Armeian Genocide News
'We Will Be Prepared to Accept Our History'
Extract from Der Siegel Interview with Prime Minister Erdogan
29 March 2010
SPIEGEL: Why doesn't modern Turkey acknowledge the Ottoman Empire's
genocide against the Armenians? The Foreign Affairs Committee of
the United States House of Representatives has approved an Armenian
Genocide resolution ...
Erdogan: When a journalist uses the word genocide, he should take
a careful look at the issue first. There can be no talk of genocide
against the Armenians. Genocide is a legal term. In 2005, I wrote a
letter to then-Armenian President Robert Kocharian, in which I told
him that this is not a matter for politicians like us, but one that
needs to be studied by historians. There are currently millions of
documents on the subject in Turkish archives, of which more than
SPIEGEL: Why doesn't modern Turkey acknowledge the Ottoman Empire's
genocide against the Armenians? The Foreign Affairs Committee of
the United States House of Representatives has approved an Armenian
Genocide resolution ...
Erdogan: When a journalist uses the word genocide, he should take
a careful look at the issue first. There can be no talk of genocide
against the Armenians. Genocide is a legal term. In 2005, I wrote a
letter to then-Armenian President Robert Kocharian, in which I told
him that this is not a matter for politicians like us, but one that
needs to be studied by historians. There are currently millions of
documents on the subject in Turkish archives, of which more than
1million have been examined since I wrote to Kocharian. If there are
archives in your country, I wrote to him, then make them accessible.
And if historians cannot clarify the subject sufficiently, then
let lawyers, political scientists and archaeologists take part in
the effort.
SPIEGEL: Armenians say that commissions of historians are just the
best way to put off such disputes indefinitely. And we disagree with
the notion that politicians should not talk about genocide. One person
who has used this word is the current American president.
Erdogan: If he used the word, then he did so in error. A word doesn't
become more correct because a president uses it. And besides, the
United States is not a party to this matter. America, like other
countries, is merely a bystander here. We and the Armenians are the
only participants. This is our history. The Turkish Republic had
not yet been founded in 1915. It was the era of the Ottoman Empire,
which was allied with Germany at the time.
SPIEGEL: Isn't the republic the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire?
Erdogan: Turkey was undoubtedly founded on what was left of the
Ottoman Empire. No nation can deny its ancestry. Anyone who denies
his ancestry is committing a sin. If something serious comes to light
after the historical examination of the past, we will be prepared to
accept our history. But it's important that the Armenians are also
willing to accept their history.
SPIEGEL: What history should the Armenians accept in this regard?
Erdogan: This was not a mass murder committed by one side against
the other, but a battle, one that claimed the lives of Turks and
Armenians, who were loyal citizens of the Ottoman Empire. However,
some of them were later controlled by foreign powers and rose up in
an insurrection. This has to be studied very carefully.
SPIEGEL: Why have you further inflamed an already difficult debate
by mentioning the possibility of deporting all of Armenians working
illegally in Turkey?
Erdogan: It saddens me that you see it this way. I talked about what
we could do. For years, we have tolerated Armenians without residence
permits. All I said was that this doesn't always have to be the case.
The problem of illegal workers is discussed openly all over the
world, but when someone in Turkey makes such a statement, people feel
troubled. Why?
SPIEGEL: Why do you want to punish Armenians in Turkey for genocide
resolutions adopted abroad - like the one in the United States and,
most recently, in Sweden?
Erdogan: Who says that we hold Armenians responsible for this? I
never said that. We began a process of rapprochement between Turkey
and Armenia a year ago. We want to normalize our relations. And then
the Foreign Affairs Committee in the US Congress, at the behest of
the Armenian diaspora, suddenly adopts a resolution that describes
the events of 1915 as genocide. This is not helpful. We turn to the
Armenian diaspora and those countries that support the diaspora:
There are Armenians in Turkey who are Turkish citizens, and there
are those who live in our country illegally. So far, we have not
considered the question of deportation, but if the diaspora continues
to exert pressure, we could imagine ourselves capable of doing that.
SPIEGEL: You refuse to accept the term genocide, and yet you yourself
use it frequently. For example, you accuse Israel of genocide in the
Gaza Strip. On the other hand, you defend Sudanese President Omar
al-Bashir by saying that a Muslim cannot commit genocide. Are Muslims
somehow better people than Jews or Christians?
Erdogan: You take my words completely out of context. I'm not walking
into that trap. I said that, to a certain extent, one could describe
the events in Gaza as genocide: 1,400 people died there, many of them
killed by phosphorus ammunition, more than 5,000 people were wounded
and 5,000 families became homeless.
SPIEGEL: And what about Sudan?
Erdogan: In that case, I was talking about a principle. I am a Muslim.
But I have never compared my religion with other religions. I said that
a Muslim could not commit genocide the way the United Nations defines
it. Islam is a religion of peace. Muslims believe that someone who
kills an innocent person behaves as if he were killing all of humanity.
archives in your country, I wrote to him, then make them accessible.
And if historians cannot clarify the subject sufficiently, then
let lawyers, political scientists and archaeologists take part in
the effort.
SPIEGEL: Armenians say that commissions of historians are just the
best way to put off such disputes indefinitely. And we disagree with
the notion that politicians should not talk about genocide. One person
who has used this word is the current American president.
Erdogan: If he used the word, then he did so in error. A word doesn't
become more correct because a president uses it. And besides, the
United States is not a party to this matter. America, like other
countries, is merely a bystander here. We and the Armenians are the
only participants. This is our history. The Turkish Republic had
not yet been founded in 1915. It was the era of the Ottoman Empire,
which was allied with Germany at the time.
SPIEGEL: Isn't the republic the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire?
Erdogan: Turkey was undoubtedly founded on what was left of the
Ottoman Empire. No nation can deny its ancestry. Anyone who denies
his ancestry is committing a sin. If something serious comes to light
after the historical examination of the past, we will be prepared to
accept our history. But it's important that the Armenians are also
willing to accept their history.
SPIEGEL: What history should the Armenians accept in this regard?
Erdogan: This was not a mass murder committed by one side against
the other, but a battle, one that claimed the lives of Turks and
Armenians, who were loyal citizens of the Ottoman Empire. However,
some of them were later controlled by foreign powers and rose up in
an insurrection. This has to be studied very carefully.
SPIEGEL: Why have you further inflamed an already difficult debate
by mentioning the possibility of deporting all of Armenians working
illegally in Turkey?
Erdogan: It saddens me that you see it this way. I talked about what
we could do. For years, we have tolerated Armenians without residence
permits. All I said was that this doesn't always have to be the case.
The problem of illegal workers is discussed openly all over the
world, but when someone in Turkey makes such a statement, people feel
troubled. Why?
SPIEGEL: Why do you want to punish Armenians in Turkey for genocide
resolutions adopted abroad - like the one in the United States and,
most recently, in Sweden?
Erdogan: Who says that we hold Armenians responsible for this? I
never said that. We began a process of rapprochement between Turkey
and Armenia a year ago. We want to normalize our relations. And then
the Foreign Affairs Committee in the US Congress, at the behest of
the Armenian diaspora, suddenly adopts a resolution that describes
the events of 1915 as genocide. This is not helpful. We turn to the
Armenian diaspora and those countries that support the diaspora:
There are Armenians in Turkey who are Turkish citizens, and there
are those who live in our country illegally. So far, we have not
considered the question of deportation, but if the diaspora continues
to exert pressure, we could imagine ourselves capable of doing that.
SPIEGEL: You refuse to accept the term genocide, and yet you yourself
use it frequently. For example, you accuse Israel of genocide in the
Gaza Strip. On the other hand, you defend Sudanese President Omar
al-Bashir by saying that a Muslim cannot commit genocide. Are Muslims
somehow better people than Jews or Christians?
Erdogan: You take my words completely out of context. I'm not walking
into that trap. I said that, to a certain extent, one could describe
the events in Gaza as genocide: 1,400 people died there, many of them
killed by phosphorus ammunition, more than 5,000 people were wounded
and 5,000 families became homeless.
SPIEGEL: And what about Sudan?
Erdogan: In that case, I was talking about a principle. I am a Muslim.
But I have never compared my religion with other religions. I said that
a Muslim could not commit genocide the way the United Nations defines
it. Islam is a religion of peace. Muslims believe that someone who
kills an innocent person behaves as if he were killing all of humanity.
GENOCIDE SYMPOSIUM SET FOR ANKARA IN APRIL
2010/03/30 | 14:13
A symposium entitled "1915 within its pre- and post-historical
periods: Denial and Confrontation" is scheduled to take place in
Ankara, Turkey on April 25-26.Organized by Turkish publisher Ragip
Zarakolu , the symposium will discuss such themes as, "Armenian
Issue from Historical Perspective", "Official Ideological Denial
and Extirpation From Committee of Union and Progress to Kemalism",
"Turkification of Capital or What Happened to the Armenian Abandoned
Properties?" and "Armenian Issue": What and How is to be done?
A symposium entitled "1915 within its pre- and post-historical
periods: Denial and Confrontation" is scheduled to take place in
Ankara, Turkey on April 25-26.Organized by Turkish publisher Ragip
Zarakolu , the symposium will discuss such themes as, "Armenian
Issue from Historical Perspective", "Official Ideological Denial
and Extirpation From Committee of Union and Progress to Kemalism",
"Turkification of Capital or What Happened to the Armenian Abandoned
Properties?" and "Armenian Issue": What and How is to be done?
TURKISH AMBASSADOR ARRIVES BACK IN SWEDEN
The Local
March 30 2010
Sweden
Turkey's ambassador to Sweden, Zergun Koruturk, returned to her post
in Stockholm on Tuesday, two weeks after she was recalled over the
Swedish parliament's recognition of the Ottoman Turk massacre of
Armenians as genocide.
Speaking to reporters before her departure to Stockholm, Zergun
Koruturk said her return became possible after the Swedish government
distanced itself from the parliament's decision.
"The Swedish government has clearly said that the decision would not
be put into practice," Koruturk was quoted by the Anatolia news agency
as saying.
Ankara still expects Stockholm to take steps to "compensate for this
error," she said. "I hope the Swedish government will do everything
in its power."
Ankara had announced last week that the ambassador would return to
Stockholm soon.
Koruturk was summoned back to Ankara on March 11th after the Swedish
parliament voted by a narrow margin to recognise the Ottoman massacres
of Armenians during World War I as genocide, despite the government's
advice not to do so.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt later expressed regret
over the parliament's decision to Ankara, a move which his Turkish
counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called "very positive".
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt also said that the position of his
government, which supports Turkey's entry into the European Union,
"remains unchanged".
The Swedish vote came in the footsteps of a March 4th vote by a key US
Congress panel that branded the massacres as genocide, also prompting
Ankara to recall its ambassador there.
Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu indicated that
he was not yet ready to send his ambassador back to Washington as
the two cases were different.
"The Swedes clearly apologised," he said.
In a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
at the weekend, Davutoglu urged the US admininstration to block the
bill, saying it was "critical" to bilateral ties.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed in systematic
massacres during World War I as the Ottoman Empire fell apart.
Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label and says between
300,000 and 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks perished in
civil strife during the chaos of war.
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