ANKARA (ArmRadio)—Turkey needs to develop a strategy to counter pressure to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide as the 100th anniversary of the atrocities looms, a top Turkish diplomat said Monday, Agence France-Presse reports.
Altay Cengizer, director general for policy planning at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, told the Hurriyet daily that U.S.-based Armenian diaspora groups saw the centenary as an opportunity to prove that genocide was carried out and planned by the Ottoman authorities.
He likened the anniversary to a “penalty kick” that some saw as a chance to settle the issue, adding that the biggest nightmare for Turkey would be for the United States to recognize the mass killings and deportations as genocide.
“We are challenging the fact that it was a penalty. But they will take their chance,” he said.
He made it clear that Turkey – which has always categorically rejected the term genocide – had no intention of shifting its position.
“Genocide is a political concept. Turkey does not deserve to appear before the world as a nation that committed genocide,” he said.
Cengizer said he had just returned from Washington and saw that “a great campaign of accusations” was being prepared by Armenian diaspora groups.
“Their aim is to leave Turkey with a past that it won’t be able to overcome. And 2015 is their target,” he said.
“Turkey will make every effort to say what we believe is right against these claims, which target our very identity,” said Cengizer.
“But time will tell how successful this is. If we are not successful we are going to have to determine a strategy for post-2015. There is no other way,” he said.
Interesting revelation “… If we are not successful we are going to have to determine a strategy for post-2015. There is no other way,”
As a US Citizen I ask my leaders do you stand with the truth and justice for humanity or do you stand with
evil and megalomaniac states that commit genocide against innocent people?
I hope we will do the right thing just like most civilized European and South American nations have done already God save us all!!
Why is this news?………………what did we expect him to say…………………..
I don’t see any tiny shred of hope! Obama’s promising pledge turned out to be a big lie… That was a hopeful as we Armenians could ever become or feel. Most Armenians including myself see some signs of hope when witnessing Turkey’s controversial antics and policies that are against American interests and anti-Israel. That people & politicians of the U.S. will not be forgiving anymore… Alas, that is not the case. Even if toward the end of his term, Obama leans back towards what he ran on in 2008, with the Republicans winning the majority in both chambers of the American Congress last Tuesday, I would say there’s ABSOLUTELY NO HOPE WHATSOEVER of the USA ‘manning up’ like some 20 plus countries and to officially recognizing The Armenian Genocide.
Turks-ur ancestors committed GENOCIDE_admit and pay us back for what they stole-we will not hang u or cut u up like ur ottoman animal ancestors did-move on-move forward-u will NEVER get away from it-u may be strong today-u will soon be weak and see-admit it-pay up
Is there any distant possibility that US will recognize genocide in 2015, realistically? Unless it will be in their interest, zionists will never allow it to pass.
“Their aim is to leave Turkey with a past that it won’t be able to overcome. And 2015 is their target,” he said
Even though turkey left us a past that they thought we could not overcome , but we did overcome from it a new Armenia was formed world recognised us as a nation and we will overcome evey obstacle that is being thrown at us.
you are full of M. E. R.D.
Let the nightmare begin!
British People Remember
To Add Another Leaf to Your Red Poppy
For The Genocided Armenians (April 24, 1915)
Before the World War I . . .
Our Genocide began.
You lost young soldiers,
Martyred with their guns,
Who went passionately,
Defending their Crown;
They did not return, . . .
Were lamented by their nation
By parents, wives, offspring,
And their countrymen.
You lost your bravest men . . . and
We felt your sadness.
We lost almost all our Artful, Literate
Voiceless, Devoted, Enslaved populaces
Slaughtered . . . raped . . . dehydrated . . .
Famineated on the sunny Der Zor sand!
When you remember your Armistice Day*,
Please remember, for your soldiers’ sake,
Our slaughtered unborn sons
Who never grew to become young men!
They fell to defend their dignity . . .
Their faith, yours and each honest human.
Along with democracy . . . human rights . . .
Awake . . . return to your faith . . .
Remember the Armenian Genocide.
Add another leaf to your red poppy,
And make Remembrance Day
More humanitarian.
We have not yet regained our rights,
To our historic homeland . . .
Our Biblical Mount Ararat of civilized hearts,
Where the martyred proud reign.
(C) SYLVA PORTOIAN, M.D
From my Poetry collection “A Poetic Soul Shined of Genocides” 2008
will be published in my new collection, 2015
“BRING-OUT Our Genocided Skulls & Artful Hands” 2015
_________________
*November 11, 1918
TURKEY WOULD DO BETTER TO RECOGNIZE AND PAY UP NOW, THAN HAVE TO DEAL LATER FROM A POSITION OF WEAKNESS.
I agree with you
The Genocide is one hell of a nightmare for the Armenians. And still is. It crushed the nation with ongoing ramifications. So (Ottoman) Turkey can organise a mass slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians but can’t face the ‘nightmare’ of the consequence? Poor Turkey.
Ok, let’s understand one thing here. The US government is no more genuinely concerned in truth and integrity than the Turkish government. This is politics. The US has had this bullet against the Turks for several decades. Never firing but always cocking the gun. Never equate the American people to their government. Much goes on without the people actually knowing, both domestically and internationally. It’s not a zionist conspiracy either. It’s simply politics and skullduggery! The day the US passes a Genocide bill will either be with the consent of the Turks or when a time passes that the US feels they no longer need Turkey. It’s all about “interests”. Let’s be honest, the Turks are a US ally and the Armenians are a allied with the Russians! Why? It’s an alignment of interests.
Armenian interest groups have wasted plenty of time, tens of millions of dollars and much effort in trying to pass an AG bill. Instead they would have been better served spending this money on funding educational institutions to add the AG in curricula. What young people learn at school/college is rarely forgotten. The French Armenians did it as we see the AG taught in every high school in France. What’s more important? People who are taught about a Genocide in school? or a bill passed once by a group of very corrupt and despicable people?
This Turk Oghloo does not understand that Turkey covered up their nightmare for 99 years!
Large scale word of mouth propaganda can do a lot, dipping Turkey’s name in the mud is a price too high for any country to overcome includining Turkey, Armenians should do worlwide campaign making the damage of recognizing the Genocide the lesser of it’s choices.
What about the “nightmare” of the 1.5 million butchered Armenians?