Turkish Citizens Advise Ankara to Follow Serbia’s Example and Apologize to Armenians
Some people in Turkey believe that Ankara should follow Serbia’s example (as it retains to the Srebrenica massacre) and apologize to Armenians for the Armenian Genocide so that Turkey can become a full member of the European Union.
Earlier this week, Serbia’s parliament passed a landmark resolution offering an apology for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre — the worst incident of the Bosnian War — but stopped short of calling it genocide.
In an interview with Turkish paper Habertürk, columnist Soli Ozel, who specializes in international relations, said that since Serbia was on the path toward EU membership, it was necessary to implement measures addressing those accusations of genocide directed at the country.
“That is, that decision is directly related to EU membership. Serbian authorities, though it was a difficult decision, made it, while facing harsh criticism and counter-reaction from nationalists … But as for what concerns Turkey, on the issue of the Armenian Genocide, it has not yet reached that point. But it will be easier for Turkey from now on to take such initiatives. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry needs to work on that issue,” said Ozel.
Maya Arakon, a professor of Turkey’s Yeditepe University, in turn, told Habertürk that with that apology Serbia is trying to whitewash its history in accordance with EU standards, as its aim is to be a member of the EU.
“We too, having before us the Armenian Genocide issue, can take such an initiative… For the EU, such an apology means progress in democracy… As we know, we are surrounded by the Armenian Genocide issue on all four sides. Following Serbia’s example, Turkey can also apologize, without qualifying the 1915 events as genocide,” said Arakon, adding that it would strengthen Turkey’s positions in the domain of foreign policy.
Source: Tert – Original Article
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Genocide acknowledgment without accountability is hollow and meaningless.
Forgiving Turkey of its crime of genocide without punishment would encourage the Turks and other would be perpetrators to commit another genocide.
Turkey must return lands of the first Armenian Republic 1918-20, that it stole and continues to occupy. The first Armenian Republic was officially recognized by the US, UK, Japan, and others, which had exchange of diplomatic missions at the ambassadorial level.
While the Armenian genocide was on-going (1915-23) in Western Armenia and Cilician Armenia, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk picked up where the Young Turks left off, and invaded the fledgling Armenian republic (territory roughly twice the size of the current republic).
Ataturk was responsible for the deaths of another 250,000 Armenians and annexed 60% of the first republic territories (Ararat, Igdir, Ani, Kars, Ardahan, Hopa, etc..)
As for Azerbaijan, it needs to withdraw from Nakhichevan.
Land * Reparation * Restitution
to berge jololian. the real killers are you and your ancestors and your relatives.
why to say sorry to the armenians.who killed who?the turkish killed the armenians?who says so?the armenians and their christiand friends.if the turkish had wanted to kill armenians they would have done it when they first came to anatolia.whereas the armenians lived in peace for a millennium until they started killing the turkish.then they were migrated another places to stop their killings. the turkish behaved in a best way to their subjects.if had not. today half of the europe and the easterners would have been speaking turkish and also they would have been muslims . but they didnt do so because islam banned doing so. but eurpopeans killed most people where they conquered and converted them into christianity. hey armenians. open your eyes and see what is real.
Every time the Turks say “prove it” I get to thinking,thousands of photographs,reels of film,and eye witness accounts from Americans,Germans,Swiss,French,and even thier own fellow Turks. The denial has carried on so long that they really believe in thier own innocents.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars and seven former presidents of the IAGS have on numerous occasions called on the Turkish state to acknowledge its crime of genocide.
Denial is not just the simple negation of an act; it is much more the consequent continuation of the very act itself.
Genocide should not only physically destroy a community; it should likewise dictate the prerogative of interpretation in regard to history, culture, territory and memory. As the victims – Armenians – ‘never existed’.
The Turkish have not only murdered humans, destroyed an ancient culture/civilization and rewritten history, but they continue to legitimize the act as well as the racist ideology that led to the act.
Jurist Raphael Lemkin coined the word ‘genocide’ to describe the destruction of the Armenians and the barbarity that befell upon them by the Turkish state. Prior to the creation of the word ‘genocide’, Prime Winston Churchill and world leaders referred to the Turkish crimes against humanity as the “Armenian Holocaust.”