YUSUF HALACOGLU: ERDOGAN SHOULD DEMAND 19 COUNTRIES TO GROUND THEIR RECOGNITION OF ‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 2 2007

"Prime Minister Rajab Tayyib Erdogan should immediately appeal to 19
countries, which recognized the events happened in 1915 as genocide.

These countries should be demanded to ground their decisions to
recognize these events as genocide.

The Prime Minister should note if these countries can not give proofs,
we will break all relations with them," chief of Turkish Historical
Society, Professor Yusuf Halacoglu told the APA’s Turkey bureau.

"I am sure that none of these countries will be able to reply to us
within a month. Then the Prime Minister should hold press conference
and clarify Turkey’s relations with these countries," he said.

The professor suspects that some documents in Armenian archives
have disappeared.

"We will soon find out whether our doubts are groundless or not.

Foreign scientists want to investigate mass graveyards in Turkey,
and the government has already given positive answer. Such a mass
graveyard will be opened in Hatay on April 24. Unlike Armenians,
we announced that our archives are open. Turkey is ready to pay for
opening dashnak (Armenian) archives in Boston," he said.

Chief of Turkish Historical Society also spoke of the necessity of
united struggle against claims on ‘Armenians genocide’.

"Armenia does not recognize Turkey’s borders regulated by Kars treaty
of 1921. Why does Armenia demand opening of the neighboring country’s
borders which it does not recognize? Border is the main means to exert
pressure on Armenia – when 20% of Azerbaijani territories are under
occupation. No government in Turkey can bring the issue on opening
of borders with Armenia," he stressed.