Turkey Summons US Ambassador over Armenian Genocide Recognition | DW News

Turkey has reacted angrily after US President Joe Biden formally recognized the Armenian genocide, which took place during the Ottoman era. Ankara has summoned the US ambassador over the remarks.

In his statement, Biden said he and all Americans honor the memory of all those Armenians who perished in a genocide that began exactly 106 years ago. Thousands of people in Armenia's capital Yerevan have been commemorating the mass killings, deportations and forced marches.

Armenian officials led the nation in commemorating the horrors of the past. The procession at this hilltop memorial in the capital Yerevan, included Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Members of the public too streamed in, to honor the dead.

And they welcome the announcement from Washington, calling those past events a genocide. In 1915, a million Armenians were brutally murdered by Ottoman Turks. Many more were deported and sent on death marches into the Syrian desert.

Armenians have long campaigned for the crimes against their people to be recognized internationally as genocide. Turkey argues that there was no systematic attempt to wipe out Armenians, and no such order from the Ottoman authorities.

But nearly thirty countries have recognized the atrocities as genocide.

Many Armenians would consider the diplomatic spats over terminology a distraction from the memory of atrocities of more than a century ago that haunt their nation to this day.

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'Armenian Genocide': Why Obama Won't Say the Words

President Obama's campaign promise – to refer to 'Armenian genocide' – remains unfulfilled on the 100th anniversary of when the killings started. US-Turkey relations hold sway, but the president also suggested his true feelings.
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: WASHINGTON — As a presidential candidate in 2008, Barack Obama promised to be the first American president to refer to the Turkish mass killing of Armenians that began in 1915 as “genocide.”

But on this anniversary, the 100th, President Obama has once again avoided the word. In a statement released Thursday night, he referred to it only as “the first mass atrocity of the 20th century."

“Beginning in 1915, the Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire were deported, massacred, and marched to their deaths,” Obama said. “Their culture and heritage in their ancient homeland were erased. Amid horrific violence that saw suffering on all sides, one and a half million Armenians perished.”

The reason for Obama’s reticence: Turkey, and its role as a key ally in NATO and in the conflicts of the Middle East. Armenia, a nation of 3 million people in the Caucasus, pales in geostrategic importance. (+ video) » | Linda Feldmann, Staff writer | Friday, April 24, 2015

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Germany defies Turkey, calls Armenian massacre 'genocide' (+video): Germany abruptly shifted its policy Monday from a steadfast refusal to use the term "genocide" to describe the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces 100 years ago. » | Erik Kirschbaum, Reuters | Monday, April 20, 2015

Turkey Anger at Pope Francis Armenian 'Genocide' Claim

BBC AMERICA: Turkey has criticised Pope Francis for using the word "genocide" to describe the mass killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule in World War 1.

Ankara immediately summoned the Vatican's envoy after the Pope made the comments at a service in Rome.

Turkey's Foreign Minister described it as "far from the historical reality".

Armenia and many historians say up to 1.5 million people were killed by Ottoman forces in 1915. Turkey has always disputed the number of dead.

The dispute has continued to sour relations between Armenia and Turkey. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, April 12, 2015

Pope Francis Calls Armenian Slaughter 'Genocide'

THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff’s comments are likely to anger Turkey, which denies that the killings 100 years ago during the fall of the Ottoman empire constituted genocide


Pope Francis has described the mass killing of Armenians 100 years ago as a genocide, a politically explosive pronouncement that could damage diplomatic relations with Turkey.

During a special mass to mark the centenary of the mass killing, the pontiff referred to “three massive and unprecedented tragedies” of the past century. “The first, which is widely considered the first genocide of the twentieth century, struck your own Armenian people,” he said, quoting a declaration signed in 2001 by Pope John Paul II and Kerekin II, leader of the Armenian church.

“Bishops and priests, religious women and men, the elderly and even defenceless children and the infirm were murdered,” the pope said. » | Rosie Scammell in Rome | Sunday, April 12, 2015

France's Armenia Genocide Law Put On Hold

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: French MPs from across party lines petition against bill outlawing denial of mass killings by Ottoman Turks as genocide.

A new French law punishing denial of the "Armenian genocide" has been put on hold after politicians from across party lines opposed to the legislation demanded that its constitutionality be examined.

Turkey reacted furiously last week when the Senate approved the law which threatens with jail anyone in France who denies that the 1915 to 1916 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's office brushed off angry threats of retaliation by Turkey and vowed to enforce the law within a fortnight.

However, on Tuesday two separate groups of French politicians who oppose the legislation - from both the Senate and the lower house of parliament - said they had formally requested the constitutional council to examine the law.

"This is an atomic bomb for the Elysee [the presidential office] which didn't see it coming," Lionel Tardy, a deputy from Sarkozy’s own party, said. » | Source: Agencies | Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Turkish Anger Over French 'Genocide' Vote
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, says a controversial genocide bill passed by the French parliament is "racist". The proposed law makes it illegal to deny that the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 constituted genocide. Turkey says relations between the countries will be seriously affected if French President Nicolas Sarkozy signs it into law. Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reports from Turkey's main city, Istanbul.

Turkish Rage at ‘Yes’ from French Senate

HÜRRIYET DAILY NEWS: Turkey expressed fury yesterday after the French Senate passed a bill criminalizing denials of the 1915 events as genocide in spite of threats from Ankara to punish Paris with “permanent” sanctions if the bill was passed.

“Turkey’s response to the adoption of the bill had long been decided. These measures will stay in place as long as the law stays in force,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told reporters yesterday.

French senators passed the bill following a marathon session, with 127 legislators voting in favor of the bill and 86 voting against the motion in the legislature’s upper house, which has 348 members.

France’s lower house voted to make such denials a crime last month, prompting Turkey to suspended military, economic and political ties. With the motion’s passage through the Senate, Turkey is now expected to unveil a new raft of measures that will affect educational and cultural ties with France.

The bill will become law once it is approved by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and enters the Official Gazette.

Making a speech on behalf of the government, French Minister of Relations with Parliament Patrick Ollier said the bill complied with French and EU laws. Ollier said two “genocides” were now recognized by France.

“The denial of the Jewish genocide is penalized; [now we are making that] this possible for the Armenian genocide as well,” said Ollier. » | Hürriyet Daily News | ANKARA | Tuesday, January 24, 2012

HÜRRIYET DAILY NEWS: 'Genocide' bill 'null and void for us': Erdoğan » | Hurriyet.com.tr | Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Turkish Fury at French Vote on Armenian Genocide Law

BBC: Turkey has reacted with anger after the French Senate approved a bill making it a crime to deny genocide was committed by Ottoman Turks against Armenians during World War I.

The Turkish foreign ministry branded the decision "irresponsible" and threatened swift retaliatory measures.

Armenia says that up to 1.5 million people died in 1915-16 as the Ottoman empire split.

Turkey rejects the term genocide and says the number was much smaller.

The bill will now be sent to President Nicolas Sarkozy to be signed into law, which he is expected to do before the end of February.

'Total rupture'

Correspondents say the move threatens to cause a serious rift between France and Turkey, who are Nato allies.

"France opened a black page in its history," said Volkan Bozkir, head of the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee, on Twitter.

Turkey's ambassador to France, Tahsin Burcuoglu, said the vote could cause a "total rupture" of relations between the two countries. » | Monday, January 23, 2012

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Turkey Threatens to Expel 100,000 Armenians Over 'Genocide' Row
THE TELEGRAPH: Turkey has threatened to expel 100,000 Armenians from the country in response to the US branding the First World War killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as "genocide".

Ottoman soldiers posing in front of Armenians they hung on a public place, image taken in Alep in 1915. Photograph: The Telegraph
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, said the position of the immigrants, many of whom have lived there as refugees for a generation, was being reviewed in the wake of the row.

Armenia claims more than 500,000 of its countrymen died in bitter in-fighting as the Ottoman Empire disintegrated at the height of the First World War.

Turkey concedes that tens of thousands died in ethnic fighting but vehemently disputes accusations that massacres were systematically planned.

Tensions with Armenia have recently escalated as a well-organised worldwide campaign has persuaded the American Congress and Swedish parliament to adopt resolutions condemning the incidents as "genocide".

An Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Bill has also been put before the House of Commons and Mr Erdogan has warned Gordon Brown that relations would suffer if parliament passes it.

Turkish law already makes discussion of genocide an offence punishable by imprisonment.

"There are currently 170,000 Armenians living in our country. Only 70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we are tolerating the remaining 100,000," said Mr Erdogan.

"If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their country because they are not my citizens. I don't have to keep them in my country." >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Related:

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Turkish EU Minister on the Armenian Genocide Controversy: 'We Are Very Sensitive About This Issue' >>> Interview conducted by Bernhard Zand and Daniel Steinvorth | Tuesday, March 16, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: Turkey Threatens 'Serious Consequences' After US Vote on Armenian Genocide >>> Robert Tait in Istanbul and Ewen MacAskill in Washington | Friday, March 05, 2010

A Bitter Century: Armenian Survivor

White House Seeks to Block Turkish ‘Genocide’ Bill
MAIL ONLINE: The White House is seeking to block a controversial US bill branding the mass slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in World War One as genocide.

A congressional committee caused a major diplomatic row last week by voting in favour of the legislation.

Turkey recalled its ambassador from Washington and said the move would damage relations with America’s key NATO ally.

But State Secretary Hillary Clinton tried to defuse the row by claiming the Obama administration would ‘work very hard’ to prevent the genocide bill going to a full vote on Capitol Hill.

'We are against this. Now we believe that the US Congress will not take any decision on this subject,’ she said.

Mrs Clinton is hoping her reassurance will help defuse the rumpus over the dark, century-old chapter in Turkish history. >>> David Gardner | Sunday, March 07, 2010

Ahmet Davutoglu, the Foreign Minister of Turkey. Photo: The Wall Street Journal
Genocide Vote Riles Turkey: Ankara Recalls Ambassador After U.S. Panel Condemns 1915 Slaughter of Armenians
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: A U.S. congressional committee approved a resolution condemning the 1915 slaughter of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, rejecting a last-minute Obama administration effort to derail it and putting a chill on relations with Turkey.

The House panel's resolution, approved on a 23-22 vote, faces an uncertain future in Congress. But it nonetheless could damage U.S. relations with Turkey, a vital ally in the Middle East and Central Asia. Within minutes of the vote, Ankara said it was recalling its ambassador from Washington for consultations. Turkey took the same step in 2007, when the committee passed a similar resolution.

Thursday's vote also raised concerns for big U.S. defense firms including Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., Raytheon Co., United Technologies Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. Turkey is involved in several weapons projects with such companies, including helicopters, missiles and the F-35 fighter jet, and the companies are worried about losing business.

The vote was carried live on most Turkish television and radio news channels and was seen as a significant blow to Turkey's already limping attempt at rapprochement with Armenia.

Armenians say as many as 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were killed in 1915 during the dying days of the Ottoman Empire in what they consider a precursor to the Jewish holocaust. Many historians agree that the executions and mass deportations into deserts amounted to genocide. Turkey argues the death toll was lower, and many Turks contend the deaths were a result of civil war stirred up by World War I opponents such as Russia, and included atrocities on both sides. >>> John D. McKinnon and Marc Champion | Thursday, March 04, 2010

Related:

US Labels Turkish Killing 'Genocide' >>> | Thursday, March 04, 2010

Genocide Vote Riles Turkey: Ankara Recalls Ambassador After U.S. Panel Condemns 1915 Slaughter of Armenians
View interactive >>> | Thursday, March 04, 2010

WSJ Exclusive: Interview With Turkish PM Erdogan (Historic)

US Labels Turkish Killing 'Genocide'
THE TELEGRAPH: Turkey has recalled their ambassador to Washington after a US congress panel voted to label the World War One-era killing of Armenians as genocide.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Photograph: The Telegraph
Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said he was seriously concerned that the resolution would harm ties between the US and Turkey, and the ambassador was being recalled for consultations.

The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted to label as "genocide" the massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces, despite pressure from the Obama administration and Turkey to drop the matter.

But it was unclear whether the measure will get a floor vote.
It calls on President Barack Obama to ensure US policy formally refers to the massacre as genocide, putting him in a tight spot.

On the one side is Nato ally Turkey, which rejects calling the events genocide.

On the other side is an important US Armenian-American constituency and their backers in Congress ahead of congressional elections in November.

Turkey had warned its ties with the United States would be damaged and Ankara's efforts to normalise relations with Armenia could be harmed if the resolution were approved.

"We highly appreciate the decision," Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said.

"This is further proof of the devotion of the American people to universal human values and is an important step towards the prevention of crimes against humanity." >>> | Thursday, March 04, 2010

Infidels under Islam. Learn from History. One of the Largest Genocides in World History
Part 1:



Part 2:

Memo from Istanbul: Nearly a Million Genocide Victims, Covered in a Cloak of Amnesia
THE NEW YORK TIMES: ISTANBUL — For Turkey, the number should have been a bombshell.

According to a long-hidden document that belonged to the interior minister of the Ottoman Empire, 972,000 Ottoman Armenians disappeared from official population records from 1915 through 1916.

Ottoman Armenians are marched to a prison by armed Turkish soldiers in April 1915. Photo courtesy of The New York Times
In Turkey, any discussion of what happened to the Ottoman Armenians can bring a storm of public outrage. But since its publication in a book in January, the number — and its Ottoman source — has gone virtually unmentioned. Newspapers hardly wrote about it. Television shows have not discussed it.

“Nothing,” said Murat Bardakci, the Turkish author and columnist who compiled the book.

The silence can mean only one thing, he said: “My numbers are too high for ordinary people. Maybe people aren’t ready to talk about it yet.”

For generations, most Turks knew nothing of the details of the Armenian genocide of 1915 to 1918, when more than a million Armenians were killed as the Ottoman Turk government purged the population. Turkey locked the ugliest parts of its past out of sight, Soviet-style, keeping any mention of the events out of schoolbooks and official narratives in an aggressive campaign of forgetting.

But in the past 10 years, as civil society has flourished here, some parts of Turkish society are now openly questioning the state’s version of events. In December, a group of intellectuals circulated a petition that apologized for the denial of the massacres. Some 29,000 people have signed it.

With his book, “The Remaining Documents of Talat Pasha,” Mr. Bardakci (pronounced bard-AK-chuh) has become, rather unwillingly, part of this ferment. The book is a collection of documents and records that once belonged to Mehmed Talat, known as Talat Pasha, the primary architect of the Armenian deportations. >>> By Sabrina Tavernise | Sunday, March 8, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)