RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: HALACOGLU’S DISMISSAL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
24.07.2008 14:02 GMT+04:00
Head of the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) Prof. Yusuf Halacoglu
was removed from the office on July 22.
According to Hurryiet daily, this removal is conditioned by the Turkish
leadership’s intention to open a new page in relations with Armenia.
However, Dr. Ruben Safrastyan, Director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies at the RA Academy of Sciences, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter
that Halaconglu’s dismissal has nothing to do with the Armenian-Turkish
relations. "There is an opinion that Halacoglu was removed from the
post he had occupied for 15 years because the ruling AKP wants to
have a reliable person as the Association head. His name is already
known. It’s professor and poet Ali Birinci," he said.
Earlier, Aram Hambarian, Executive Director of the Armenian National
Committee of America, said that Yusuf Halacoglu issues a public
statement every few weeks, every one of which proves, after the minimum
of research, to be untrue. "Halacoglu is a combination publicity-hound
and serial liar," he said.