the relocation policies essentially enforced under wartime
circumstances, including that of 1915, Turkey shares the suffering of
Armenians and, with patience and resolve, is endeavoring to
re-establish empathy between the two peoples. ... Our desire to share
in the pain, to heal the wounds and to re-establish friendships is
sincere. Our course is set toward a horizon of friendship and peace."
This statement and top-level participation in the commemoration
ceremony indicates that Turkey has taken up a principled position
toward the atrocities of past while the message regarding the 1915
incidents points to the fact that the state is undergoing a crucial
mental transformation.
http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/nagehan-alci/2015/01/28/the-changing-mindset-of-turkish-state
From: Baghdasarian
Jan 28 2015
The changing mindset of Turkish state
NAGEHAN ALÇI @Nagehanalci
I have some bad news for those who, driven by a categorical sense of
hostility against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), want
to present Turkey as if it were under the administration of a
self-enclosed government that is moving away from the West. This news,
which is rather hard to swallow, is also for those who invent lies
that the government joins hands with al-Qaida and who accuse President
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an of anti-Semitism due to his firm stance against
Israel's offensive in Gaza.
My first news item concerns a ceremony that is being held today, Jan.
27, a date that was set by the U.N. in 2005 as an international day of
commemoration in memory of Holocaust victims. The ceremony, which is
being held at Bilkent University, is being attended by a top-level
parliamentary delegation for the first time, as well as
representatives of the Jewish community, to condemn the Holocaust.
Parliamentary speaker Cemil Çiçek, who recently went to Prague to
attend commemoration ceremonies, is taking part in this ceremony as
well. Even though these ceremonies were previously held in synagogues,
they were taken outside synagogues for the first time last year, when
the ceremony was held at Kadir Has University.
Another point to emphasize is the state's revolutionary approach to
the Armenian issue and the message that was published on the 1915
incidents on the Prime Ministry's website. As you might remember, on
April 24, 2014, then prime minister, President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an
issued quite a historic message to offer his condolences to the
descendants of Armenians who lost their lives during the 1915
incidents. This message clearly indicated that the mentality of denial
policies as a stereotyped reaction of the state for years changed
considerably and this issue went beyond a taboo for the state. The
message said, "It is a duty of humanity to acknowledge that Armenians
remember the suffering experienced in that period, just like every
other citizen of the Ottoman Empire. In Turkey, expressing different
opinions and thoughts freely on the events of 1915 is the requirement
of a pluralistic perspective as well as of a culture of democracy and
modernity."
Another message that was published by the Prime Ministry this year on
the eighth year commemoration of the assassination of Hrant Dink shows
that the same mental transformation continues. I advise Turkish
readers to read Ali BayramoÄ?lu's relevant article in Yeni Å?afak. The
message read: "Having already underscored the inhumane consequences of
the relocation policies essentially enforced under wartime
circumstances, including that of 1915, Turkey shares the suffering of
Armenians and, with patience and resolve, is endeavoring to
re-establish empathy between the two peoples. ... Our desire to share
in the pain, to heal the wounds and to re-establish friendships is
sincere. Our course is set toward a horizon of friendship and peace."
This statement and top-level participation in the commemoration
ceremony indicates that Turkey has taken up a principled position
toward the atrocities of past while the message regarding the 1915
incidents points to the fact that the state is undergoing a crucial
mental transformation.
http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/nagehan-alci/2015/01/28/the-changing-mindset-of-turkish-state
From: Baghdasarian