kurdishinfo.com, Germany
April 27 2005

Do the Armenian Churches in Van remain on dusty pages of history?

VAN (DÄ°HA) – Whilst the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry
allocated TL 2 trillion 4 hundred billion for the restoration of
Akdamar Church, the historical Red Church of 750 years which is 7 km
away from Lake Van and belongs to Armenians was abandoned to its own
fate.

Nowadays, when the Armenian Massacre has been discussed, the Armenian
Churches in Van have almost become extinct due to indifference. From
an architectural and historical point of view, the most remarkable
church in the eastern city of Van is the Armenian Red Church (called
Dêra Sor, Dêra Kutisan in Kurdish) of 750 years. It has the same
architectural style as the Akdamar Church and is located within the
borders of Göründü (Mıxrapêt) village on the side of Lake Van;
however, this miracle of great historic and architectural value has
not been able to take in any presenting brochure. What’s more, the
Church has been provided with no protective measures but exposed to
treasure seekers’ destruction; its walls, which treasure hunters
scraped out, are nearly in a state of non-existence. Transportation
to the Church is procured either on foot or with saddle animals, as
there is no road and the nearest location to church is Göründü
village 10 km away. The church, which has been abandoned to its own
fate, was robbed of its iron doom last summer, too.

TL 2.4 trillion of the Akdamar Church
While the Akdamar Church made a contribution of 2 trillion 4 hundred
billon after Van Governor Niyazi Tanılır applied to the Ministry of
Culture and Tourism no one knows or minds how much the Red Church has
been suffering from the lack of interest.

“Our fathers lived together with Armenians”
Fahrettin Kızılaslan from Göründü Village showed reaction to why
no contribution has hitherto been made for the Red Church in their
settlement and stated he, as a Muslim, is in favor of protecting the
archeological and historical values of Armenians. “Our fathers and
Armenians lived together on these lands. Today, I want to claim these
traces my self, but unfortunately, I cannot afford to do so. The
State should have granted an allowance to the Red Church, just like
it contributed to the Akdamar Church, restored it and assigned a
guard to the Church at least. For no one has saved this great work of
art, every treasure haunter scraped it off as much as s/he wanted, so
destruct its walls. This part of church which has still been standing
up can be restored well.”

“Blow on tourism”
The church is desired to be visited by a great many of domestic and
foreign tourists, but they cannot because of the lack of road to
enable transportation, explains Kızıltaş adding, because there is
no road the tourists who want to see the Church turn from Güründü
back.” Such a church being within the border of our village is of
great significance to develop and present it, yet this historical
Armenian Church has not been given any place in a catalogue
representing Van. Transportation is carried out on foot or with
saddle animals. Had been built up a road, far more tourists would
come to visit the Armenian Red Church”

Van Culture Director: Van city is full of Armenian works
Van Culture Director Izet Kütükoğlu said they were confused at
which art works of Armenians they would restore, as there are so many
archeological values of Armenians in Van. “The city is full of
Armenian works and is rich of historical and architectural places.
There are many churches in country and in where we are unable to
arrive at. An allowance has been granted for the Akdamar Church this
year. We are trying to repair historical structures in Van, as much
as we have the chance and the possibility to do. The archeological
construction like HoÅŸap Castle has been suffering from destructions
too much; repairs and restoration will be held when there is a
sufficient budget”

Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 27 2005

Time to be Careful on the Way to EU

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gül,
in his explanation to Aydın Karaçay, Editor-in-chief of TRUE,
declared that Turkey was taking stable steps on the way to EU and
said Turkey would definitely discharge his duties until October 3.
Gül declared that the Government was aware of what was being gained
by EU process and they aimed to make the level of Turkey’s living
standard the same as EU and said: `Since we want our country to
reach the same level with a European Union country in education,
health, environment, transportation fields, EU is very important for
us. Don’t think it is only about democratic rights and freedom.
This is a much more important issue.’

Gül declared that the real sinister matters in our country were
trying to be hidden as a result of our political tradition and said:

`They say whoever comes next should solve the problem. The one who
comes last pays the bill. Actually, Turkey pays the bill in such a
case. If they had been fastidious, careful, if they had stayed away
from the populistic policies and had wanted to do the right thing,
everything would be better for Turkey today. Populism is easy, it is
possible to make the public violently angry but in the end it causes
turkey to come to an impasse, this has always been forgotten. We have
two choices. Either we will integrate with the modern life and EU
with reciprocal trust or we will be isolated. We know what happens to
the isolated countries. Isolated Turkey cannot be democratically and
economically powerful. There are examples, we may be like Belarus
(Ukraine of old times) or like some Asian countries. Turkish public
is a developed public which has a cultural and intellectual heritage,
which knows the world and the pleasures of freedom. Turkish public
has developed too much, from now on it cannot be isolated from the
world.

They have to prove their Genocide claims

Gül declared that they were closely following the improvements about
so-called Armenian Genocide which has is trying to be put on the
agenda recently. `Anybody should not forget the fact that Turkish
and Armenian publics lived together for 1000 years. We shouldn’t
forget that Armenians had senior position in Ottoman Empire period
and also Armenian Church was established in this period. The ones who
are honest and objective about this matter do not forget these facts.
Although these facts, Turkey still being treated hostilely.’

Foreign Minister made a call to European countries saying: `You
have to give an explanation and prove your claims about so-called
Armenian Genocide’ and he wanted the ones who act as a stooge for
unreal hearsays to be very careful.

He described ˜Armenian diaspora living in Europe and America’ as
following; `All of them are carefree. They needed something to
carry on their minority conscious and power. Besides this, they are
guilty because they don’t go to Armenia and help there.’ He said:
`Everybody had difficulties during the war. The ones who launched
the claims about so-called Genocide are imperialist surroundings and
chauvinist Armenian racists. Well… Are these claims true? If
that’s so, then what does Armenian Church do in this country? How
do our Armenian citizens live here? These claims are casuistries and
calumnies. We have a call for the parliements and countries which act
as a stooge for the claims: `Since you make such comments, you will
have to render account, you will have to prove it. We invited
everyone and opened all our archives. We made a call for all the
scientists. We called the Armenian scientists as well. So we will
always walk tall.’ Abdullah Gül reminded that there was no
relevance between so-called Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s EU
membership. He noticed that the conditions of the negotiation process
are definite for all the candidate countries and Turkey’s full
membership process will occur under the conditions defined by Acquis
Communitaire.

We won’t make concessions in Cyprus matter

Abdullah Gül underlined that Turkey had never made concessions in
Cyprus matter and said: `Everybody should be cool-headed and think.
What did we lose because of Government’s Cyprus policy which has
been carried out until now? If there is a loss, somebody should tell
it. We even didn’t take back one of our soldiers. We even didn’t
lose 1 meter square. We made Cypriot Greeks say that both societies
don’t want to live together. The whole world was shocked with the
fact that they have been cheated by Cypriot Greeks until now. Most of
the handicaps were removed for Turkey. Were Cypriot Turks better
before the referendum although they were open to the world before? Or
the contrary? Everything goes on step by step. We know that it is not
going on as fast as we hope. All of us are struggling in order to win
more. I am asking the ones who say we gave up TRNC: `Why did you
start the negotiations after TRNC had been announced. Why did you
come together with Cypriot Greeks in UN after TRNC had been
established? What did you negotiate over an established country? If
such a negotiation is done, it is normal for TRNC not to be
recognized.’ Abdullah Gül said that signing partnership agreement
with Southern Cyprus did not mean recognizing it and noticed that
Cypriot Greek ships would not be able to enter Turkish ports and he
added: `Turkey will go on recognizing TRNC. We have got an
ambassador in TRNC, and EU knows it. In the agreements, it is written
which areas are included, so why do we need to limit our future? For
2-3 months, we have been seeing the world-famous English, American,
French law firms which are the best in international relations. We
have been very careful. Everybody decided that it is an ˜unilateral
recognition’. We are conscious about our each step.’

Story from;
`True’, Society of European Journalists,Yıl:1, Sayı:5, 10, 27
Nisan 2005.

Zaman, Turkey
April 27 2005

Armenia Consents to Negotiate Without ‘Pre-Condition’
By Suleyman Kurt
Published: Wednesday 27, 2005
zaman.com

Armenian President Robert Kocharian responded with “let us meet
without any pre-conditions” to the suggestion of “establishing a
joint commission of historians and other experts” made by Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the so-called Armenian
allegations.

Kocharian made it clear in his remarks “We cannot debate without
taking the past, today, and tomorrow into account” and that he wants
to build a relationship with Turkey. The letter, which revealed the
comments suggesting that it would open to a new period in the
relations of the countries, reached Ankara from Tbilisi. Kocharian
did not use the word “genocide” in the letter and brought alternative
suggestion that the issues should be debated on an inter-governmental
platform contrary to Turkey’s suggestion.

As Ankara positively accepts the written response from Armenian to
Erdogan’s letter dated April 13, it is avoiding making any early
declarations regarding the letter. Foreign Minister Gul confirming
the letter said: “We will investigate, and respond.” The Armenian
administration had previously not even been willing to agree on
discussions about the so-called genocide allegations with Turkey.
Yerevan reflected that it now wants to conduct diplomatic relations
with Ankara. Kocharian said, “We cannot debate the issue without
taking the past, today and tomorrow into account.” The expression
“negotiation without pre-condition” has not been met positively in
the initial assessments. Ankara wants concrete steps to be taken in
order to conduct official contacts. Therefore, some expressions in
the Armenian Constitution and the Declaration of Independence need to
be extracted. Erdogan’s letter to Kocharian, which reminded that
their people have been living together for a long time, read: “We
invite historians from both our countries’ to investigate the events
in 1915 by researching into all the archives of the related
third-party countries and reveal them to the public.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
April 27 2005

Europe Should Face Itself in Turkey’s Mirror

NEVVAL SEVINDI
04.27.2005 Wednesday – ISTANBUL 02:05

At this time of the season, purple flowers bloom more fully in all
corners of the Bosphorous, and purple clusters, enchanted because
spring is coming at full speed, twine around.

Being in Istanbul is a privilege under the shadow of purple clusters.
Philosopher, anthropologist and sociologist Edgar Morin, was in
Istanbul last weekend. He showed everyone how an intellectual can do
brain gymnastics, how he shares wisdom and blooms like the purple
flowers in Istanbul.

Morin says, “Love is part of a life poem,” and he himself has proven
the fact that if one does not know anything about poems, he/she
cannot be a scientist. If Turks, who come from a culture whose
Sultans even had a “divan,” are outsiders in Europe, then Europe also
needs to look at itself in the mirror. Morin argues Turkey should
face its history on the Armenian issue.

However, he adds that the same should be done by France and the whole
of Europe regarding the Jews, and Britain regarding the Irish: “How
can one ignore the role of Islamic culture in European civilization?
That small minority did want to include an article about Christianity
but failed.” Honestly, even if he says so, Pope Benedict XVI did not
promise much hope in the first homily he delivered, without
mentioning Muslims. Those who identify Europe with Christian culture
do not want Turkey. Those afraid of a confrontation the most are
against Turks. Have those Westerners, who say Turkey should face its
history, faced their own history? Why did European travelers who
destroyed many great cultures, languages and beliefs, with the help
of their people, want to explore the world? To take all the wealth to
their country! Why are Europeans, who imposed Christianity as the one
and only religion on societies, so anxious that we face our past? Is
it because they failed to face theirs? Despite all efforts by
intolerant Europeans, Turks climb a 200-meter hill on the way to
Saint George Orthodox Church in Istanbul, together with Christians
and Muslims. Countless Muslims, on every April 23, ask the priest to
pray for them, hoping for treatment of their ailments and fulfillment
of their wishes. This is an amazing sense of empathy. The blind
followers, who are against this, have sent the municipal police
there. These officials, who are unaware of the soul of this thing,
are assigned to cut the ribbons! Within the yells and squeals, the
women were saying, “Our wishes will not be accepted because of you.”
It is not our duty to judge the people’s beliefs here, but the
ability to pray side by side and the fraternity among nations.
Europeans are not very familiar with this ability. They have been
after sharing since the beginning of the 19th century. They do not
see the “people” around but only race, religion and discrimination.
Europeans, who are busy setting double standard snares, are now
lagging far behind the idea of humanism.

“We are undertaking an indefinite adventure and the events that
happen every day tell us this is ‘night and fog’ that we are in,'”
writes Morin, depicting our time very well.

This ambiguity has gotten foggy as a result of the rise in
nationalism and racism in Europe. Nationalism waves coming from China
and Russia narrate the adventure of a world, which is becoming more
localized, as it becomes more globalized.

Germans are converting to Islam and establishing umbrella
organizations. The German state has decided that Islam would be
better explained only by them. It is only the Muslim Germans, who can
put a stop to the rise in racism by claiming to be the guardians of
Islam. The Germans think the Turks are Muslim bigots, and say, “This
is not Islam.”

Like the Germans, who ignore humanity’s values, sincerity and
human-centered humanistic Islam, that we have been spreading around
the world, there are many youths who belittle this Islamic approach
and also try to politicize us. These mentalities, which are as far
from the idea of Islam as to say, “Do not even smell a flower that
can awaken your worldly desires,” have tried to break us away from
Islam. However, this soul neither breaks away nor dies.

“You cannot change everything you face and you cannot also change
anything without facing it.” It is time for us to face old dogmas,
old mentality structures. It is more essential for the EU, which
cannot expand or perhaps will even receive a blow from the French.
Swedish Prime Minister [Goran Persson], on his first ever visit to
Turkey, expressed this very well: “It is odd that no Swedish prime
minister had ever visited such an important country until today and
this is the real question that should be asked.” It is time to say
something odd.

*James Baldwin

Oregon Daily Emerald, OR
April 27 2005

90 years of forgetfulness
Jennifer McBride
Columnist

April 27, 2005

Sunday, April 24 marked the 90th anniversary of a genocide I didn’t
even learn about until last November. It’s one of those 1.5 million-
people cock-ups that our history teachers like to sweep under the rug
as just another problem resulting from World War I. While it may not
measure up to Hitler’s cold extermination of the Jews, the Ottoman
Empire’s systematic murder of Armenians from 1915 to 1923 merits more
mention in class and in public. Awareness of genocide is not enough
in itself to prevent future genocide, but it certainly is a good
first step. Hitler himself, while masterminding his death camps,
looked on the Armenian genocide with a sneer. “Who remembers the
Armenians?” he is reported to have asked.
The government of Turkey continues to hold fast to a flimsy charade,
pretending there were no victims in its history other than some
resulting from the occasional uprising. It denies that Armenians were
taken on long death marches and then slaughtered for absolutely no
reason. Indignant ignorance and falsifying the lessons of our past
only lead to repeated mistakes. How many times do we have to see that
ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away? If the American
government denied the Japanese internment during World War II, I have
a feeling the Bush administration would be treating Arab-Americans
far worse than it already does. While our policies may not be all
that enlightened, they certainly could be hellishly poorer.

Turkey to this day insists that no more than a few people died, and
other countries step lightly to avoid Turkey’s anger. The Bush
administration hasn’t exactly been reluctant to offend allies in the
past but here referred to the massacre and mass exile of thousands of
innocent Armenians as merely a “tragedy” — heaven forbid we alienate
our strategic partners.

We’re not the only ones Turkey is trying to bully into silence.
France, with its large Armenian subcommunities, planned to publicly
commemorate the event, only to receive threats from Turkey. When Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke against it, Turkish groups called for his
movies to be permanently banned from the country.

Well, I doubt anybody in Turkey is reading my columns, so I’m
perfectly happy to blow what little political capital I have in the
region.

The massive deaths of the Armenians marked the first genocide of the
twentieth century. Not only were Armenians subjected to death and
torture, but they were also taken from their homes and forcibly
exiled to the deserts of Syria, where they died en masse of
starvation and dehydration. In addition, the Ottoman Empire
expropriated all Armenian wealth and raped thousands of women.
Armenian concentration camps caused indirect slaughter by epidemic
and exhaustion.

April 24, 1915, is specifically commemorated because on that night,
the government rounded up 200 Armenian leaders in Constantinople.
They were all imprisoned, and most of them were executed as a penalty
for being politically prominent.

Before then, the Turks had already disarmed all the Armenian
battalions and had begun expelling them from their homes along the
eastern war front, but news blackouts kept these acts secret until
those blatantly evil arrests. By killing the leaders, Turks removed
Armenian rivals, effectively crushing any official Armenian
resistance in just one of many brutal strokes. For that reason, April
24 is the Armenians’ “Kistallnacht.”

Of course, part of what makes genocide so horrifying is the absence
of logic or reason. Nationalist panics send friends into furies,
causing them to turn on their own neighbors. For centuries, Armenians
and Turks lived side by side, but as other Christian minorities
separated themselves from the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians were
isolated. These Armenian-speaking communities were the roadblock to a
pan-Turkic Empire. When once a Turk would have gone to an Armenian
for a cup of sugar, Turkish soldiers now came for pints of blood.

The first step was for the Turkish government to demand that
Armenians turn in their hunting weapons for the “war effort.” Some
communities had to buy extra to make their quotas. Of course, the
government then used the amount of weapons as “proof” that the
Armenians were about to rebel, drafting Armenians into virtual
slavery where they were worked or shot to death.

Leaving victims unacknowledged and uncompensated has, for Armenians,
created a national black hole. The least we can do as a nation is
agree that these people deserve recognition. I hope that next year
President Bush will not let this sad anniversary slip by without
rectifying our 90-year silence.

The New Anatolian, Turkey
April 27 2005

The Hair of Caliph Muavviye: Turkish-Israeli Ties

Ayse Karabat

There is a very old Arab story: Once Caliph Muavviye said that there
is a line like a hair between his people and himself. If the people
pull on this hair, the caliph gives some slack, and vice versa. So
this hair never breaks. In the Middle East, the expression of “the
hair of Muavviye” since then has been used to describe relations
which never come to point of breaking despite the occasional
tensions, like Turkish-Israeli ties.

For Turkey, from the very beginning the difference between the public
opinion and the “high interests” of the state plus the economic bonds
never weighed that much on Ankara-Tel Aviv relations.

Turkish-Israeli relations have always had ups and downs. But after
the Oslo agreements, bilateral relations came to the point of “the
sky is the limit,” as former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said once. Up to now, the two countries have signed 66
agreements, and another one, foreseeing cooperation in the field of
research and development, is set to be signed.

But then again, during the former coalition government of Turkey,
when Israel started the “defensive shield” operation and reoccupied
the West Bank, the coldness started, especially when Bulent Ecevit,
then prime minister of Turkey, characterized what was going on as
“genocide”

Shortly afterwards, the war on Iraq started. Some Turks, including
some state officials, got suspicious about the designs of Israel for
the future of Iraq. The seeds of suspicions were there:
Maybe Israel wants an independent Kurdish state, maybe Israel would
like to have an alternative pipeline to Kirkuk-Yumurtalik namely,
Kirkuk-Haifa, although these suspicions were never voiced out loud.
It was also vice versa, it was never said out loud at the other side
of the Mediterranean, but a government with an Islamic drive in
Turkey might be a problem for Tel Aviv. And then the prime minister
of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when commenting on the assassination
of the religious leader of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, used the words
“state terror.”

This was the beginning of a new “cold cycle” of relations. But
Erdogan, who is a pragmatist, sent his four advisers to Tel Aviv and
then Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. The death of Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat served the interest of Ankara-Tel Aviv relations, too.
Plus, the disengagement plan of Israel and relatively smooth sailing
between Israel and Palestine laid the groundwork for the Erdogan
visit to Israel which will start next week. Israeli sources say that
Israel is ready to open a new page once more. Because Israel,
whatever the situation, needs Turkey. It needs friendly countries on
its periphery as indicated by David Ben-Gurion, the founder of
Israel.

Of course, the visit of Erdogan will be criticized among some circles
in Turkey. If it is not anti-Semitism but anti-Sharon feelings which
are really high in Turkey, especially among the supporters of the
ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party. The government will say,
“But we have very good relations with Arab countries too. Just look
what we did with Syria.” The government will also says that “our good
relations with Israel will serve the cause of peace,” which is one
hundred percent true. Erdogan will say also, “We’re friends with
Israel. Friends are obliged to tell the truth, so we criticized
Israel out of friendship.”

The difference of this visit from previous ones paid by Turkish
officials will have to do with regional issues. For example, one of
the commitments Israel might look for, regarding Iranian nuclear
power, will not be there. Instead, for the good of bilateral
relations there will be commitments, and this will be shown, as the
ministers of agriculture, defense, and energy with their wives will
accompany Mr. and Mrs. Erdogan.

Before visiting Washington, it’s always useful to get wind on your
back coming from Tel Aviv. Plus, it’s time to pay back for the help
of the Jewish lobby for their support against the Armenian “genocide”
claims.

Regardless of the political situation there are almost 2,500 Israeli
companies working in Turkey or doing business with Turkey. Not to
mention the almost 300,000 Israeli tourists coming to Turkey every
year. The trade volume, excluding military deals, reaches some $2
billion. Israel sells $700 million,and buys $1.3 billion from Turkey.
This trade volume is even bigger than the Israeli-Russian one,
despite the almost 1 million Israeli citizens of Russian origins.
This means, whatever the words, that deeds are at the core of
Turkish-Israeli relations, and yes, in the economic field the sky is
the limit and yes, the hair of Muavviye is stronger then ever,
because despite some suspicions and problems and Turkish public
opinion, it is in the form of dollars and reciprocal strategic
interests, and one cannot change this.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
April 27 2005

‘Let’s Settle the Scores with Our Own History First’
By Zaman
Published: Wednesday 27, 2005
zaman.com

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that he is ready
to face with his own history regarding the so-called Armenian
genocide allegations and said, “If we have to settle with our
history, then we will; however, those, who also have to settle with
history, should do so.”

Erdogan confirmed Turkey’s readiness to open the archives regarding
the events in 1915 and said: “No one has the right to put Turkey, our
past and our ancestors under suspicion by lobbies. We cannot say
“yes” to this.” The Prime Minister continued: “Armenians, too, should
open their state archives. If there are third-party countries
involved in this, let them open their state achieves, too.” Erdogan
also repeated his proposal of a joint study by politicians and
historians of the two countries. Attending a meeting titled “The 14th
Business World Round Table Meeting with the Turkish Government” that
was organized by the Economist Group within the framework of the
Economist Conferences series, Erdogan answered questions from
participants. He underlined that Turkey does not find steps taken
regarding the so-called Armenian genocide allegations by various
regions of the world correct. The Prime Minister warned that some
decisions reached by fait accompli in some countries’ parliaments
trigger hatred and animosity around the world. Erdogan urged that he
would inform the parliaments of 15 countries and 56 state councils,
which had made decisions on the so-called genocide, about Turkey’s
recent steps and the latest proposals regarding the issue.

Putin visits Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

RIA news agency, Moscow
27 Apr 05

JERUSALEM

[Russian President] Vladimir Putin has visited the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was erected around Golgotha (Calvary)
Hill at the place of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and burial.

Putin entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where he was welcomed
by three clergymen, [from the] Greek, Armenian and Catholic
[churches].

The president saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, approached the
Holy Sepulchre and then went up to Golgotha.

Then the Russian president visited the Russian spiritual mission in
Jerusalem.

KurdishMedia, UK
April 27 2005

1915’s memory confuses Turks

27/04/2005 Bianet.org
Turkish public gives vexed reactions regarding the heated debate on
Armenian Question. While some propose: “Let’s recognize what had
happened in the past, this would only credit us”, others retort:
“Europe and the US are attempting at dismembering us.

BIA (Istanbul) – As the people of Armenia and the Armenian
`diaspora’ across the globe commemorate the 90th anniversary of
the `genocide’ of 1915, Turkish public is divided between
conflicting opinions.

Some believe that Turkey approaches the issue with paranoid doubts,
and believe that relieving the country from the burden of the past by
recognizing whatever happened in history would earn credits for
Turkey. Yet others perceive the Armenian Question as US and EU forged
conspiracy in order to dismember the country.

Randomly interviewed by bianet reporter, Istanbul inhabitants reflect
motley shades of both opinions.

`Nobody is going to carve Kars (an Eastern town city neighbouring
Armenia) out of Turkey’s boundaries. The Germans admitted that they
have killed the Jews and earned credits for repenting. It would not
be any different for Turkey,’ says insurance agent Seda Katırcı.
Student Hüseyin Alkan converges with the same opinion.

However a döner`grilled meat- seller Ahmet Barçın is cool to
say: `Nobody kills the other without reason,’ and argues that all
talk is coming from `those who want to stain the reputation of
Turkey.’

Meanwhile barber Cüneyt Aslan raises the issue of Turkish casualties
inflicted during the Armenian uprisings of the early 20th century:
`Nobody is talking about the Turkish people who died there. This
shows that Armenians and the Europeans are playing it double’.

Student Aysel OÄŸuz proposes a different approach though: `Let’s
recognize what happened then and apologize. Since our public memory
is weak enough, it will soon be forgotten. Nobody cares about what
happens in Iraq today as much as what took place 90 years ago’.

Comments

Hüseyin Alkan, student

Whatever you may call it, genocide or else, you cannot change the
blunt reality that; people were killed. Turkey must start recognizing
some things. Once you do so, you do not belittle yourself, or you
lose from your dignity. Instead, I believe you are gaining some
appraisal. In the end, it is the Ottoman Empire who did it, not
Turkey.

Ahmet Barçın, döner `grill- seller

Nobody strangles the other without reason. Those who want to stain
our history are at work again as proved by this Armenian issue. The
only friend of the Turk is nobody but the Turk. The Europeans whom we
had defeated feel themselves hurt and looking for revenge in
supporting Armenians. We will not allow this, if somebody tries to
meddle with our business, they will have the answer in a responding
manner’.

Seda Katrci, insurance agent

“Europeans regard us as barbarians, they look down upon us, and they
try to dismember Turkey’¦ All these are illusions forged in our
minds. Nobody perceives us this way. Nobody is going to carve `the
Armenia-Turkey border city of- Kars away. These events happened 90
years ago. The Americans accepted they killed the Amerindians and the
Germans admitted the same for the Jews, and they earned credits for
that. I think it would be no different for Turkey.

Cüneyt Aslan, barber

The Crusaders are back again. They are talking about a war that
happened 90 years ago, as if it happened yesterday. Nobody is even
talking about the Turks who died there. This shows that the Armenians
and the Europeans are playing it double. If they are not accepting us
in the European Union because of this, then they better don’t at
all’.

Aysel Oguz, student

It is as if whole world has left aside everything else and is
debating how many died 90 years ago. Yet they do not care how many
people already die in Iraq and in the ongoing wars elsewhere. Since
our public memory is extremely weak just like the fish memory. I
propose apologize. Everything will be forgotten soon. Thus, Turkey
will be relieved of the pressure coming from Europe and the US.

Hande Koçgürbüz, housewife

If we admit that genocide had occurred, I am afraid that very bad
things will happen. In the TV broadcasts, it is repeatedly reported
that Turkey’s interests are at stake. I wonder does EU support for
the Armenians mean, and what for a negative attitude towards Turkey.
And what if the Armenians are right? What if Turkey is right? We do
not know the answers to these questions. A war had happened and
people were killed. Our rulers will do whatever necessary.

Bahri Yavuz, art historian

The whole problem is not detached of our own perception of history
and our attitude towards the minorities. The core problem is that
`in our popular conscience- everybody except Turks are perceived as
villains plotting against our national interests, and this is what is
taught to the public: `Our homeland will be taken away from us’,
`The Armenians and the Kurds are plotting against our country’.

We must get rid of such paranoia and stop speaking of `so-called
genocide’ but resolve conflicts instead. We should also recognize
that people from other ethnic backgrounds are also living in this
country. The Armenians are one of those. Refusals will not solve
anything. (KÃ-/EÃ`)

Turkish Press
April 27 2005

Press Review:

Cumhuriyet:
ERDOGAN ADDRESSES EU CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL, DENIES SLOWDOWN IN
ACCESSION EFFORTS

Speaking at a conference yesterday organized by the Economist
magazine on Turkey’s European Union membership, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied claims that recently Turkey had lost
momentum in its efforts to join the EU following the Union’s summit
last December, adding that not Ankara but the EU had slowed down
concerning Turkey’s EU membership bid. `Any delay is from the EU,
not from Turkey,’ he said. The premier touted his Justice and
Development Party’s (AKP) EU reforms, calling them a `silent
revolution.’ Touching on the so-called Armenian genocide, Erdogan
called for politicians and historians to research the issue.
`We’re ready to face up to our history, but others also need to
face their histories,’ said Erdogan. `We’re opening our
archives, but Armenia should also open its archives. Everybody should
reveal the facts.’ Erdogan stressed that no state has the right to
cast a shadow over another country’s past through lobbying. The
premier stated that secular, democratic Turkey was a model country in
its region. Later, Erdogan met with his Australian counterpart John
Howard to discuss bilateral relations. /Cumhuriyet/