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ANKARA: Turkey Repeats Dialogue Call to Armenia

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  • ANKARA: Turkey Repeats Dialogue Call to Armenia

    Journal of Turkish Daily
    April 15 2005


    Turkey Repeats Dialogue Call to Armenia


    Jan SOYKOK, ANKARA (JTW) Turkish Prime Minister repeated Turkey's
    dialogue call to Armenia. Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan wrote a letter to
    Armenian President Robert Kocherian. Erdogan used `memories which
    hurt' words for the 1915 events. In 1915, many Turks and Armenians
    were killed in the communal clashes and war circumstances. Erdogan
    said in his letter `a joint commission should be established to
    discuss all historical disputes. This will serve to normalize our
    relations'. The letter was handled by Turkey's Tbilisi Embassy to
    Yerevan. `Turkey and Armenia interpret the past in different ways'
    Erdogan added. Erdogan continued in the letter:

    `Turkish and Armenian peoples not only shared a common history and
    geography in one of the most volatile regions of the world, but also
    lived together for a very long time. However it is not a secret that
    there are differences in interpretation some parts of the past
    between two nations. These memories gave sorrow to our peoples in the
    past, and now still play a role which does not help to develop
    friendly relations between us."

    "As the leaders of our countries, our foremost duty to the next
    generations is to leave a peaceful and friendly environment. All
    these ideas are shared by the main Turkish opposition party leader
    Mr. Deniz Baykal as well. In this framework, we kindly call you to
    establish a joint group including Turkish and Armenian historians and
    other experts to research the 1915 events by using not only the
    Turkish and Armenian documents but also all archives in the third
    countries, and to declare all the findings to international
    community. I think, such an initiative will shed light on a
    disputable part of the past and also will serve to normalization
    relations between our countries."

    "I hope that, our offer aiming to leave a more friendly and peaceful
    environment will be welcomed. We are ready to discuss the details
    when you accept our offer to set up a joint historian and other
    experts group to make researches in archives. Regards.' (JTW's Note:
    This is not an offical transilation)

    ARMENIAN FM OSKANIAN: TURKEY TRIES TO RECONSIDER HISTORY WITHOUT ANY
    SHAME

    Despite all dialogue calls from Ankara, Armenian Foreign Minister
    Vartan Oskanian uses very strong and even aggressive language towards
    Turkish politicians. "Turkey not only tries to reconsider its history
    without any shame but also wants to force other countries do the
    same," said Oskanian on 13 April 2005 press conference. Oskanian had
    rejected Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's call to establish a joint
    commission to discuss the historical disputes.

    Mr. Oskanian claims that the recognition of the `genocide'
    allegations is an issue of security for Armenia. "We can't feel
    secure near a neighbor that exceeds in the military aspect and
    definitely supports Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh issue,"
    Armenian Foreign Minister said.

    Turkish Republic never attacked or threatened Armenia since the
    beginning, while Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani
    territories and has threatened Turkey to occupy the eastern parts of
    Turkey. The First Armenian Republic attacked the Turkish forces, yet
    failed to advance. Under the Soviet rule, the Armenians demanded some
    of the Turkish towns. However when Turkey entered NATO, the USSR
    could not make more pressure on Turkey. Armenia gained its
    independence after the USSR collapsed. However the Armenians
    continued to their irredentist demands, and named Turkey's eastern
    provinces `Western Armenia'. Armenian forces not only attacked the
    Karabakh and other Azerbaijani cities, but also to Naxcivan province
    of Azerbaijan. Armenia also encourages the separatist Armenian
    movements in Georgia.

    Dr. Nilgun Gulcan from ISRO find Oskanian's security concerns
    baseless: `Armenia attacks almost all neighbors and perceives
    security threats.'

    ARMENIA TRIES TO BLACKMAIL TURKEY

    Mr. Oskanian further said "Turkey wants to be a member of an
    organization that is built on the bases of the human rights
    protection. When Turkey wants to become an EU member country, the
    genocide issue becomes of European, human importance."

    However Dr. Gulcan says Armenia abuses Turkey's EU bid:

    `Armenia tries to blackmail Turkey in EU case. Armenia has occupied
    20 percent territories of a European country, Azerbaijan. The EU
    named Armenia occupier and aggressive. Despite all these Armenia can
    blackmail Turkey. I think there are anti-Turkish and anti-Muslim
    biases in the EU institutions. They are discriminative. The EU
    Parliament for instance calls Turkey to improve its relations with
    Armenia, yet says nothing to Armenia about occupation. The EP makes
    pressures on Turkey to open territorial borders with Armenia, however
    they have done nothing to lift embargo and isolation on Turkish
    Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots cannot make business with any country
    except Turkey. If you want justice you must be fair. Armenia is
    occupier and aggressive country in the region. They threaten Turkey,
    Azerbaijan and Georgia, and they can say that Armenia perceives
    threats. `

    According to Dr. Nilgun Gulcan, Armenia's aim is not to establish a
    dialogue, but to damage Turkish interests. Gulcan says Armenians are
    not sincere in `genocide claims': `They started to use `genocide'
    term in 1965. Before that year they never used the term. After the
    First World War they applied to the Allies to join the Lausanne
    negotiations claiming that they were a part in the wars against the
    Ottoman Empire. They confessed many time that they joined the Allies
    against the Ottoman Armies. And now they can claim with no shame that
    the Ottoman Government committed genocide against Armenians. They do
    not question what Armenian militants did in Khojally in Karabakh War.
    They do not speak about the Khojally genocide just committed 10 years
    ago, but accuse the Turks for the events happened almost a century
    ago. This is a political war. The allegations are baseless.'

    JTW
    15 April 2005
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