ANKARA—Turkey and Armenia should not expect to resolve their “long-running dispute” over the Armenian Genocide on the 100th anniversary of the event in 2015, a top adviser to the Turkish prime minister said, AFP reports.
Etyen Mahcupyan, who is himself a member of Turkey’s Armenian minority, told AFP in an interview that 2015 would be a “tough year” because of the anniversary and major breakthroughs would have to wait for later.
“I believe symbolic steps could be taken this year and a more emotional relationship could be established,” said Mahcupyan, who is a senior adviser to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
“But I believe more political or historical issues will be left to the coming years and then it will be easier,” he added.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered an expression of condolence for the massacres in April when he was still prime minister, describing the killings as “our shared pain.”
But this went nowhere near far enough for Armenians, who want the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million people recognized as a campaign of genocide ordered by the top security leadership of the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1918.
Mahcupyan, one of very few Armenians to have held a government post, said the priority for the future should be establishing relations with Armenia as well as the millions-strong diaspora, many of whom harbor a deep hatred of Turkey.
“I don’t think we need to hurry 100 years on. What happens later on should proceed more healthily,” he said.
Armenia will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Genocide on April 24, the date when in 1915 hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders were rounded up and later massacred in Constantinople (now Istanbul) marking the start of the killings.
Pointing to the striking “rapprochement” in relations between Russia and Turkey over the last months, Mahcupyan said Moscow could play a role “that facilitates this issue,” he said.
Simply go to hell. Turkey is guilty of Genocide, Period. No ifs or buts.
I read that some Armenians saved themselves and their families, by turning in others to the Turks Some would serve any master for a price I don’t expect him to have an impact on any issue. But we should not discourage it either.
Mr. Mahcupyan,
Grigor Zohrab was also a body-body with Turkish officials, like the way you are now. And what happened to him?
For God’s sake do not dirty your hands with the bloody Turkey. Armenians are not naive any more to be fooled by likes of you. Get out of Turkish dirty politics and live an honest life.
I agree with you
Any Armenian assigned to a high post in Turkey is to be commanded and congratulated. However, any Armenian with any sense of national integrity would refrain from turning into a clown of his masters. Mahcupyan had always argued against his critics that his assignment by Davutoglu to this prestigious post had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with him being Armenian, and that the only reason why he was chosen to be PM’s top advisor was his intellect and his talent. If so, Mahcupyan should have tended his resignation when the PM clearly made him his personal clown in the matter of the Armenian genocide. Any Armenian with any integrity would have done so!
You are right, the problem is if has integrity
Just a spineless self serving bureaucrat. We’ve had many of these back in the Ottoman days as well as during the Soviet era. They don’t care about anything other than their careers and standing among the dominating elites. Our history is littered with such treacherous figures.
Money, Money, Money.
Turkey’ expects Russia to betray Armenians.
We all saw this coming miles away.
I think it would suit Turkey just fine if we held off on the Genocide issue indefinitely. Most definitely until Armenians fully assimilate into foreign cultures.
“To coming years,” helpfully says Mr. Mahcupyan. It would have been more helpful had Davutoglu’s mouthpiece was more specific. Is he talking about 2115? 2215? When the cows come home? In Kingdom Come?
Perhaps MAHcupyan is talking about “Mah”–that is when the Armenian Nation dies, and, as one Turkish genocidier said, there would be one sample Armenian left for museum purposes.
Vasag comes to mind, for some reason.
Here we go again, all the negative comments just because a Hay has become advisor to the PM of Turkey
I doubt if any of you can appreciate what it took for Mr. Mahcupyan to have reached that position. I have read many of his editorials in Todays Zaman and he has consistantley managed to diplomatically address Armenian issues in ways that can be called daring.
What do you all expect him to do?? To force Genocide acceptance to the anti Armenian PM?
He is one of the best opportunities we have to influence the Turkish leadership, dont forget a flower you plant may not necessarily bloom; but the seed of a tree you happen to drop may grow into a forest
Only time will tell.
OK Stephan can you tell me why Turkish PM has chosen him and not a Turk? What is the message here? It seems like Turks are playing upper hand here by putting an Armenian as advisor. At the end of the day this will benefit them more than benefiting Armenians in front of world podium. Turks will become victories against any Armenian issue including Genocide, we will see. Please don’t forget one thing, Turk is a Turk no matter what and you should never trust them. In the past we have always trusted them and we have believed on them but at the end we have been shafted. We love to see Turks as logical and trustworthy partner but unfortunately that is not the case and it’s only a dream and naivety from our side.
Exactly, this guy didn’t accept this position to help Armenians, he’s just an opportunist
The AKP party new Janissaries are on rise, like the times of Ossmani Caliphate. Unfortunately Mr. Etyen Mahcup(yan) is a Turk with An Armenian surname, means nothing, but serves Turkey’s political interest in European countries, where foxy Davood Oghloo will use against Armenian Nation, like a poisonous earthy snake!
Machupyan is a Turkified Armenian. Ethnically an Armenian, but culturally and pragmatically a turk more turkish than a real turk. Machupyan would not have risen to these heights in the government of Erdogan had he not demonstrated to be more Turkish than Armenian.
Same can be said about Anastas Mikoyan, so why erect a statue of him in Yerevan? Must be part of the plan for the new CCCP regional order.
Thanks to CCCP we have an Armenia
I don’t want to ponder why this author wrote her book. That’s between her and somebody professional, like a shrink.However, what I find interesting is how eagerly the media (I mean non-Armenian) has rushed to put her on the dais and give her positive publicity, something which almost never happens to Armenians who have written more interesting and better written books (fiction and non-fiction). It’s enough to wonder whether there’s reason to be paranoid.
Despite the centuries of brutality, racism, oppression, authoritarianism, dictatorship, despite demagogue Erdogan, despite the slaying of the Kurds, despite Gezi Park, blatant assistance to ISIS, and despite the jailing of 75 journalists (more than any country), the US media remains in love with Ankara, marching lock in step with the State Department. Perhaps the recent pact between Putin/Erdogan would make them see the light and see no delight in Turkish promotion.
We have to be ready….
Here is a man bought and sold in a Turkish bazaar
Sorry… but I’m a little confused here… Please bare with me.
When Mahchoupian, while he was the editor in chief of Agos newspaper, published a letter from Vahe Berberian saying that, while hew was filled with hatred and revenge in his formative years as an Armenian, he now realizes that: ” feelings of revenge and hatred poisoned, first and foremost, the one who bears such feelings.”
Now you mean to tell me that Vahe Berberian is a traitor? Now I’m really confused … Please somebody enlighten me… God help us!
People change and adapt to their convenience, I don’t think the Turkish governmet will use his knowledge to help Armenians, whtat the Turkish government is after to use his knowledge in how to scrw the Armenians
I don’t take any of this seriously. Turks are simply raising more noise to keep the attention as far away from the main point as possible. And that point isn’t the Genocide. The main point is the Woodrow Wilson Arbitral Award, which is about land.
That’s right
I think I got it! How about we share our pain and while we’re at it, lets share the land too. Voila! Problem solved. Now, would I be considered a traitor for not mentioning the word GENOCIDE?
If not, does anyone have Mahchupyan’s email address?