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"TURKEY'S SECRET ARCHIVES ON 1915 INCIDENTS ARE OPEN"
Hurriyet
June 17 2008
Turkey
Turkey opened to researchers its most secret archives regarding the
incidents of 1915, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday.
Keeping a record of history is not the business of politicians or
parliaments; it should be the business of historians and scholars,
Gul told the 11th International Congress on "Social and Economic
History of Turkey" held at Ankara's Bilkent University.
"That is our government's stance on the Armenian allegations that
constantly remain on the agenda," he said.
Gul said researchers could take advantage of Turkey's most secret
archives, adding that Turkey was proud of its history.
Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million
of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. The
Armenian diaspora has lately increased its organized activities
throughout the world for the acknowledgment of their unfounded
allegations in regard to the incidents of 1915 as "genocide" by
national and local parliaments.
Turkey rejects the claims, saying that 300,000 Armenians along with
at least as many Turks died in civil strife that emerged when the
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.
Turkey also says parliaments and other political institutions are not
the appropriate bodies to debate and pass judgment on disputed periods
of history. Past events and controversial periods of history should
be left to historians for their dispassionate study and evaluation.
However Turkey's efforts to carry a deeper investigation have yet to
have a positive outcome. In 2005, Turkey officially proposed to the
Armenian government the establishment of a joint historical commission
composed of historians and other experts from both sides to study
together the events of 1915 and to open the archives of Turkey and
Armenia, as well as the archives of all relevant third-party countries
and share their findings publicly. Unfortunately, Armenia has not
yet responded positively to this initiative and Turkey's proposal
remains on the table.
Hurriyet
June 17 2008
Turkey
Turkey opened to researchers its most secret archives regarding the
incidents of 1915, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday.
Keeping a record of history is not the business of politicians or
parliaments; it should be the business of historians and scholars,
Gul told the 11th International Congress on "Social and Economic
History of Turkey" held at Ankara's Bilkent University.
"That is our government's stance on the Armenian allegations that
constantly remain on the agenda," he said.
Gul said researchers could take advantage of Turkey's most secret
archives, adding that Turkey was proud of its history.
Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million
of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. The
Armenian diaspora has lately increased its organized activities
throughout the world for the acknowledgment of their unfounded
allegations in regard to the incidents of 1915 as "genocide" by
national and local parliaments.
Turkey rejects the claims, saying that 300,000 Armenians along with
at least as many Turks died in civil strife that emerged when the
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.
Turkey also says parliaments and other political institutions are not
the appropriate bodies to debate and pass judgment on disputed periods
of history. Past events and controversial periods of history should
be left to historians for their dispassionate study and evaluation.
However Turkey's efforts to carry a deeper investigation have yet to
have a positive outcome. In 2005, Turkey officially proposed to the
Armenian government the establishment of a joint historical commission
composed of historians and other experts from both sides to study
together the events of 1915 and to open the archives of Turkey and
Armenia, as well as the archives of all relevant third-party countries
and share their findings publicly. Unfortunately, Armenia has not
yet responded positively to this initiative and Turkey's proposal
remains on the table.