Int’l Workshop in Ankara To Sap Genocide Commemoration Efforts

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP IN ANKARA TO SAP GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION EFFORTS
Azg/arm
15 March 05
In a March 11 article entitled “Armenian Genocide Claims to Be
Discussed In Ankara” Turkish Miliet newspaper informs about Turkey’s
counter-attack on the Armenian Genocide’s 90th anniversary this
year. The paper reports that the Ankara Park Hotel is hosting an
international workshop “1915-16: genocide, jurisprudence, psychology
and history” on May 28-29.
The Foreign Affairs’ Ministry and the National Security Council of the
country will finance the seminar and the Armenian Studies’ Institute
of Eurasian Strategic Research Center will coordinate the meeting.
Numerous specialistsand journalists from all over the world were
invited to the workshop. Hrant Dinq, editor-in-chief of Akos newspaper
in Istanbul, and Etienne Mahtchupian, Zaman daily columnist, are among
the invited to make speeches together with famous Turkish journalists
Taha Aqyol, Ali Bayramoglu, Jan Dyundar and others.
Miliet published the list of those participants who will lecture at
the workshop. The following names should be singled out: the head of
Eurasian Strategic Research Center, former ambassador, Gyunduz Aqtan,
Turkish History Foundation president, Yusuph Halacoglu, dean of
Ataturk University History Chair, Enver Qonuqcu, and foreign scholars
Justin McCarty, Norman Stone, Stanford Shaw- all known for supporting
Turkey’s denialist policy.
Jair Auro from Israel and Richard Hovhannisian, head of the Modern
Armenian History chair at the California University, were also invited
to take part. Meanwhile Miliet notes that Turkish scientist, Halil
Berktay, was not invited. Turkish paper’s reasoning is interesting:
“Halil Berktay claims that the law of deportation designed for
Armenians in 1915 aimed at `ethnic cleansing’. So, they were deported
not only from the eastern regions of the country but also from cities
like Izniq, Izmir and Corlu. He expressed an opinion that `this is
enough today to label events as genocide’. For that reason he was not
invited”.
By Hakob Chakrian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress