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Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 15 2015
Gov't slams EP report acknowledging 1915 events as genocide
March 15, 2015, Sunday/ 18:02:20/ TODAY'S ZAMAN / ANKARA
A human rights report adopted by the European Parliament (EP), which
has articles acknowledging the 1915 events -- the killing and
relocation of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I -- as
genocide, `is utterly devoid of historical reality and legal basis,'
said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson in a press statement on
Saturday.
Tanju Bilgiç's statement said the Turkish government found the claims
in the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World in
2013, which was adopted by the General Assembly of the European
Parliament on March 12, `in all respects extremely problematic and
regretted them deeply.'
Armenians say 1.5 million people were killed during World War I in
Eastern Anatolia as part of a systematic campaign of genocide against
the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey disputes that
claim, saying the death toll is inflated and that the Armenians were
killed while the Ottoman Empire was trying to quell unrest caused by
Armenian attacks on the Turkish population while they were trying to
establish an Armenian state in Eastern Anatolia.
The article in question, Article 77 of the EP report, calls on all
member states to legally acknowledge it "ahead of the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide ... and encourages the member
states and the EU institutions to contribute further to its
recognition.'
The report acknowledges the mass killings of Armenians during World
War I as genocide, something Ankara vehemently denies, arguing that
both Turks and Armenians were killed when Armenians revolted against
the Ottoman Empire during World War I in collaboration with the
Russian army, which was at the time invading Eastern Anatolia.
`The [EP] report interprets a certain period of the Ottoman Empire,
which was tragic for all the people of the empire, one-sidedly and
with a sense of selective justice. It also ignores the humanitarian,
realistic and constructive initiatives of Turkey on the issue and puts
forward illogical and unlawful demands,' the Foreign Ministry's
statement, published on its website, says.
Underlining that these sorts of steps `taken by those who do not
understand this historical issue or intend to exploit it for political
purposes do not only damage Turkey-EU relations, but also obstruct the
way for Turks and Armenians to build their futures together,' Bilgiç's
statement criticizes the EP, saying, `The European Parliament had also
exhibited this one-sided approach in its resolution on a `Political
Solution to the Armenian Question' adopted in 1987 and in several
subsequent documents.'
The Foreign Ministry's statement concluded by pointing out that Turkey
expects its `European partners to contribute constructively to the
efforts for the solution and to encourage the Armenian side, which
avoids the objective and scientific research on the issue to become
open to dialogue and reconciliation, rather than further deepening the
problem.'
This comes after Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan in mid-February
recalled from the Armenian parliament protocols on the normalization
of ties and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey. The
move came as a reaction to Turkey's announcement that on April 24 of
this year it would commemorate those who fought in the Gallipoli
Campaign of World War I -- a first for Turkey.
Every year on April 24, Armenians around the world commemorate those
who died during the forced relocation, which officially began in June
1915. On April 24, 1915, 235 Armenian intellectuals were arrested in
Ä°stanbul and transported to other parts of Anatolia as punishment for
activities that authorities feared might provoke Armenians to defy
Ottoman rule.
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_govt-slams-ep-report-acknowledging-1915-events-as-genocide_375329.html
From: A. Papazian
March 15 2015
Gov't slams EP report acknowledging 1915 events as genocide
March 15, 2015, Sunday/ 18:02:20/ TODAY'S ZAMAN / ANKARA
A human rights report adopted by the European Parliament (EP), which
has articles acknowledging the 1915 events -- the killing and
relocation of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I -- as
genocide, `is utterly devoid of historical reality and legal basis,'
said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson in a press statement on
Saturday.
Tanju Bilgiç's statement said the Turkish government found the claims
in the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World in
2013, which was adopted by the General Assembly of the European
Parliament on March 12, `in all respects extremely problematic and
regretted them deeply.'
Armenians say 1.5 million people were killed during World War I in
Eastern Anatolia as part of a systematic campaign of genocide against
the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey disputes that
claim, saying the death toll is inflated and that the Armenians were
killed while the Ottoman Empire was trying to quell unrest caused by
Armenian attacks on the Turkish population while they were trying to
establish an Armenian state in Eastern Anatolia.
The article in question, Article 77 of the EP report, calls on all
member states to legally acknowledge it "ahead of the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide ... and encourages the member
states and the EU institutions to contribute further to its
recognition.'
The report acknowledges the mass killings of Armenians during World
War I as genocide, something Ankara vehemently denies, arguing that
both Turks and Armenians were killed when Armenians revolted against
the Ottoman Empire during World War I in collaboration with the
Russian army, which was at the time invading Eastern Anatolia.
`The [EP] report interprets a certain period of the Ottoman Empire,
which was tragic for all the people of the empire, one-sidedly and
with a sense of selective justice. It also ignores the humanitarian,
realistic and constructive initiatives of Turkey on the issue and puts
forward illogical and unlawful demands,' the Foreign Ministry's
statement, published on its website, says.
Underlining that these sorts of steps `taken by those who do not
understand this historical issue or intend to exploit it for political
purposes do not only damage Turkey-EU relations, but also obstruct the
way for Turks and Armenians to build their futures together,' Bilgiç's
statement criticizes the EP, saying, `The European Parliament had also
exhibited this one-sided approach in its resolution on a `Political
Solution to the Armenian Question' adopted in 1987 and in several
subsequent documents.'
The Foreign Ministry's statement concluded by pointing out that Turkey
expects its `European partners to contribute constructively to the
efforts for the solution and to encourage the Armenian side, which
avoids the objective and scientific research on the issue to become
open to dialogue and reconciliation, rather than further deepening the
problem.'
This comes after Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan in mid-February
recalled from the Armenian parliament protocols on the normalization
of ties and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey. The
move came as a reaction to Turkey's announcement that on April 24 of
this year it would commemorate those who fought in the Gallipoli
Campaign of World War I -- a first for Turkey.
Every year on April 24, Armenians around the world commemorate those
who died during the forced relocation, which officially began in June
1915. On April 24, 1915, 235 Armenian intellectuals were arrested in
Ä°stanbul and transported to other parts of Anatolia as punishment for
activities that authorities feared might provoke Armenians to defy
Ottoman rule.
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_govt-slams-ep-report-acknowledging-1915-events-as-genocide_375329.html
From: A. Papazian