BY: Yüksel OKTAY
Armenian genocide is a controversial issue and also a fabrication by many Armenians and their supporters who benefit from it according to those who have studied the events of the end of 19th and the beginning of 20th century with an open mind and without prejudice. Through the efforts of selfish Armenians, the issue have been carried to the legislative organs of 19 countries and 41 States in America, passing Resolutions declaring April 24 as the genocide day. Articles, books, commentaries which support the Armenian claims number in the hundreds of thousands, mostly based on a few books written by Ambassadors and Missionaries as war propaganda and the survivors of the relocation and immigrants to foreign countries. Very few books have been written by Turks and their supporters that show the Armenian genocide is a myth, as best described in a book by Austrian historian, Erich Feigel, “A Myth of Terror” and other books listed below (1).
On April 14, a new book was introduced to the media (very few attended) and the public which responds to the allegations of the supporters of the Armenian genocide. The 700 page book, “Genocide of Truth”, is the result of over 4 years of extensive research and study by an ordinary Turkish citizen aged 78, who happens to believe that the allegations are an injustice and insult to Turkey and Turks everywhere.
The book is a compilation of information from a multitude of foreign sources, grouped under 30 headings, in order to shed light to certain arguments and thesis. It begins with an Introduction and Chapter 1, “Historical Background”, and ends with Chapter 30, “Status Quo and Conclusive Remarks. There is a long list of Bibliography and a Selected Index and over 400 notes at the end of each chapter which shed further light on the subjects presented. It is a valuable source for anyone interested in solving this number one foreign policy issue of Turkey .
It is not easy to read the massive work in afew days or weeks, which is unique in its presentation with frequent quotations from interseting people that shed light to the subject matter. As the author states in the Introduction, the purpose of the book is “neither to acquit the Ottoman Administration from the responsibilities of a generally badly managed deportation or relocation process, nor to degrade the Armenian people as a race or nationality.”
The first four chapters give the background on the Turkish – Armenian relations and the groundwork established by the Armenians to create a state on eastern part of Turkey where they were never the majority through revolts and uprisings which resulted in the massacre of Muslims and Turks.
The subject covered in Chapter 5, Marvelous Missionaries, is very important, since the American High Schools founded by Protestant missionaries are where I was educated before heading to the United States to attend university. Therefore I would like to present the review of the book in several parts, beginning with this chapter. There has been many commentaries and articles over the years on the role of the missionaries in the creation of the Armenian issue, which is very sensitive and their involvements is not known by the public widely. As a frequent contributor to the study of this issue, I received the following comment from one of my former American teachers:
“We agree that all of us – including Christian missionaries to the Ottoman Empire and Turkey - need to acknowledge that wrongs were done to all sides during the early 20th century. We need to ask forgiveness of each other. Then we need to find ways to be friends. None of these is an easy step; the hurts are real, even if some of the cause may be dubious. For us, the greatest reason for friendship and healing is that the alternative is grossly destructive. “
The chapter begins with information on the founding of Missionary Societies in London with the mission of instructing Christians of the Arab East as to what being Christian meant, evidently prompting Edgar Allan Poe to state, “The pioneers and missionaries of religion have been the real cause of more trouble and war than all other classes of mankind.” (P. 57) The first missionary societies in the USA were founded in 1810 which led to the arrival of missionaries in Izmir in 1819 and the opening of a mission in Bursa in 1834. The book tells the story of their expansion in the Ottoman lands and opening of missionary schools in Harput in 1876 as “ Armenian College ” , later renamed as “ Euphrates College .” The Tarsus American High School was established in 1888 and Talas American High School in 1889.
A book by Dr. Uygur Kocabasoglu, “ America in Anatolia – the Missionary Schools in the 19th Century Ottoman Empire , Based on Documents,” is a good source of information on the activities of the missionary schools. Another book by a former teacher at American High School Frank Andrews Stone, “Academies for Anatolia”, presents a study of the Rationale, Program and Impact of the Educational Institutions Sponsored by the American Board in Turkey: 1830 – 2005. However, neither one of these books are referenced or included in the Bibliography.
Chapter 16, “Propaganda Fabrications,” is also very important as it presents information on the role of several early publications which are being used over and over again by authors, academicians and students to deceive the unsuspecting readers around the world.
The chapter begins with an analysis of the book supposedly written by the US Ambassador to Turkey Henry Morgenthau (1913 – 1915) and based on his diaries, published in the US in 1918. The author tells the story behind this book by referring to a study of Prof. Heath Lowry who has shown that the book did not reflect the true events of the time. Ambassador Morgenthau's book, also available in Turkish translation, was ghost written for him by Burton Hendrick with input from his Armenian secretary and Armenian translator, with the purpose of bringing the US into war against the Ottoman Empire . The sections below are directly from ''The Murder of a Nation'', a chapter from the book ''Ambassador Morgenthau's Story'', published as a separate book by the Armenian Benevolent Association, full of slanders against the Ottoman Turks and many fabricated and distorted facts:
1. p. 51. ''Perhaps the one event in history that most resembles the Armenian deportations was the expulsion of the Jews from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella. According to Prescott 160,000 were uprooted from their homes and scattered broadcast over Africa and Europe .
The Ambassador conveniently omits the fact that it was the Ottoman Turks who saved the Spanish Jews and sent ships to bring them to the Ottoman lands and settled them in Istanbul , Selanik, Bursa and other cities.
The Ambassador continues on the same page :
Yet all these previous persecutions seem almost trivial when we compare them with the Armenian sufferings, in which at least 600,000 people were destroyed and perhaps as many as 1,000,000.
As mentioned in many references, the Ambassador Morgentahu never ventured from the environs of Istanbul and did not witness anything, as many others and and Samantha Power claim in her book, . And yet the HR 106 voted by the US House Foreign Affairs Committee mentions that 2,000,000 Armenians were deported and 1,500,000 Armenian were killed, among many other distorted facts.
2. p. 6. ''They (Turks) were lacking in what we may call th fundamentals of a civilized community. They had no alphabet and no art of writing; no books, no poets, no art, no architecture; they built no cities and established no lasting states.''
3. p. 50. ''The only reason for relating such dreadful things as this is that, without the details, the English-speaking public can not understand precicsly what this nation is which we call Turkey.''
Sukru Aya writes in his book that Morgentau’s claims were refuted by George A. Schreiner, a distinguished foreign correspondent who served in Turkey at the time and who knew the Ambassador and wrote to him about his concerns on how the truth was twisted to favour the Armenians.
A book on the relations between the Netherlands and Turkey published in 2007 makes reference to the Dutch Reporter George Nypels who has stated in 1922 that “Ambassador Morgenthau’s widely read book was now judged to be ill-founded.” The book, the Netherlands and Turkey: Four hundred years of political, economical, social and cultural relations – selected essays” also states that the writings of the former US Ambassador were refuted by Ahmed Rustem Bey, a former Ottoman Ambassador to Washington . These are not mentioned in “Genocide of Truth” which could be issued as an addendum, including the addition of Morhentau’s books “The Murder of a Nation”, “Secrets of the Bospohorous” and “Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story” to the Bibliography.
Over the years many articles have been written by Henry Morgenthau’s son, Henry Morgenthau Jr. and his grandson, Henry Morgenthau III, which in a way carry on the mission of their father and grandfather, but the “Genocide of Turth” makes no references to any of these, especially commentaries published in Boston Globe by Henry Morgnethau III. There is also no reference to Samantha Power’s book “ A Problem from Hell – America and the Age of Genocide “, which has the opening chapter devoted to the Ambassador’s work with his photograph and can be found in every library in the US.
This is a valuable book that will show the readers the other side of the story and every concerned Turk and Turkish American who would like to see an end to the tall tale of Armenian genocide should read it in order to bring out the truth about the Armenian issue and set the record straight.
End of Part I.
Yuksel Oktay, PE
Istanbul Review of the book “Genocide of Turth” by Sukru Aya , Part II
Yuksel Oktay, PE. July 17, 2008
Genocide of Truth is an excellent book with a collection of detailed information from a wide variety of sources which includes many books, articles, newspaper opinions and commentaries from many foreign publications written by westerners over the past 100 years (Over 2,000, according to the author). It is almost like an encyclopedia, presented under 30 chapters, with an Introduction by Prof. Talat S. Halman and a Foreword & Bibliography by the author. Each chapter can be read as a stand alone treasury of information on various subjects related to this important issue which has been presented to the world as a one sided and prejudiced tragedy with many fabrications, as shown by many authorities..
In the Part I of my review, I covered chapters which I am most familiar with which are also the most controversial. These were Chapters 1 through 5 and Chapter 16, Propaganda fabrications (May 11, 2008). The book begins with Chapter 1, “Historical Background”, and ends with Chapter 30, “Status Quo and Conclusive Remarks. There is a long list of Bibliography and a Selected Index and over 400 notes at the end of each chapter which shed further light on the subjects presented. It is a valuable source for anyone interested in solving this number one foreign policy issue of Turkey .
Part II of my review will cover some of the remaining chapters and summarize for the benefit of those who may not have the time to read the entire book what conclusions one might expect to reach.
Chapter 6, Divinity for Bigotry and Anarchy, provides statements by many famous figures, including Napolean Bonaparte, Warren G. Harding, Sigmund Freud, Tomas Paine, Mohandas Gandi, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, one of the most respected President of the United States (1809 – 1865), claimed to have the Melunchan ancestary. This is what Abraham Lincoln has stated on divinity:
“My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of scriptures have become clearer and stronger with the advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them. Page 89.”
Among the many quotations, The New York Times report on Oct. 28, 1915, The Light That Might Go Out in Turkey, includes the following staement from Admiral Bristol, the US Ambassador to the Ottoman State: “Troubled that killings by Armenians and Greeks did not get into the American press, the admiral wondered in his diary, ‘Why aren’t the atrocities committed by the Christian nation more heinous than those committed by Moslem races’, if Christianity is better than Islam.”
Chapter 7, Distorting Realism Brings Antagonism, offers the readers a variety of excerpts and incidents relating to the Superpowers as defenders of Christianity and Humane values. At the request of Protestant missionaries, England and the U.S. intervene in the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire . In fact, Artin Dadyan Pasha, Ottoman Under-Secretary of State Foreign Affairs actually works for the Armenian case and not for the Sultan as referenced in Erich Feigel’s book “A Myth of Terror.” What is also worse is that the Major Powers were directly and indirectly encouraging enmity between the Armenian sects, referenced in another book, “The Great War and the Great Tragedy of Anatolia” by Salahi Sonyel. The author in a Flier Sheet issued after the publication of the book states that this chapter as well as Chapters 14 though 17 show that the claims outlined in the 2007 House Resolution 106 are fabrications.
Chapter 8, “Di-fused AUTONOMY! (Goal or Pretext?) begins with a statement that the Ottomans were friendly with Dashnaks, something overlooked by most historians and writers, especially the Armenian authors. In fact, the book states that the Dashnak Congress in 1914 was hosted in Erzurum where the Ottomans offered the Dashnaks and Hunchaks autonomy, although the book makes reference to independence as well (which may need to be corrected.). The chapter also makes reference to the aims of British on carving up the Ottoman Empire and the US Presidnet Woodrow Wilson’s desire for its complete disappearance, something shared by the US Ambassador Henry Morgnethau.
Chapter 9, Atrocities, Van, etc., makes references to the Armenian atrocities and revolutionary acts that go back to 1880s. For a very comprehensive study of the Van rebellions, the author refers the reader to Prof. Justin McCarty’s book, “The Armenian Revolt in Van,” while citing from close to 100 other references.
Chapter 10, Battlefields (Sarikamish – Gallipoli – Suez ) emphasizes the fact that the Ottoman armies were fighting on many different fronts, something also overlooked and seldom mentioned by some historians and writers. In his book, Inside Constantinople, Epstein, a member of the US Embassy in Istanbul at the time, states that the attcak at Gallipoli was the main reason for the re-location of Armenians.
Some of the conclusions that the reader can easily reach on the Armenian Issue after reading this book include:
1. Armenians and Turks lived together for almost a thousand years until the western powers began to interfere in the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire and used Armenians for their own purposes.
2. Towards the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Armenians began revolts and uprisings against the Ottoman government and started massacring Turks with the aim of creating a state of their own on lands where they were not the majority.
3. Armenians betrayed their own government and the moslems by joining the invading Russian forces and with their aid, captured Van, establishing the Armenian R epublic of Van , killing over 30,000 moslem inhabitants. After the relocation and their return, some Armenians joined French forces in fights against the Ottomans in the Cilician region.
4. During the uprisings, Russia , England , France and Italy provided arms and support to the Armenian guerillas and terrorists and the missionaries from these countries and the United States
And much more.
Sukru Aya has not stopped writing about the Armenian issue with the publication of his book. He has summarized new findings that were revealed after the publication of his book, especially a Report submitted to the US Congress by the Near East Relief Fund (now Near East Foundation with headquarters in NYC with an Armenian director) back in 1922. I will cover these and further review of additional chapters in Part III of my review.
This is a book that should be read by everyone who would like to see this issue resolved and Armenians and Turks everywhere can talk to each other, just like we did with Ara Sarafian when he freely discussed the Armenain issue in Istanbul, who was also presented a copy of the book by Sukru Aya personally.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
ABOUT INNOCENT ARMENIANS
Massacre Exerted By The Armenian On The Turks During World War I Pictures.
“As an Armenian, I never condone terrorism, but there must be a reason behind this. Maybe terrorism will work. It worked for the Jews.
They have Israel.”
Kevork Donabedian, the editor of the Armenian Weekly, an ethnic newspaper published in the United States, reported in an article in The Christian Science Monitor, November 18, 1980
————-
“We have first hand information and evidence of Armenian atrocities against our people (Jews). Members of our family witnessed the murder of 148 members of our family near Erzurum, Turkey, by Armenian neighbors, bent on destroying anything and anybody remotely Jewish and/or Muslim. Armenians should look to their own history and see the havoc they and their ancestors perpetrated upon their neighbors.
Armenians were in league with Hitler in the last war, on his premise to grant themselves government if, in return, the Armenians would help exterminate Jews. Armenians were also hearty proponents of the anti-Semitic acts in league with the Russian Communists.”
Signed Elihu Ben Levi, Vacaville, California.
Source: Extracts from a letter dated December 11, 1983, published in the San Francisco Chronicle, as an answer to a letter that had been published in the same journal under the signature of one B. Amarian.
They have Israel.”
Kevork Donabedian, the editor of the Armenian Weekly, an ethnic newspaper published in the United States, reported in an article in The Christian Science Monitor, November 18, 1980
————-
“We have first hand information and evidence of Armenian atrocities against our people (Jews). Members of our family witnessed the murder of 148 members of our family near Erzurum, Turkey, by Armenian neighbors, bent on destroying anything and anybody remotely Jewish and/or Muslim. Armenians should look to their own history and see the havoc they and their ancestors perpetrated upon their neighbors.
Armenians were in league with Hitler in the last war, on his premise to grant themselves government if, in return, the Armenians would help exterminate Jews. Armenians were also hearty proponents of the anti-Semitic acts in league with the Russian Communists.”
Signed Elihu Ben Levi, Vacaville, California.
Source: Extracts from a letter dated December 11, 1983, published in the San Francisco Chronicle, as an answer to a letter that had been published in the same journal under the signature of one B. Amarian.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Turkey, Armenia and Genocide Fiction
Since ancient times humans have struggled to surround themselves with prosperity, security and safety. Then of course came desire of wealth creating greed, wars, death and destruction. Due to domination of agriculture in economic growth, prosperity depended, to a great extend on the amount of territory a certain kingdom or empire controlled and therefore could gather wealth from. Wars were the only mean available to powerful rulers in their quest for more control and wealth. Lands changed hands, people died and were enslaved, and mankind went about its normal course of development.
It should then come as no surprise that Armenia is not a self-sustaining state, because it is a landlocked small state. Even though Armenia's economy grew by 13 per cent in 2007 its GDP per capita ( PPP ) $5,800 remains in par with Albanians and is lower than Jamaica's GDP per capita ( PPP ). Armenia's future also remains uncertain in the Caucasus, because Armenia depends exclusively on Russia and 70 per cent of Armenia's land territory is under an economic blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, after Armenia illegally occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan's territory.
Armenia is well aware of these aforementioned facts. That is why Armenia is desperately seeking for Western countries to accept the so called Armenian genocide in their parliaments, so it can gain a leverage over Turkey and expand her territory. But what Armenia doesn't realize is how resilient the Turkish Republic is. Even if the whole world recognizes the so called Armenian Genocide, only around 30 countries out of a 192 have so far recognized the Armenian fiction, Turkey will not bulge and give Armenia compensations, because a vast majority of Turks believe that the deportations were necessary to preserve the Ottoman state. It should never be forgotten that it was the Armenians who rebelled against the Ottoman Empire and wanted to carve out a homeland in what is now Eastern Turkey.
In conclusion, Turks are proud of their vast history. And no amount of Armenian lies and propaganda will make Turks shift to feel ashamed of their past by accepting such horrendous accusations.
It should then come as no surprise that Armenia is not a self-sustaining state, because it is a landlocked small state. Even though Armenia's economy grew by 13 per cent in 2007 its GDP per capita ( PPP ) $5,800 remains in par with Albanians and is lower than Jamaica's GDP per capita ( PPP ). Armenia's future also remains uncertain in the Caucasus, because Armenia depends exclusively on Russia and 70 per cent of Armenia's land territory is under an economic blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, after Armenia illegally occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan's territory.
Armenia is well aware of these aforementioned facts. That is why Armenia is desperately seeking for Western countries to accept the so called Armenian genocide in their parliaments, so it can gain a leverage over Turkey and expand her territory. But what Armenia doesn't realize is how resilient the Turkish Republic is. Even if the whole world recognizes the so called Armenian Genocide, only around 30 countries out of a 192 have so far recognized the Armenian fiction, Turkey will not bulge and give Armenia compensations, because a vast majority of Turks believe that the deportations were necessary to preserve the Ottoman state. It should never be forgotten that it was the Armenians who rebelled against the Ottoman Empire and wanted to carve out a homeland in what is now Eastern Turkey.
In conclusion, Turks are proud of their vast history. And no amount of Armenian lies and propaganda will make Turks shift to feel ashamed of their past by accepting such horrendous accusations.
THE DEFINITION AND PURPOSE OF RELOCATION
The Arabic originated word “tehcir” means “emigration / immigration”, it definitely not means “deportation” or “exile”. Hence the law commonly known as the “Tehcir Law” is the same as “Temporary Law On The Military Measures To Be Taken For Those Who Resist The Governmental Acts And Supplementation’s.” The word used to explain the implementation in line with this law is “tenkil” in the Ottoman language and means “transport- not the equivalent of “deportation”, “exile” or “proscription” in Latin originated languages.
The immigration, which was started with the orders of Talaat Pasha, and approved by the Government and the Parliament as a measure against the Armenian riots and massacres, which had arisen in a number of places in the Country - pre - dominantly in Van province, was only implemented only in the regions in which such riots and massacres affected the security of the fronts directly. The first area was Erzurum, Van and Bitlis Vicinities which formed the rear part of the Caucasian - Iran Front; and the second was Mersin - Iskenderun Region which formed the rear part of the Sina Front. In both of these regions, Armenians had collaborated with the enemy and involved in activities to facilitate the enemy’s invasion.
Later, the scope of the immigration was widened in order to include the Armenians in the other provinces, who rioted, collaborated with the enemy and screened the activities of Armenian Gangs. Although the Catholic and Protestant Armenians were excluded from immigration at the beginning, later those whose harmful activities were observed, were also relocated.
Since 1915, numerous papers, reports, books, etc. were written and published about the immigration implementation. The Armenians, by using false documents have succeeded to deceit the World for a long time. The rumor about Armenian holocaust (!) which expressed at first as three hundred thousand and later increased to three million has no basis at all. In fact, although English and French authorities have extensively studied the Ottoman archives during their occupation in Istanbul have failed to find even a single document hinting about such holocaust.
Had the Ottoman State intended to make genocide on Armenians; could not they realize such an act at the places where the Armenians live? Why would it be necessary “to immigrate” them for such an intention? Why did they undertake the significant fiscal and material costs of their security, safety, health and food of the immigrating Armenians? During this immigration and re-settlement process which lasted approximately 1,5 year from May 1915 until October 1916, why would the central and local administrations take measures to ensure the lives and properties of Armenians in spite of the difficult war circumstances? In addition, would it be necessary to accept great administrative, military and financial burden —as if opening a new front- to protect and secure these people?
The answers to these questions shall be sufficient to understand the real intention of the Ottoman State. Also there is no logical explanation that why the Ottoman State suddenly changed its policy towards a community which had always been called as “millet-i sadika” (loyal people) due to their being really faithful to the Government. Hence the party whose attitude had changed was not the Ottoman Government, but the Armenians who were deceived by the independence promises of Russia and the Entente States.
In conclusion, it can be said that the Armenian Immigration which was a necessary measure to ensure the State Security and Safety is among one of the most successful transportation and re-settlement processes; and has no intention whatsoever to annihilate Armenians.
The immigration, which was started with the orders of Talaat Pasha, and approved by the Government and the Parliament as a measure against the Armenian riots and massacres, which had arisen in a number of places in the Country - pre - dominantly in Van province, was only implemented only in the regions in which such riots and massacres affected the security of the fronts directly. The first area was Erzurum, Van and Bitlis Vicinities which formed the rear part of the Caucasian - Iran Front; and the second was Mersin - Iskenderun Region which formed the rear part of the Sina Front. In both of these regions, Armenians had collaborated with the enemy and involved in activities to facilitate the enemy’s invasion.
Later, the scope of the immigration was widened in order to include the Armenians in the other provinces, who rioted, collaborated with the enemy and screened the activities of Armenian Gangs. Although the Catholic and Protestant Armenians were excluded from immigration at the beginning, later those whose harmful activities were observed, were also relocated.
Since 1915, numerous papers, reports, books, etc. were written and published about the immigration implementation. The Armenians, by using false documents have succeeded to deceit the World for a long time. The rumor about Armenian holocaust (!) which expressed at first as three hundred thousand and later increased to three million has no basis at all. In fact, although English and French authorities have extensively studied the Ottoman archives during their occupation in Istanbul have failed to find even a single document hinting about such holocaust.
Had the Ottoman State intended to make genocide on Armenians; could not they realize such an act at the places where the Armenians live? Why would it be necessary “to immigrate” them for such an intention? Why did they undertake the significant fiscal and material costs of their security, safety, health and food of the immigrating Armenians? During this immigration and re-settlement process which lasted approximately 1,5 year from May 1915 until October 1916, why would the central and local administrations take measures to ensure the lives and properties of Armenians in spite of the difficult war circumstances? In addition, would it be necessary to accept great administrative, military and financial burden —as if opening a new front- to protect and secure these people?
The answers to these questions shall be sufficient to understand the real intention of the Ottoman State. Also there is no logical explanation that why the Ottoman State suddenly changed its policy towards a community which had always been called as “millet-i sadika” (loyal people) due to their being really faithful to the Government. Hence the party whose attitude had changed was not the Ottoman Government, but the Armenians who were deceived by the independence promises of Russia and the Entente States.
In conclusion, it can be said that the Armenian Immigration which was a necessary measure to ensure the State Security and Safety is among one of the most successful transportation and re-settlement processes; and has no intention whatsoever to annihilate Armenians.
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Number 1.5 Million
"Out of the million and a half there were in Turkey before the war. The annihilation of the Armenian nation will be inevitable. This excerpt was taken from page 51 of the Blue Book. Another example could be Taner Akcam's A Shameful Act. On A Shameful Act, Taner clearly states that only 800,000 Armenians were killed in the so called Armenian genocide. Then why do Armenians keep on giving their dead as 1.5 million. The reason being is legitimacy. Armenians are the only people on earth who forge their national identity on what happened a century ago. And they are very eager for this legitimacy, because they don't have it. That is why they inflate their dead, and that is why when CNN gave 45 seconds of airtime to the so called Armenian genocide, Armenians all over the U.S. sent hundreds and thousands of protest letters to CNN.
TURKEY NOT TO OPEN ARMENIA BORDER UNTIL AZERBAIJAN'S INTEGRITY RESTORED
The Turkish-Armenian border could be opened only after Armenia gives up distorting history and restores Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, Turkish Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen said.
"We are open to developing relations with Armenia, to open borders, and to develop trade," Tuzmen was quoted by Interfax as telling an Azeri-Turkish business forum in Baku on Thursday.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been closed for more than a decade over Armenia's aggression over Azerbaijan.
"We do not oppose developing trade relations, which will have a positive influence on the development of the whole region; however, prior to this historians should solve some issues and Azerbaijan's territorial integrity should be restored," Tuzmen added.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992 Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts.
Some 10 percent of the Azeri population was displaced due to a series of bloody clashes both between and within the two neighboring countries.
In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
TURKISH FM MEETS ARMENIAN, AZERI FMSTurkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan met separately with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Helsinki where the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial meeting is being held.
Foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan met on Wednesday with Russian, French and U.S. executives, the co-chairmen of OSCE Minsk group.
Babacan's talks with the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers assessed the results of this meeting, Anatolian Agency reported.
The Turkish foreign minister was also scheduled to meet with the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group dealing with the issue in Helsinki on Thursday.
"We are open to developing relations with Armenia, to open borders, and to develop trade," Tuzmen was quoted by Interfax as telling an Azeri-Turkish business forum in Baku on Thursday.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been closed for more than a decade over Armenia's aggression over Azerbaijan.
"We do not oppose developing trade relations, which will have a positive influence on the development of the whole region; however, prior to this historians should solve some issues and Azerbaijan's territorial integrity should be restored," Tuzmen added.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992 Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts.
Some 10 percent of the Azeri population was displaced due to a series of bloody clashes both between and within the two neighboring countries.
In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
TURKISH FM MEETS ARMENIAN, AZERI FMSTurkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan met separately with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Helsinki where the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial meeting is being held.
Foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan met on Wednesday with Russian, French and U.S. executives, the co-chairmen of OSCE Minsk group.
Babacan's talks with the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers assessed the results of this meeting, Anatolian Agency reported.
The Turkish foreign minister was also scheduled to meet with the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group dealing with the issue in Helsinki on Thursday.
Why The Armenian Deportations Were Not Genocide
Genocide is an abomination. While precise definition varies among genocide scholars, a legal definition is found in the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and the Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Article two of this defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with "intent" to destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
What the Nazis did to the Jews is a clear example of genocide, because there was "intent" to exterminate the Jewish race from existence. What befell the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, though tragic, can't be labeled as genocide. Just like what befell the indigenous peoples of America ( including Hawaii ) was not genocide. It is estimated that almost 100 million ( 100 000 000 ) indigenous Americans died, at the hands of Euro – Americans, in what is today North and South America. While no historians denies the death and suffering were unjustly inflicted by a number of Europeans upon a great many American natives. Historians argue that genocide, WHICH IS A CRIME OF INTENT, was not the "intent" of European colonization in the Americas.
The same principle applies for the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was fighting for its very existence during World War One. The Armenians, using arms, rebelled in Eastern Anatolia. Great number of Armenians deserted, including members of the Ottoman armed forces, crossing the frontier to join the Russian forces invading the Ottoman Empire. Armenian rebels were even able to seize the Ottoman city of Van , intending on handing it over to the invaders. There was guerrilla warfare all over Anatolia, perpetrated by Armenian rebels. This was, what now a days we call a national liberation movement. The Ottoman government, to quell the Armenian uprising had to deport the Armenians of Eastern Anatolia. The Armenians of the Arab provinces ( then still a part of the Ottoman Empire ), Western Anatolia and the European territories of the Ottoman Empire were left unscathed. There is no evidence of a decision to massacre Armenians. On the contrary, their were attempts to prevent massacre, but they were unsuccessful. The massacres carried out against the Armenians, were done by irregulars ( Muslim villagers taking revenge for what was done to them ) and not by the Ottoman armed forces. To make this a parallel with the FIRST GENOCIDE IN HISTORY the Holocaust, you would have to assume, that the Jews of Germany were engaged in an armed rebellion against the German state. Collaborating with the Allies to grab a portion of land for themselves at Germany's expanse. That in the deportation order, the cities of Berlin and Hamburg were exempted. The Jews in the employment of the state were exempted. The deportation orders applied for the Jews of Germany proper only, so when they arrived at Poland, they were welcomed and sheltered by the Jews of Poland. As any reasonable person can see, this is an absurd paradox.
As mentioned earlier, what befell the Armenians is tragic. But there is no evidence of "intent" to eradicate the Armenians. The sooner the Armenians realize this fact, the faster Armenia and Turkey will be able to achieve normal neighbourly relations. It is in the interest of the Armenian diaspora to prevent good relations between Armenia and Turkey, because the more the relationship is strained between the two neighbours, the more the Armenian diaspora will be able to affect the internal affairs of Armenia. Therefore, it is in the interest of the Armenian diaspora to keep the status quo at the expense of Armenia's citizens.
What the Nazis did to the Jews is a clear example of genocide, because there was "intent" to exterminate the Jewish race from existence. What befell the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, though tragic, can't be labeled as genocide. Just like what befell the indigenous peoples of America ( including Hawaii ) was not genocide. It is estimated that almost 100 million ( 100 000 000 ) indigenous Americans died, at the hands of Euro – Americans, in what is today North and South America. While no historians denies the death and suffering were unjustly inflicted by a number of Europeans upon a great many American natives. Historians argue that genocide, WHICH IS A CRIME OF INTENT, was not the "intent" of European colonization in the Americas.
The same principle applies for the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was fighting for its very existence during World War One. The Armenians, using arms, rebelled in Eastern Anatolia. Great number of Armenians deserted, including members of the Ottoman armed forces, crossing the frontier to join the Russian forces invading the Ottoman Empire. Armenian rebels were even able to seize the Ottoman city of Van , intending on handing it over to the invaders. There was guerrilla warfare all over Anatolia, perpetrated by Armenian rebels. This was, what now a days we call a national liberation movement. The Ottoman government, to quell the Armenian uprising had to deport the Armenians of Eastern Anatolia. The Armenians of the Arab provinces ( then still a part of the Ottoman Empire ), Western Anatolia and the European territories of the Ottoman Empire were left unscathed. There is no evidence of a decision to massacre Armenians. On the contrary, their were attempts to prevent massacre, but they were unsuccessful. The massacres carried out against the Armenians, were done by irregulars ( Muslim villagers taking revenge for what was done to them ) and not by the Ottoman armed forces. To make this a parallel with the FIRST GENOCIDE IN HISTORY the Holocaust, you would have to assume, that the Jews of Germany were engaged in an armed rebellion against the German state. Collaborating with the Allies to grab a portion of land for themselves at Germany's expanse. That in the deportation order, the cities of Berlin and Hamburg were exempted. The Jews in the employment of the state were exempted. The deportation orders applied for the Jews of Germany proper only, so when they arrived at Poland, they were welcomed and sheltered by the Jews of Poland. As any reasonable person can see, this is an absurd paradox.
As mentioned earlier, what befell the Armenians is tragic. But there is no evidence of "intent" to eradicate the Armenians. The sooner the Armenians realize this fact, the faster Armenia and Turkey will be able to achieve normal neighbourly relations. It is in the interest of the Armenian diaspora to prevent good relations between Armenia and Turkey, because the more the relationship is strained between the two neighbours, the more the Armenian diaspora will be able to affect the internal affairs of Armenia. Therefore, it is in the interest of the Armenian diaspora to keep the status quo at the expense of Armenia's citizens.
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