Commemorations of two 1915 events—the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey and the
Turkish stand at Gallipoli—have caused tension
More than 60 leaders and representatives from around the world converged on
the Armenian capital on Friday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of
the beginning of a period during which more than 1 million Armenians
were killed in Turkey.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President François Hollande both attended the ceremony, while the White House dispatched Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.
The anniversary of the 1915 killings, in what was then the eastern edge of the Ottoman Empire, has coincided with a surge in international awareness. In the past month, global icons ranging from Pope Francis to Kim Kardashian (who has Armenian ancestry) have ruffled Turkish feathers by shedding light on the killings and using the term “genocide,” which the Turkish government rejects. And as world envoys gather in Yerevan, similar ceremonies will be held in cities around the world.
On April 24, 1915, the Ottomans rounded up Armenian intellectuals in Istanbul in the beginning of what historians widely consider a genocidal act of bloodshed. In an article years later about a violent Armenian campaign for vengeance, TIME Magazine described the killings - click on the link below for the complete report
Read more: Turkey and Armenia Host Clashing Centennial Memorials | TIME
Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President François Hollande both attended the ceremony, while the White House dispatched Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.
The anniversary of the 1915 killings, in what was then the eastern edge of the Ottoman Empire, has coincided with a surge in international awareness. In the past month, global icons ranging from Pope Francis to Kim Kardashian (who has Armenian ancestry) have ruffled Turkish feathers by shedding light on the killings and using the term “genocide,” which the Turkish government rejects. And as world envoys gather in Yerevan, similar ceremonies will be held in cities around the world.
On April 24, 1915, the Ottomans rounded up Armenian intellectuals in Istanbul in the beginning of what historians widely consider a genocidal act of bloodshed. In an article years later about a violent Armenian campaign for vengeance, TIME Magazine described the killings - click on the link below for the complete report
Note EU-Digest: One hundred years now this argument between Armenia and Turkey has been
going on.
If anyone would take the time to study the history or even review the basic facts available in the two countries archives (Turkey allows you to look at theirs - Armenians don't so far).
In this case, where the waters are still murky, our fellow European, the President of Germany, the Pope and many other leaders should have checked all the facts, before making any rash statements on the issue or mentioning the word genocide.
Indeed terrible atrocities took place on both sides - but the figure of 1.5, constantly quoted, mainly by Armenians, as to the number of Armenian victims is fictitious. There were not even that number of Armenians living in the whole of Turkey at that time.
Hopefully some time soon some independent forum (UN) can come up with a realistic answer to what now seems to have become a profitable venture for the Armenians and a very sad, but time consuming issue for everyone else.
If anyone would take the time to study the history or even review the basic facts available in the two countries archives (Turkey allows you to look at theirs - Armenians don't so far).
In this case, where the waters are still murky, our fellow European, the President of Germany, the Pope and many other leaders should have checked all the facts, before making any rash statements on the issue or mentioning the word genocide.
Indeed terrible atrocities took place on both sides - but the figure of 1.5, constantly quoted, mainly by Armenians, as to the number of Armenian victims is fictitious. There were not even that number of Armenians living in the whole of Turkey at that time.
Hopefully some time soon some independent forum (UN) can come up with a realistic answer to what now seems to have become a profitable venture for the Armenians and a very sad, but time consuming issue for everyone else.
Read more: Turkey and Armenia Host Clashing Centennial Memorials | TIME
