Conference spotlights developing approach to Armenian claims

[imported_RUDO]

Conference spotlights developing approach to Armenian claims

The New Anatolian / Istanbul



Istanbul University began yesterday hosting a three-day international conference that aims to bring a new approach to discussions of the so-called Armenian genocide and its affects on Turkish-Armenian relations.

In his opening speech, Istanbul University Rector Mesut Parlak urged all concerned sides to analyze the problem, which centers on disputed events of 1915, without concentrating on only a single event. "Besides the political aspects of the events of 1915, historical, legal, social, psychological and philosophical elements should be determined. The importance of this conference is that the participants will analyze the different aspects of the Armenian 'genocide'," he said.

Parlak described genocide as a crime against humanity and said, "Such a serious accusation must have a legal basis. The international law defining genocide was adopted in 1948, and does not cover past incidents. Therefore, it is impossible and illegal to characterize the 1915 incidents as genocide."

In a message sent to the conference, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stressed that Turkey is at peace with its past, saying, "We have no page in our history to be ashamed of."

Noting that many conferences and symposiums have been held in Turkey recently on the Armenian allegations, Gul said, "There has been an increase in the amount of scientific research, articles and books published about the last period of the Ottoman Empire and the Armenian genocide claims. Thanks to studies into the question, we have the opportunity to see the facts and to have the voice of the truth heard against biased publications by the Armenian diaspora."

"Furthermore, we bequeath detailed data to following generations about a period of Turkish history. I would like to emphasize that the number of impartial publications in the U.S. and Europe on this issue is increasing. Serious steps are being taken to make public the facts," Gul said in the message.

Gul reiterated that archives from the Ottoman and Republican period were open to all researchers for investigation and urged the Armenians to open their archives to shed light on the period of history in question. "Last year we proposed the Armenian government form a joint commission composed of historians to examine controversial episodes in Turkish-Armenian relations. However, we haven't yet received a positive response from the Armenians," he added.

https://www.thenewanatolian.com

[1.5 million]

Gul says that Turks have no page in their history to be ashamed of? Yes quite the tenor for the "unbalanced view" claimed by conference organizers. This is a joke. The Etente pOwers accused Turkey of Crimes Against Humanity in 1916 and said that Turkey would be punished. Well it has gotton away without punishment but it will not be able to duck the truth of this matter forever. Turkish so-called scholarly apologists and slimely government officials aside!

[phantom]

Their stupidly painting themselves into a corner. While the world undeniably goes in one direction on this issue, they are going in the exact opposite direction.

This is obviously very bad for Turkey. I have to be honest with you, as a person from that country with ties there, it pains me to see the govt. drag the country and its people through the mud like this. And those demonstrations in Berlin, even though most Armenians probably welcome the actions of the Turks, because it brings more publicity to the issue and makes the Turks look ever so much more ridiculous, barbaric and stupid; to me, it is a tragic disparagement of the Turkish people. If you are a progressive person of Turkish descent, you must want to hide under a rock when you see what some of your countrymen are doing.

[Joseph]

I know everyone is pissed off about the demonstrations and the conference but I really do feel like this is hurting the Turkish cause in many ways.

It is hurting the Turkey's EU push
It is hurting their ability to even appear as an honest broker to any dispute in the Caucasus.
It is smearing the name of decent Turks
It is making them look extremely reationary and chauvanistic.

It is going to take some time but gradually people are questioning the official state view.

[1.5 million]

Yeah Phantom I hear you. It pains me as well (as I have friends who are generally among the more progressive/western/enlightened Turks)...though not as much as Turkish denial of the genocide pains me...nor of the fact that such was commited and my visions of such occuring to our beautiful people.

[Gondorian]

Joseph I highly doubt this is going to hurt Turkey's attempt to get into the EU, I do agree with you though that this demonstration really does hurt good honest and decent Turks who want to have nothing to do with any of this.

[Kharpert]

Turkey is going into the future kicking and screaming.

[hitite]

The conference still seems to be going on but this one doesnt seem to be a 'totally' one sided discussion. I have read in the papers that Halil Berktay, Selim Deringil and four profesors from Armenia have been invited. It is not important if Gul has sent a message to the conference or not and what he said is not something new. What matters is if this conference can actually be a scientific one where people with different views can speak out freely. So hold your wild horses before you start getting pissed off at the conference.

Their stupidly painting themselves into a corner. While the world undeniably goes in one direction on this issue, they are going in the exact opposite direction....because it brings more publicity to the issue and makes the Turks look ever so much more ridiculous, barbaric and stupid; to me, it is a tragic disparagement of the Turkish people. If you are a progressive person of Turkish descent, you must want to hide under a rock when you see what some of your countrymen are doing.

Phantom does it ever occur to you that the only people really interested in these events are Armenians and Turks? The rest of the world does not give a crap about it until the day they can use and abuse the issue in some way. So when you are talking about the "whole" world going in one direction dont forget that the "whole world" doesnt care about you/us unless there's a buck to be made or some power to be gained.

[Joseph]

It's a step but it doesn't sound very scientific. I'm a member of a chatgroup that includes many Turkish academics, a couple have reported back that the conference was mostly a shout-fest for the Turkish nationalists with all the common themes: Armenians are traitors, Turks always treated Armenians fairly, there was no genocided because didn't exist until 1948, Armenians were removed to safe places and taken care of, etc


TURKISH, FOREIGN ACADEMICS HOLD RARE TALKS ON ARMENIAN MASSACRES

Agence France Presse -- English
March 15, 2006 Wednesday 4:54 PM GMT

Turkish academics who deny the massacres of Armenians during World
War I amounted to genocide offered a rare olive branch on Wednesday
by inviting foreign opponents to Istanbul to discuss the largely
taboo subject.

Only a dozen or so foreign academics attended the first day of the
conference at Istanbul's state university, alongside around 60 Turkish
historians and officials who defend Ankara's official position on
the 1915-17 killings.

But Ara Sarafian, a British historian of Armenian origin, said the
three-day event was "an important first step", even if genuine dialogue
was conspicuous by its absence.

"We established that despite all our differences, which are extreme
on this subject, we're able to come under the same roof and voice
our opinions. That's a fundamental shift, rather than staying outside
and shouting at each other," Sarafian told AFP.

Turkey categorically denies that Armenian subjects under its
predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, were victims of a genocide but
acknowledges that at least 300,000 Armenians and as many Turks died
in civil strife during the last years of the empire.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings.

The conference was only a timid step towards real debate and involved
hardly any of the Turkish intellectuals opposed to the official line
who took part in a ground-breaking conference on the massacres in
September 2005.

That meeting, which Turkish nationalists tried to have banned, was
an attempt not to determine whether the killings amounted to genocide
but rather to openly study and understand them.

But Turkey is under pressure to allow more freedom of speech to
achieve its cherished dream of joining the European Union.

And, in that sense, this week's event was a watershed, according to
both Sarafian and Edhem Eldem, a Turkish academic who attended the
September forum.

For the first time, books presenting the Armenian view of the killings
were on display, alongside abundant literature upholding the official
Turkish view.

Despite the fact there had been "no real dialogue on the basis of
these papers", the conference was an important opportunity to let
the Turkish authorities start a debate, Sarafian said.

"For me, it's also an opportunity to show the books that we
published. It's the first time these books appear in Turkey like this,"
he added.

Turkish academic Mehmet Saray used the conference to rebuff Armenian
"propaganda" about the massacres and blamed them on "the imperialist
Russian, French and British states, who wanted to carve up the Ottoman
empire and encouraged Armenian nationalism".

But Yair Auron, an Israel researching the archives of the Jewish
community in Palestine under Ottoman rule, was permitted to openly
use the term "genocide" and appeal to Turks to question their past.

Every civil society has to deal with its past, including the black
pages of this past," Auron said.

Eldem said many of the intellectuals who took part in the September
2005 conference had been loathe to attend this week's meeting because
the organisers had not told them until Tuesday what its aims were.

"People were quite reticent to say yes. (They) didn't want to be used
in the hands of the nationalist establishment," he explained.

But he praised them for the initiative.

"The fact they invited people who don't share their opinion is
important. They've realised they can't play this game alone any more,"
Eldem said.

[imported_RUDO]

'Armenian Genocide Allegations is a Complicated Issue'

'Armenian Genocide Allegations is a Complicated Issue'
By Suleyman Kurt, Ankara
Published: Friday, March 17, 2006
zaman.com


Daniel Fried, the US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, said the Armenian genocide allegations is a "complicated issue" and must be examined by the parties in a courageous way.

Fried together with Upper Karabag (Karabagh) problem negotiator Steven Mann met Turkish Foreign Ministry officials yesterday.

Speaking after the talks Fried said, "Tragedies of the past must be handled with courage and nations must look at their futures."

The US diplomat underlined he has no message about the Turkey-Armenia relations, indicating the US's attitude towards the issue is well-known, and President George W. Bush will probably make a relevant statement on the issue this April as he does every year.

The American official added the issue of Washington's demand of opening the Turkish-Armenian border also came to the agenda during the contacts.