Hurriyet via BYEGM, Turkey
April 22 2005
Striking Remarks by Erich Feigl (On the Armenian “Genocide”
Allegations)
Tufan Turenc
Columnist Tufan Turenc comments on the Armenian “genocide” claims
and Professor Erich Feigl’s remarks on the issue. A summary of his
column is as follows:
“A panel on ‘Turkish-Armenian Relations and Historical Facts’ was held
earlier this week at Istanbul Technical University (ITU). Among the
speakers at the panel was well-known Austrian author and documentary
filmmaker Professor Erich Feigl, who made various incisive remarks
during his speech.
Feigl is an expert on Middle Eastern, Central Asian and American
cultures and religions. He has produced several documentaries which
have attracted worldwide attention. He became acquainted with the
events of 1915 while doing historical research, and he quickly
developed an interest in the issue. Meanwhile, Turkish Attaché for
Labor and Social Affairs in Vienna Erdogan Ozen, a close friend of his,
was murdered by the terrorist Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation
of Armenia (ASALA) in 1984. Ozen’s murder affected him so much that
he wrote a book on Armenian terror called ‘A Myth of Terror.’
In his speech, Feigl lamented that Turkey has been unable to counter
the psychological war waged by the Armenians. Feigl said that the
total number of Armenians who lived under Ottoman rule was 1.7 million,
and only 700,000 of them were sent away by the Ottomans. Therefore,
their assertion that 1.5 million Armenians were killed is nonsensical.
Feigl also presented a new document, in which Boghos Nubar, leader
of the Armenians in exile early in the last centrury, admits that
the Armenians took sides with the enemy during the war. ‘It’s most
fortunate that I could discover this document before the Armenians
could find and destroy it,’ Feigl said. ‘Because they have successfully
destroyed almost every document against them.’
Feigl also urged that Turkey not agree to discuss their claims, let
alone recognize them. ‘If you recognize their claims or even agree
to discuss the issue with them, next they will demand your money and
land. You should never ever do that,’ he said.
Feigl ended his speech with a striking statement: ‘This land is
yours. You didn’t settle in Anatolia after the Battle of Malazgirt.
Archeological findings at Catalhoyuk prove that you have been here
for more than 10,000 years’.”
–Boundary_(ID_qmMXHlSwoFyRznIefm/fZw)–