Tweet
ERDOGAN: ARMENIA WILL NOT GAIN ANYTHING FROM PROPAGANDA
Daily Sabah, Turkey
March 19 2015
DAILY SABAH WITH ANADOLU AGENCY
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Armenia will not gain anything
from propaganda against Turkey. "The purpose of this campaign against
Turkey is to treat our country as an enemy instead of keeping alive
Armenians' sorrow," Erdogan said on Thursday in Istanbul, as Armenians
prepare to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents
on April 24.
Erdogan also called on Armenians to study archives pertaining to the
era in order to uncover what actually happened between the Ottoman
government and its Armenian citizens. The president said Armenia
had never answered Turkey's call to study the archives, adding:
"You cannot gain anything from the propaganda against Turkey with
bribing countries, immoral ways and lobbying."
He claimed that the purpose was not to find the truth, but to damage
and attack Turkey, adding: "We do not have to account to anyone on
this issue. If we pursue our nation's 100, 150 years of sorrow we
can find more than Armenian allegations." Not just Armenians were
affected by the war, but hundreds of Muslims, too," he added.
Turkish-Armenian relations have remained strained for decades due to
Armenia's constant demand for Turkey to officially accept the Armenian
claim of "genocide." Tensions peaked in 1993 when Turkey closed its
border with Armenia in reaction to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh in
support of its close ally Azerbaijan.
Nevertheless, last year, Erdogan made attempts to thaw the tensions
between the two countries by issuing a message ahead of the 99th
anniversary of the 1915 incidents. In an unprecedented move, as
prime minister, Erdogan extended condolences to the grandchildren of
Armenians who lost their lives in the 1915 events.
The debate on using the term "genocide" and the differing opinions
between the present-day Turkish government and the Armenian diaspora,
along with the current administration in Yerevan, still generates
political tension between Turks and Armenians.
During World War I, the Ottoman Empire approved a deportation law for
Armenians amid an uprising with the help of the invading Russian army.
As a result, an unknown number of people died in civil strife and
forced migrations. Turkey's official position against the allegations
of genocide is that they acknowledge that the past experiences were
a great tragedy and that both parties suffered heavy casualties,
including hundreds of Muslim Turks. Turkey agrees that there were
Armenian casualties during World War I, but that it is impossible to
define these incidents as genocide.
http://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2015/03/19/erdogan-armenia-will-not-gain-anything-from-propaganda
Daily Sabah, Turkey
March 19 2015
DAILY SABAH WITH ANADOLU AGENCY
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Armenia will not gain anything
from propaganda against Turkey. "The purpose of this campaign against
Turkey is to treat our country as an enemy instead of keeping alive
Armenians' sorrow," Erdogan said on Thursday in Istanbul, as Armenians
prepare to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents
on April 24.
Erdogan also called on Armenians to study archives pertaining to the
era in order to uncover what actually happened between the Ottoman
government and its Armenian citizens. The president said Armenia
had never answered Turkey's call to study the archives, adding:
"You cannot gain anything from the propaganda against Turkey with
bribing countries, immoral ways and lobbying."
He claimed that the purpose was not to find the truth, but to damage
and attack Turkey, adding: "We do not have to account to anyone on
this issue. If we pursue our nation's 100, 150 years of sorrow we
can find more than Armenian allegations." Not just Armenians were
affected by the war, but hundreds of Muslims, too," he added.
Turkish-Armenian relations have remained strained for decades due to
Armenia's constant demand for Turkey to officially accept the Armenian
claim of "genocide." Tensions peaked in 1993 when Turkey closed its
border with Armenia in reaction to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh in
support of its close ally Azerbaijan.
Nevertheless, last year, Erdogan made attempts to thaw the tensions
between the two countries by issuing a message ahead of the 99th
anniversary of the 1915 incidents. In an unprecedented move, as
prime minister, Erdogan extended condolences to the grandchildren of
Armenians who lost their lives in the 1915 events.
The debate on using the term "genocide" and the differing opinions
between the present-day Turkish government and the Armenian diaspora,
along with the current administration in Yerevan, still generates
political tension between Turks and Armenians.
During World War I, the Ottoman Empire approved a deportation law for
Armenians amid an uprising with the help of the invading Russian army.
As a result, an unknown number of people died in civil strife and
forced migrations. Turkey's official position against the allegations
of genocide is that they acknowledge that the past experiences were
a great tragedy and that both parties suffered heavy casualties,
including hundreds of Muslim Turks. Turkey agrees that there were
Armenian casualties during World War I, but that it is impossible to
define these incidents as genocide.
http://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2015/03/19/erdogan-armenia-will-not-gain-anything-from-propaganda