Turkey’s Position On Armenian Allegations

Turkey has long been facing a systematic campaign of defamation carried out by Armenian lobbying groups. The Armenian diaspora has lately increased its organized activities throughout the world for the recognition of their unfounded allegations in regard to the events of 1915 as “genocide” by national and local parliaments.

Armenian groups living in various countries try to get the publication of many books on their allegations concerning the events of 1915 and articles written by authors close to Armenian views in well-known magazines and newspapers. Armenian organizations also orchestrate many meetings, conferences and symposia in order to garner support and to give them as much publicity as possible. Armenian groups make sure that researchers and authors close to the Armenian views take part in these meetings so that the issue always remains on the agenda. Armenian circles, similarly, sponsors the making of documentary films that advocate Armenian claims. They also encourage the broadcasting of these films in many television channels. Public opinion especially in Western countries is affected by these films, books and articles published every year and their Parliaments are left under constant pressure to recognize the Armenian allegations as “undeniable historical truth”. The activities of diaspora organizations are also supported by the Armenian state. It is known that Armenian diplomatic missions abroad carry out certain activities so that their allegations are recognized in national legislatures.

Until today the parliaments of Argentina, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Lebanon, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Uruguay, Greece, the Greek Cypriot Administration, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Chile, Venezuela and the European Parliament passed either resolutions or issued statements. In addition, some local parliaments in the USA, Canada, Britain, Australia, Argentina and Switzerland passed similar resolutions.

Turkey is of the view that parliaments and other political institutions are not the appropriate fora to debate and pass judgments on disputed periods of history. Past events and controversial periods of history should be left to the historians for their dispassionate study and evaluation. In order to shed light on such a disputed historical issue, the Turkish Government has opened all its archives, including military records to all researchers. Furthermore, Turkey encourages historians, scholars and researchers to freely examine and discuss this historical issue in every platform. In order to have an objective and complete analysis of the Turkish-Armenian relations, the Armenian archives should also be opened and made available to the public and researchers. For reaching the truth, historians must have access to all related archives.

In this respect, in 2005, Turkey has officially proposed to the Government of Armenia the establishment of a joint commission of history composed of historians and other experts from both sides to study together the events of 1915 not only in the archives of Turkey and Armenia but also in the archives of all relevant third countries and to share their findings with the public. Unfortunately, Armenia has not responded positively to this initiative, yet. Our proposal is still on the table.

If accepted by Armenia, Turkey’s proposal for setting up a Joint Commission of History would also serve as a confidence-building measure paving the way for a dialogue towards normalization of relations between the two countries.

 

Important Speeches/ Statements

• Declaration by the Turkish Grand National Assembly, 13 April 2005. 
• Statement of the Prime Minister R. Tayyip Erdoğan at the Press Conference Following the OECD Council Meeting, 21 October 2004.
• The Speech of H.E. Abdullah Gül, The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the TGNA on the subject of  "Armenian Allegtaions" on April 13, 2005. 
• Presentation by Prof. Justin McCarthy at the TGNA on "the Reality of Armenian Isue" Conference on March24, 2005.
• Presentation made by Prof. Justin McCarthy (Seminar on Turkish-Armenian Relations Organized by the Democratic Principles Association 15 March 2001 /Istanbul)
• Presentation by Ambassador Gündüz Aktan at the House Committe on International Relations,U.S. Congress, on September 14, 2000.
• Presentation by Prof. Justin McCarthy at the House Committee on International Relations, U.S. Congress,  on September 14, 2000.
• Statement by Farhan Haq, U.N. Spokesman, on October 5, 2000, and on April 9, 2007 About the Armenian Allegations on the UN position regarding the Events in 1915.
• Testimony of Prof Mümtaz SOYSAL, 26 February 1985
• Abstract of a talk on the Armenian issue given on March 15.2001 at a meeting of the Society for the Promotion of Democratic Principles (DIA) in Istanbul by Dr. Andrew MANGO
• Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres' Statement on Armenian Allegations, 10 April 2001.
• The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's Remarks at the Opening of the Exhibition, "Lessons from the Rwanda Genocide", on 30 April 2007

Important Documents

• Letter by Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan, the Patriarch of Istanbul to Pope John Paul II
• Declaration Made by American Scholars, on 19 May 1985
• Armenian Allegations of Genocide the Issue and the Facts
• Victims of  Terrorism: The List of the Assassinated Turkish Diplomats, Public Servants and Nationals/Şehit Türk Diplomat, Kamu Görevlisi ve Vatandaşlar
• Official Position of the British Government on Armenian Allegations, on 14 April 1999, 22 January 2007
• The Decision of Paris First Instance Court on the lawsuit by the Armenian National Committe (CDCA) Against Turkish Consul General in Paris (in French), on 15 November 2004
• Armenians in Ottoman Bureaucracy

Letters by Individuals About Armenian Allegations

• Jacques Dahanian's letter to the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Marseille, on 9 October 2004 (in French) 

Publications on the Web 

• The Armenian "Genocide" Facts & Figures
• Armenian Claims and Historical Facts (Questions and Answers) 
• The Armenian Problem and International Law by Gündüz AKTAN 
• Armenian Claims and Historical Facts (in French and German)
• Hitler and the "Armenian Question" 
• A British Report (1895) / The Armenians Unmasked, By Prof. Türkkaya Ataöv
• A British Report (1916) on the Armenian Question, By Prof. Türkkaya Ataöv
• A 'Statement' Wrongly Attributed to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, by Prof. Türkkaya Ataöv
• The Andonian 'Documents' Attributed to Talat Pasha are forgeries!
• Massacres by the Armenians Against the Turks, by General Mayewsky 
• Armenian Atrocities:A Compilation of Views  
• Wellington House and Turks, by Justin McCarthy
• The Bryce Report:British Propaganda and the Turks by Justin McCarthy
• The Deportees of Malta and the Armenian Allegations, by Bilal N. Şimşir (also available in French)

Other Recommended Publications

• Armenian File: The Myth of Innocence Exposed by Kamuran Gürün, K. Rüstem & Bro. and Weinfeld & Nicolson Ltd., London, 1985.
• The Story behind Ambassador Morgenthau's Story by Heath W. Lowry, The Isis Press, Istanbul, 2001.
• Aspirations et Agissements Révolutionnaires des Comités Arméniens avant et après la proclamation de la Constitution Ottomane
• Armenian File: The Myth of Innocence Exposed by Kamuran Gürün (K. Rustem & Bro.and Weidenfeld & NicolsonLtd., London, 1985
• Armenians in Ottoman Documents (1915-1920)
• Armenians in the Late Ottoman Period, edited by Türkkaya Ataöv, The Turkish Historical Society for the Council of Culture, Arts and Publications of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Ankara, 2001.
• Muslims And Minorities, The Population of Ottoman Anatolia and the End of the Empire by Justin McCarthy (New York University Press, New York, 1983)
• The Great War and the Tragedy of Anatolia by Salahi Sonyel (Turks and Armenians in the Maelstrom of Major Powers)
• Center For Strategic Research Sam Papers No. 1 / 99 The 'Armenian Question' Conflict, Trauma & Objectivity, by Türkkaya ATAÖV
• Armenian Atrocities and Terrorism ed. by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (Assembly of Turkish American Association, DC 1997)
• Death and Exile: the Ethnic Cleansing of Ottoman Muslims, 1821-1922, by Justin McCarthy (Darwin Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1995)
• Pursuing the Just Cause of Their People, by Michael Gunter (Greenwood Press, New York, 1986)
• The Armenian Question 1914-1923, by Mim Kemal Öke (K. Rustem & Bro. London, 1988)
• The Talat Pasha Telegrams: Historical Fact or Armenian Fiction, by Şinasi Orel and Süreyya Yuca (K. Rüstem & Bro., London, 1986)
• The U.S. Congress and Adolf Hitler on the Armenians, by Heath W. Lowry (Vol.3, No.2 Political Communication and Persuasion, 1985)
• Proceeding of Symposium on Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey (1912-1926) Boğaziçi University Publication, Istanbul, 1984
• History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey by Stanford and Ezel Shaw (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., 1977)
• Turkey and the Holocaust: Turkey’s Role in Rescuing Turkish & European Jewry from Nazi Persecution 1933-1945 by Stanford J. Shaw (Palgrave Macmillan, NY, US, 1993)
• The Armenian Rebellion at Van, Justin McCarthy, Esat Arslan, Cemalettin Taşkıran, Ömer Turan (Utah University Press, Salt Lake City, US, 2006)
• Armenian Massacres: New Records Undercut Old Blame Reexamining History by Edward Erickson, Middle East Quarterly, Summer 2006
• The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide by Guenter Lewy (Utah University Press, Salt Lake City, US, 2005)
• Armenian Mythomania: Armenian Extremism, Its Causes and Historical Context by Eric Feigl (Amalthea Signum, Vienna, Austria, 2006)
• Trial of Salomon Teilirian: assassination of Talat Pasha: Berlin 2-3 June 1921 by Şeref Ünal (New York, 2007)
• I Witnessed and Lived Through, Erzurum 1917-1918 by Lt. Col. Tverdohlebov (ATASE Başkanlığı Yayınları, Ankara, 2007)
•  What Happened to the Ottoman Armenians? By Türkkaya Ataöv (New York, 2006)
• The British Blue Books: vehicles of War Propaganda, 1914-18 by Türkkaya Ataöv (New York, 2007)
• Armenian Allegations: The Truth Must Be Told by Edward Tashji (Rsoe International Publishing House, USA, 2000)
• Facts on the Relocation of Armenians: 1914-1918 by Yusuf Halaçoğlu (Turkish Historical Society, Ankara, 2002)
• Lies, Lies and More Lies: Belying the Armenian Claims against the Turks by Masud Akhtar Shaikh (Encore, Islamabad, 2006)
• La Guerre Mondiale et La Question Turco-Armenienne by Ahmed Rustem Bey (Bilge Kültür Sanat, İstanbul, 2001)
• Der Mythos Eines Völkermordes by Cem Özgönül (Önel Drug&Verlag, Köln, 2006)
• The History of Genocide by Sefa M. Yörükel (Near East Publishing, Ankara, 2004)
• British Documents on Ottoman Armenians (Volume I, II, III) Ed. By Bilal Şimşir (Turkish Historical Society, Ankara, 1982)
• Armenian Activities in the Archive Documents: 1914-1918 (Volume I, II, III, IV, V, VI) (Genelkurmay ATASE ve Genelkurmay Denetleme Başkanlığı Yayınları, Ankara, 2005)
• Armenian Violence and Massacre in the Caucasus and Anatolia Based on Archives (Devlet Arşivleri Genel Müdürlüğü, Ankara, 1995)
• Book Review (Justin McCarthy, Esat Arslan, Cemalettin Taşkıran and Ömer Turan: The Armenian Rebellion at Van, Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press, 2006) by Yücel Güçlü, Mediterrenean Qarterly, Summer 2007