Armenian Genocide recognition a reality or fantasy in US, GB and Israel?

This past weekend, there were commemorations in cities around the world honoring the memories of the 1.5 million souls who did not survive the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turks 95 years ago. There seems to be an unprecedented groundswell concerning the issue of recognizing the Armenian Genocide over the past year. I believe this is directly related to the attention brought to this history as the world’s powers tried in vain to bring Armenia and Turkey together to talk peace.

Simplifying the matter, the issue of opening the borders between the two countries is in the interests of government and business leaders because they wish to run a pipeline through a less costly route than is possible at this moment in time (with Turkey and Armenia in a stalemate). At the time of the Genocide, the US, France, and Great Britain sent aid and intervened only up to a point. But, since it wasn’t in the Great Powers’ interests to do more, they withdrew. Last week, Armenia withdrew from participating in the Protocols and will not return until the terms of the deal truly serve Armenia’s interests as much as every other interested party.

Ironically, Great Britain and the US have not recognized the Armenian Genocide, because that would insult Turkey, and apparently, they clearly believe that is not in our best interests. Nor has Israel.  [See the related article links below.] But, it important to state that to France’s credit, the Armenian Genocide is recognized by their country.

Perhaps if everyone could look inside their hearts and stop listening to Turkey’s politicians and paid lobbyists, they might see that honoring the past (by calling it what it is), would free everyone to move forward, allowing us all to look toward the future in good faith with the beginning of at least a sense of mutual trust. Recognizing genocide is in everyone’s best interests.

Turkish Diplomat: US May Recognize Armenian Genocide in October
Huliq | April 27, 2010

Armenian Genocide issue on Knesset agenda
Public Radio of Armenia www.armradio.am | April 29, 2010

Armenia breaks from Armenia-Turkey Protocols

Armenia Scraps a Border Deal With Turkey
U.S.-Backed Pact Falls Apart After Neither Side Moves to Ratify Treaty Aimed at Resolving Disputes
Wall Street Journal | April 22, 2010

Armenian Genocide Resolution: President Obama and the price of moral courage

Christian Science Monitor | March 8, 2010

[Note: Last week the Christian Science Monitor published a story related to the Armenian Genocide resolution (HR 252) which appeared to be sympathetic to Turkey. Several readers of this blog wrote to the CSM’s editors via the link to their news site’s feedback page. Today’s Opinion piece in the Christian Science Monitor offers a realistic appraisal of the Armenian Genocide issue; it is certainly more balanced, which is what readers must demand from responsible journalists and publishers.]

Prime Minister Erdogan tells Charlie Rose Armenian Genocide “is completely a lie” (Dec. 2009)

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was interviewed by Charlie Rose on December 8, 2009.

Here is the excerpt from the Charlie Rose interview transcript discussing the Armenian Genocide and relations with Armenia  (You can find this segment of the interview at approximately 39 minutes into the show)

CHARLIE ROSE: Speaking of the Armenian church and that, there is now
an agreement between Turkey and Armenia. What is necessary in order to —
what more evidence does history need with respect to the genocide?

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN: Let me first of all say that you say of
genocide, speak of genocide. I would be sorry to hear you say that. I can
say very clearly that we do not accept genocide. This is completely a lie.

I invite people to prove it. I wrote a letter in 2005, and I said
that this is not up to politicians. It is up to historians to look into
this. We have opened our archives. We have all the documents there. And
in our archives more than one million documents were already looked at.
Today it’s even more than that. And we have opened the archives of the
military.

And I asked the Armenian side to open their archives and let third
countries have documents. We made a call for that too so that people could
look into all of these documents and we could all decide and see what’s
going on.

But it’s — this is not about lobbying and going to politicians and
asking them to take certain decisions. This is not really the way to go.
Something like this is really not possible, and there is no truth to it.

CHARLIE ROSE: Did President Obama bring it up with you? Has he
discussed it with you?

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN: I have spoken with him, yes. Of course, this
most recent normalization process between Turkey and Armenia was important.
This was the context in which we discussed these issues.

And let me say to the normalization process. It was Turkey that
initiated the normalization process. It was Turkey that took upon itself
the risk.

We believe in ourselves. What we would like to see is for this
normalization process to go forward. And in that it’s important that we go
into that and the Karavak issue between Azerbaijan and Armenia be resolved.
There is an occupation. We have to solve that problem.

There are three countries involved — United States, the Russian
Federation, and France. The Minsk (ph) group, why hasn’t it solved the
problem in the last 20 years? The problem has to be solved.

And once that problem is solved then that region will be a region of
peace. Why? Because once the problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia is
solved, that hatred is going to dissipate. There is the decision of the
United Nations Security Council which will be implemented. And the
problems between Turkey and Armenia will definitely be resolved. I believe
in it.

But at the moment, you have the U.S. Congress here, and the U.S.
Congress doesn’t have direct relations with our region. We are there in
that region. We have direct relations. We have direct issues. And it’s
the Turkish parliament who has to make a decision on this agreement between
Turkey and Armenia. They have to approve it.

And of course, the Turkish parliament too is very sensitive about this
issue. And if the positive developments that we would like to see do not
come about, then I do not believe that our parliament will have a positive
result as a result of its deliberations. We will have a secret ballot, but
I don’t believe that without any other positive developments there will be
a positive outcome…

Watch the full interview on charlierose.com (search Erdogan).

Obama Erdogan Meeting in Washington

Toward the Obama Erdogan Meeting in Washington
Armenian Reporter | December 4, 2009

Do you owe your life to a relative who survived the Armenian Genocide?

I do:

My grandfather was Karnig Kalpakian (Dr. John Karnig) and his father was Dr. Janik Kalpakian. In 1920, they escaped the killings in Marash, Turkey, that claimed the lives of my great grandmother Mary Mesrobian, as well as the lives of my great aunts Anais and Armenouhi. During the Ottoman Turks’ mass deportation of the Armenians, Mary Mesrobian’s entire family, with the exception of her brother Kevork, were deported “to the deserts of Arabia” (as my grandfather wrote in his letter to our family).

Janik, a dentist, was the son of Dr. Aboujhon Kuzujian, a prominent medical doctor from Aintab who migrated to Marash. The family name was officially changed from Kuzujian to Kalpakleoglou or Karnoug (in Armenian) when my great-great grandfather received a Kalpak (Persian lamb hat) as an honor from the Sultan of Turkey. Dr. Kuzujian was recognized as a hero for saving the lives of children during an epidemic in Marash that took the lives of many children.

My grandfather and great grandfather were among the ‘lucky’ victims of the Ottoman Turks. Leaving everything behind, they survived. Starting off in a horse-drawn carriage to Aintab, Janik and Karnig set out on their journey to safer shores in America. From Aintab they traveled to Aleppo (Syria); then to Beirut (Lebanon), then on to Jerusalem, and finally to Alexandria, Egypt—where they waited to immigrate to America. In 1923, Karnig, together with his father, new stepmother and a new baby brother, finally arrived at Ellis Island in New York.

I promise to share much more of the details of Karnig’s story, but first I need your help:

Please forward this blog link to all Armenians you know:

https://armeniangenocideblog.wordpress.com

Help us respond to the Armenia-Turkey Protocols call for an investigation into our history. We need your family names, stories, pictures, oral personal histories and video testimonials. We are also seeking translators and research assistants to help us with this worldwide Armenian Genocide documentation effort.

Please enter your comments (through the comment link below) or send an email to: armeniangenocide@ymail.com.

Thank you!

Send your Armenian Genocide testimonies and family stories

We need your family names, stories, pictures, oral personal histories and video testimonials. We are also seeking translators and research assistants to help us with this worldwide Armenian Genocide documentation effort. Help us respond to the Armenia-Turkey Protocols call for an investigation into our history.

Please forward this blog link to all Armenians you know:

https://armeniangenocideblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/send-your-armenian-genocide-testimonies-and-family-stories/

To contact us, please enter a comment (following the link below) or send your email to: armeniangenocide@ymail.com.

Thank you!