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GEORGIAN ARMENIANS OBSERVE ANNIVERSARY OF "ARMENIAN GENOCIDE", RECOGNITION REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL
by Keti Khachidze, Natia KoKashvili, Georgian Times
Daily Georgian Times, Georgia
April 30 2007
About 150 ethnic Armenians living in Georgia joined their voices to the
worldwide calls for recognition of the events of 1915 as genocide. The
active Armenian community gathered at the Turkish Embassy in Tbilisi
holding banners and lighting candles in the remembrance of the
massacred victims.
"Armenians will never forget the tragedy, and we will try to make
Turkey finally recognize it as a genocide," said Gena Muradzini,
President of Union of Armenians in Georgia. "We, the Armenian community
commemorate this date every year, as this was the biggest tragedy
for our nation. April 24 is the day of mourning and we are to pay
tribute to those who perished. Turkey must recognize the genocide to
make sure that such a massacre never occurs again."
"Our aim is to finally achieve justice," said Karen Elchyan, President
of Armernian Corporation In Georgia . "What Turkey committed 92 years
ago was brutal, and many countries in the world agree with us. Many
years have passed since the tragedy, but the Armenian nation will
stand firm and we will remember our ancestors who perished on April
24. We believe that Turkey will recognize the Armenian genocide and
will change their policy toward our nation.
Their crime claimed the lives of 2,000,000 people."
The massacre started with a tragic event on April 24. In a swift move
enacted by the Ottoman government, an estimated 250 Armenians from
the intelligentsia were arrested on the night of April 24, 1915.
While there is no clear consensus on how many Armenians lost their
lives during what is now called the Armenian Genocide, there is
general understanding among Western scholars that over a million
Armenians may have perished between 1914 and 1918.
"Armenian Genocide" from Political Perspective
The Armenian community worldwide is stepping up pressure to win
recognition of the massacre as genocide.
Last week the European Union approved a framework decision aimed at
criminalizing denial of the Holocaust and other genocides following six
years of intense debate. Attempts by Armenia to qualify the incidents
of 1915 as an act of genocide by the Ottoman Turks were turned down
and were not included in the scope of the law. The end product was
described as a carefully-balanced compromise by EU diplomats, which
allows EU countries to opt out of enforcing the law if national laws
do not prohibit similar conduct.
With the apparent consideration of the political alliance with Turkey,
the US remains cautious to label the event as 'genocide'.
Although a resolution on the issue has been on the agenda for many
years, this year George Bush again refused to use the term 'genocide'.
In the past year, however, the struggle over the word 'genocide'
has received international attention through a series of high-profile
news events. Last year the US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans resigned
his post after coming under fire from the State Department for calling
the 1915 massacres 'genocide'" during a 2005 speech at the University
of California at Berkeley.
The French lower house decided on October 12, 2006 to make it illegal
to deny the Armenian genocide. The bill has yet to be ratified by
the French Senate in order to become law. But reaction has been
prompt. In April, Turkey suspended talks with Gaz de France over a
pipeline project that would bring Caspian natural gas to Europe in
reaction to a French resolution on so-called Armenian genocide.
Turkish entry talks with the EU were met with a number of calls to
consider the event as genocide, though it never became a precondition.
Georgia along with the UK, Israel, Ukraine, the US is among those
countries which do not officially use the word genocide to describe
the events. However, the parliaments of a number of countries have
officially recognized the event as genocide.
Costs of Recognition of Alleged Genocide
"Besides the political factor, Turkey does not want to recognize the
fact as genocide due to the compensation issue," says Gena Muradzini.
"If it recognizes the massacre as genocide, Turkey will have to
compensate Armenia and the families of the genocide victims. But
what is important to us is moral compensation and the recognition in
moral terms."
The compensation issue is not the only cost for Turkey, however.
Although Armenia says it has no territorial claims on Turkey, but
such claims may arise after recognition.
"I am the fourth generation of the victims genocide and my heart sinks
with grievance on this day," said Levon Chidiliani. "We are just
one part of the Armenians living in the world, and we demand those
territories from which we were expelled. Our main task is to make
Turkey recognize the genocide as every pragmatic country has done."
"Do not Hang Me Before You Judge" - Turkey's Position
Academics in Turkey, where it is illegal to "offend Turkishness,"
widely object to the characterization of the mass killings of Armenians
in Ottoman Turkey from 1915-18 as "genocide." While it is accepted
that killings took place during the relocation of Armenians within
the Ottoman Empire during World War I, many Turkish scholars do not
believe they were the result of a deliberate campaign.
In March 2005, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan invited Turkish,
Armenian and international historians to form a Commission to
establish the events of 1915. Kocharyan rejected the proposal saying
"the suggestion to address the past cannot be effective if it deflects
from addressing the present and the future."
This year Turkey launched a wider campaign to promote its message
of 'unearthing history'. The ads ran in the New York Times, the
Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Politico and Roll
Call newspapers.
"Let us open our archives and find out the truth together," this was
also the main message of Turkish ambassador to Georgia Ertan Tezgor
in an interview with GT.
Ertan Tezgor: "We, Turks and Armenians, have been living together
for 800 years in peace. 24 ministers in the Ottoman Empire who at
that time were called vezirs were Armenians and Foreign Minister in
the Ottoman government in 1915 Armenian. Then I often ask myself a
question: 'What happened that separated us'? We have to find out
the answer to this question in history. We are not afraid of our
history and are ready to face it. We have opened our archives and
do expect a similar move from Armenians. We invite third parties to
the commission of historians and academicians, so that we all see the
hands of everyone. Not only Armenians and Turks but other players also
intervened. Without studying the history we will not know who the main
players were, what their hidden agenda was. Now you are coming to me
and asking to apologize for the so called genocide. Then I ask you:
'Do not hang be before you judge.'
GT: Many countries have recognized the massacre as genocide. It seems
that the world supports Armenia's assessment?
A: Firstly, it is not the whole world. If we go back to 1915 events
and look just before that and after the date, you will find out the
players behind the game. Then you will understand which circles are
pushing for the recognition of the genocide now. We will see that
this is just one sector of the world. I can understand in the whole
world this is just one sector. Secondly, parliaments have nothing to
do with history. Parliamentarians are not scholars and they cannot
judge fairly. So, their decisions do not concern us at all, although
this certainly is an irritating factor. There are certain reasons
why politicians support the recognition of the genocide, not because
they like the eyes of Armenians. Politicians seek to gain support of
Armenian communities and win votes for the elections.
GT: Turkish entry talks with the EU were met with a number of calls to
consider the event as genocide. Is Turkey poised to make a compromise
on the genocide issue for the sake of the EU accession?
ET: There are Copenhagen criteria for Turkey's entry into EU which
does not mention the so-called genocide as a precondition for the
entry. However, there are some circles in the EU take the Armenian
allegation of the genocide as a shield to close the door to Turkey.
Each time we do our homework and the chapter is over and certified,
another precondition arrives and this has become a non-lasting
process. Then, we have to find out: Is EU a Christian Club? We are
committed to follow the track and meet our commitments. But then maybe
one day they will say yes - "all the chapters are crystal clear" -
but we have to conduct a referendum and ask our people.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
by Keti Khachidze, Natia KoKashvili, Georgian Times
Daily Georgian Times, Georgia
April 30 2007
About 150 ethnic Armenians living in Georgia joined their voices to the
worldwide calls for recognition of the events of 1915 as genocide. The
active Armenian community gathered at the Turkish Embassy in Tbilisi
holding banners and lighting candles in the remembrance of the
massacred victims.
"Armenians will never forget the tragedy, and we will try to make
Turkey finally recognize it as a genocide," said Gena Muradzini,
President of Union of Armenians in Georgia. "We, the Armenian community
commemorate this date every year, as this was the biggest tragedy
for our nation. April 24 is the day of mourning and we are to pay
tribute to those who perished. Turkey must recognize the genocide to
make sure that such a massacre never occurs again."
"Our aim is to finally achieve justice," said Karen Elchyan, President
of Armernian Corporation In Georgia . "What Turkey committed 92 years
ago was brutal, and many countries in the world agree with us. Many
years have passed since the tragedy, but the Armenian nation will
stand firm and we will remember our ancestors who perished on April
24. We believe that Turkey will recognize the Armenian genocide and
will change their policy toward our nation.
Their crime claimed the lives of 2,000,000 people."
The massacre started with a tragic event on April 24. In a swift move
enacted by the Ottoman government, an estimated 250 Armenians from
the intelligentsia were arrested on the night of April 24, 1915.
While there is no clear consensus on how many Armenians lost their
lives during what is now called the Armenian Genocide, there is
general understanding among Western scholars that over a million
Armenians may have perished between 1914 and 1918.
"Armenian Genocide" from Political Perspective
The Armenian community worldwide is stepping up pressure to win
recognition of the massacre as genocide.
Last week the European Union approved a framework decision aimed at
criminalizing denial of the Holocaust and other genocides following six
years of intense debate. Attempts by Armenia to qualify the incidents
of 1915 as an act of genocide by the Ottoman Turks were turned down
and were not included in the scope of the law. The end product was
described as a carefully-balanced compromise by EU diplomats, which
allows EU countries to opt out of enforcing the law if national laws
do not prohibit similar conduct.
With the apparent consideration of the political alliance with Turkey,
the US remains cautious to label the event as 'genocide'.
Although a resolution on the issue has been on the agenda for many
years, this year George Bush again refused to use the term 'genocide'.
In the past year, however, the struggle over the word 'genocide'
has received international attention through a series of high-profile
news events. Last year the US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans resigned
his post after coming under fire from the State Department for calling
the 1915 massacres 'genocide'" during a 2005 speech at the University
of California at Berkeley.
The French lower house decided on October 12, 2006 to make it illegal
to deny the Armenian genocide. The bill has yet to be ratified by
the French Senate in order to become law. But reaction has been
prompt. In April, Turkey suspended talks with Gaz de France over a
pipeline project that would bring Caspian natural gas to Europe in
reaction to a French resolution on so-called Armenian genocide.
Turkish entry talks with the EU were met with a number of calls to
consider the event as genocide, though it never became a precondition.
Georgia along with the UK, Israel, Ukraine, the US is among those
countries which do not officially use the word genocide to describe
the events. However, the parliaments of a number of countries have
officially recognized the event as genocide.
Costs of Recognition of Alleged Genocide
"Besides the political factor, Turkey does not want to recognize the
fact as genocide due to the compensation issue," says Gena Muradzini.
"If it recognizes the massacre as genocide, Turkey will have to
compensate Armenia and the families of the genocide victims. But
what is important to us is moral compensation and the recognition in
moral terms."
The compensation issue is not the only cost for Turkey, however.
Although Armenia says it has no territorial claims on Turkey, but
such claims may arise after recognition.
"I am the fourth generation of the victims genocide and my heart sinks
with grievance on this day," said Levon Chidiliani. "We are just
one part of the Armenians living in the world, and we demand those
territories from which we were expelled. Our main task is to make
Turkey recognize the genocide as every pragmatic country has done."
"Do not Hang Me Before You Judge" - Turkey's Position
Academics in Turkey, where it is illegal to "offend Turkishness,"
widely object to the characterization of the mass killings of Armenians
in Ottoman Turkey from 1915-18 as "genocide." While it is accepted
that killings took place during the relocation of Armenians within
the Ottoman Empire during World War I, many Turkish scholars do not
believe they were the result of a deliberate campaign.
In March 2005, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan invited Turkish,
Armenian and international historians to form a Commission to
establish the events of 1915. Kocharyan rejected the proposal saying
"the suggestion to address the past cannot be effective if it deflects
from addressing the present and the future."
This year Turkey launched a wider campaign to promote its message
of 'unearthing history'. The ads ran in the New York Times, the
Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Politico and Roll
Call newspapers.
"Let us open our archives and find out the truth together," this was
also the main message of Turkish ambassador to Georgia Ertan Tezgor
in an interview with GT.
Ertan Tezgor: "We, Turks and Armenians, have been living together
for 800 years in peace. 24 ministers in the Ottoman Empire who at
that time were called vezirs were Armenians and Foreign Minister in
the Ottoman government in 1915 Armenian. Then I often ask myself a
question: 'What happened that separated us'? We have to find out
the answer to this question in history. We are not afraid of our
history and are ready to face it. We have opened our archives and
do expect a similar move from Armenians. We invite third parties to
the commission of historians and academicians, so that we all see the
hands of everyone. Not only Armenians and Turks but other players also
intervened. Without studying the history we will not know who the main
players were, what their hidden agenda was. Now you are coming to me
and asking to apologize for the so called genocide. Then I ask you:
'Do not hang be before you judge.'
GT: Many countries have recognized the massacre as genocide. It seems
that the world supports Armenia's assessment?
A: Firstly, it is not the whole world. If we go back to 1915 events
and look just before that and after the date, you will find out the
players behind the game. Then you will understand which circles are
pushing for the recognition of the genocide now. We will see that
this is just one sector of the world. I can understand in the whole
world this is just one sector. Secondly, parliaments have nothing to
do with history. Parliamentarians are not scholars and they cannot
judge fairly. So, their decisions do not concern us at all, although
this certainly is an irritating factor. There are certain reasons
why politicians support the recognition of the genocide, not because
they like the eyes of Armenians. Politicians seek to gain support of
Armenian communities and win votes for the elections.
GT: Turkish entry talks with the EU were met with a number of calls to
consider the event as genocide. Is Turkey poised to make a compromise
on the genocide issue for the sake of the EU accession?
ET: There are Copenhagen criteria for Turkey's entry into EU which
does not mention the so-called genocide as a precondition for the
entry. However, there are some circles in the EU take the Armenian
allegation of the genocide as a shield to close the door to Turkey.
Each time we do our homework and the chapter is over and certified,
another precondition arrives and this has become a non-lasting
process. Then, we have to find out: Is EU a Christian Club? We are
committed to follow the track and meet our commitments. But then maybe
one day they will say yes - "all the chapters are crystal clear" -
but we have to conduct a referendum and ask our people.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress