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Turkish officials lack in Mathematics

Math skills lack of Turkish officials have widely become reason for fun lately.

The latest statements of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cause already quite funny situations and expressions. I’d recall, he claimed he would deport the Armenians living in Turkey, and this was stated as a response to Armenian Genocide recognition by Sweden and putting the issue on agenda of USA, Spain and Bulgaria parliaments.
The number Erdogan used was 170 thousands (100 of which are staying illegally). The Armenian Observer wonders by Turkish Prime Math skills:the real number of Armenians staying illegally can not be more than 15,000.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again threatened to expel Armenians illegally working in his country. The big news is – now Erdogan has estimated the number of Armenians in Turkey to be 170,000 and has claimed, that 100,000 of them are illegals.

Another interesting statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who claims Turkey had conflict with Serbs for 1300 years long, while today their relations are improved. Athanatoi wonders where “the conflict” started, if Turks started their movement from Altai mountains to the region only in 11th century. If considering Davutoglu logics, the conflict started between Altai Turkish tribes and Serbian Army in Altai. This statement is as far from historical reality, as for instance statement that Roman Empire army had conflict with Nazi Germany in 20th century.

Agreement for not using force between parts of Karabakh conflict

A very interesting article on Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan interview to Euronews TV channel. I publish the whole article:

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nagorno Karabakh was not a part of independent Azerbaijan, the Armenian President stated.

“It was the Caucasus Bureau of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union which attached Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan. History is well-known… The international community does not have a different vision,” Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with Euronews.

“Why did the international community acclaim the collapse of the Soviet Union and not consider Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan part and parcel of the Soviet Union? — still saying Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan? It is not logical, is it?” he said.

Asked what kind of compromises he is willing to make in order to achieve a peaceful resolution of Karabakh conflict, President Sargsyan said, “One cannot eliminate the consequences of this conflict without addressing its causes. And when speaking about the causes… we talk about recognizing the people of Nagorno Karabakh’s right of self determination… the recognition of this right and its implementation. The other problems will be solved rapidly after that. The Armenian parts of this conflict, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, are profoundly interested in a swift resolution of this conflict. But a sustainable resolution that would allow for peace and security in the region, as opposed to giving Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh, which would spell the end of its existence.”

“What does the international community propose to us? To solve this conflict on the basis of three principles of international law: firstly, self-determination; secondly, territorial integrity; and thirdly, the non-use of force. I propose, through you, the media, to appeal to Azerbaijan to sign an agreement not to use force. This would instill trust in the Armenian people of Karabakh and Armenia. And under these conditions of trust we would begin the negotiations for a settlement. We Armenians know very well what Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity means. We’ve talked about it openly several times. The Azerbaijanis… can they say what the right of self-determination means for the people of Nagorno Karabakh? When we issue joint declarations about the right of self-determination, Azerbaijan is not talking about the Armenian people’s right to self-determination but of the right of the main player in the conflict… the people of Nagorno Karabakh,” he said.

US State Department warns its citizens not to visit Turkey

The Turkish denial policy against countries, which recognize the Armenian Genocide brings its counter actions at last: the US State Department calls to US citizens to try not to visit Turkey because of anti-American mood spread by Turkish government. They mention the upcoming revolutionary party anniversary as well as Kurdish Novrus Bayrami celebration, calling Armenians to try to avoid large groups of people even if demonstrations look peaceful.

Shadow of Armenian Genocide over Turkey

An update to the story posted today earlier “Turkey returns to its dark-ages policy when facing the Armenian Genocide“: Bulgarian parliament is to discuss the Armenian Genocide resolution too. Along with USA and Spain, Bulgaria is going to discuss on the issue too. Despite the huge economic influence of Turkey on this country, the MPs of Bulgaria have already done a huge step forward for genocide recognition and prevention process.

In the context of historical justice and world recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey as well should definitely review its denial policy and accept what was done by the older generation. Otherwise the same shadow of the Armenian Genocide is going to follow the current inhabitants of Turkey troubling regional relations between neighbors yet for long.

Turkey returns to its dark-ages policy when facing the Armenian Genocide

The London Daily News criticizes the recent Turkish Prime Erdogan threats to deport the Armenian population of current Republic of Turkey. The editorial says:

Turkey once again is retreating into “dark ages mode” with threats by Prime Erdogan following comments during a recent visit to London to expel 100,000 Armenians in Turkey “if necessary I will tell the 100,000: OK, time to go back to your country”.

Such intentions to solve the Armenian Question once and for all are not new for Turkish government, which 95 years ago started the deportation of the entire native population of historical Armenia occupied by Ottoman Turks. The results of it everybody knows today: more than 1,5 millions of native Armenians slaughtered, more than 500,000 escaped to foreign countries forming the Armenian diaspora all around the world, which is one of the largest in the USA, Russia, France, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Argentina, Australia and others.

Returning to the recent events: on March 4, 2009 The Foreign Relations Committee of US Congress adopted the Armenian Genocide Resolution to enter agenda of US Congress. Later on 11th of March Swedish parliament in addition to the Armenian Genocide Recognition resolution approved years ago, approved a law-project on the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides committed by Ottoman Turkey in the period of 1915-1923.

Turkish denial position was expected: Turkey called its ambassador back from USA and Sweden. Turkish Prime Minister claims later:

“There are 170 thousand Armenians living in Turkey. 70 thousand of them are Turkish citizens. If necessary, I will tell the remaining 100 thousand to leave. I can do so because they are not Turkish citizens and I’m not obliged to keep them in my country,” BBC Turkce quoted Erdogan as saying.

A number of political, non-governmental organizations and mass-media called it “blackmail“. Innocent victims of the first genocide of 20th century must be recognized and the results of the genocide overcome regardless the one-day economic profit from relations with Turkey.

Anyway the Swedish case had quite an interesting overcome: Swedish prime-minister expresses his excuses to the Turkish counterpart for the Armenian Genocide resolution. But Social Democratic Party of Sweden has sued the Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

Today, regardless the economic blackmail by Turkey and its denial policy against the Armenian Genocide revognition, 22 countries of the world, 43 states of the USA, Roman Pope, European parliament and a number of other international organizations have already adopted laws on condemning the Armenian Genocide. While Turkish position still remains unchanged. As Bernard-Henri Levy, one of main scholars of Jewish genocide, says:

I was asking myself what would have happened to the survivors of Holocaust, what would have happened to the Jews of my generation in the aftermath of the Holocaust if they were faced with a structurally revisionist Germany, a Germany denying the crime. This is the situation of Armenians. And this is what makes the situation particularly tragic.

Refugees return has limitation period

European Human Rights Court made a verdict on a case of Cyprus citizens demanding their property lost in Northern Cyprus occupied by Turkey more than 35 years ago. The court declined the appeal claiming one injustice can not be substituted by another one, northern Cyprus citizens can not have their homes back because 35 years have passed.
If the European Human Rights Court claims so, this should be definitely mentioned during the talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The later regularly mentions its refugees from Republic of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic to go back. Besides the fact, that the number of Azero-Turkish refugees was about 500,000 during the conflict, while during following years the number has been artificially risen up to a million, the refugees have left the region about 20 years ago already. And the claim, that one injustice must be substituted by another one, should be used in any conflict in all times. And the verdict of European Human Rights Court should become a precedent for other similar problems around the world to solve the situation once and for all.

60 minutes – the Armenian Genocide

The yesterday’s video from CBS “60 Minutes” on the Armenian Genocide.
At 6 A.M. Pacific Time the discussion on the Armenian Genocide is going to start in US Congress Foreign Relations Committee. I’m already watching the Online Armenian TV, which will broadcast the discussion live: http://horizonarmeniantv.com

CBS – 60 Minutes – Battle over history – The Armenian Genocide

http://www.tv.com/video/J6fOyBGDLXa21b4uHYKpcxyVQScKWw6s/battle-over-history?o=cbs#

Video shown recently on CBS channel. Turkey surly starts protesting, well let them do. Actually they’d better accept the real way of things, come to peace with their history and start watching the Armenian Genocide in its legal aspects, rather than put everything to historians and with this try to block the dissemination of the truth. As Karen Vrtanesyan writes in his blog:

There will be lots of references to the CBS’s «Battle Over History – 60 Minutes» video, which speaks about the Armenian genocide. I don’t share the excitement of fellow Armenians, because the documentary has a serious flow: our battle isn’t «over the history», but over the future. Genocide is not a historical category, it is a legal category by definition.

Actually it’s the Turks who do their best to make everyone believe that «leaving the genocide to historians» is the only rational thing to do.

Turks would never invest so much effort and resources into the whole process of genocide denial if it was «just part of the history».

On March 4 Armenian Genocide Resolution will be put on voting in US Congress. Millions of supporters of the resolution, together with all international organizations working and investigating genocides around the world hope at last the time has come for justice to be recognized. Armenian Horizon TV will broadcast the discussion live at 6:45 A.M. Passific Time as well as we will be able to watch it online at http://horizonarmeniantv.com

Levon Ter-Petrosyan protest

Levon Ter-Petrosyan © PanARMENIAN Photo / Sedrak Mkrtchyan

I visited Levon Ter-Petrosyan protest on 1st of March. Lots of people, but there was no former fire in eyes of the protesters. In past people were not even letting speakers say a word, shouting various slogans all the time, and now even after Levon shouting “Fight, fight till the end”, people repeat it two times, not more and get silent again. Speaking to people in the square I was asked, do you believe anything will change and “these ones” will come to victory. I said: “No, I don’t believe”. The reply was the same: “Neither do we”. The only active mass was the youth, who do not clearly understand what to expect, simply learnt to shout and they do. Also about 10 extremely active women, who I think will be with anyone who is against the system.