Google Translated From French: Stéphane/armenews, 20Apr2010
Counter Comments In Bold by Seval Akdogan In an interview with the magazine Spiegel, the Turkish Minister of European Affairs Egemen Bagis raised the issue of Armenian genocide.
SPIEGEL: Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, said: "the Turks that went in one direction - toward the West."
Bagis: And it's always true. But at the same time, we are also a bridge and have four strong pillars, one in each direction ...
SPIEGEL: ... you recently removed two, recalling your ambassador to the United States and in Sweden. This movement was triggered by the decision of a committee of Congress to pass a resolution recognizing the death of over one million Armenians in 1915-16 as genocide. The Swedish parliament has passed a similar resolution.
Bagis: With this decision, Sweden became the slave of a thesis which, unfortunately, is based on falsehoods. Voting in the United States on the alleged genocide was a success for Turkey. The congressman from California, who has won the support of the Armenian lobby has proved to be an idiot. He tried to scratch the back of each Representative in the halls of Congress for their vote. But then he only won by a single vote.
If Mr. Bagis had a minimal courtesy of diplomacy, he would have not used the expression “idiot” for any one in such an interview. Let's hope the google translation is wrong. If he had only read a tiny bit of the E-documents Here, he would have heard about Pravitz, duplicity of Sweden’s involvements in the past and very recently in financially supporting pro-genocide publishing in Turkey. . . SPIEGEL: But, a congressional committee approved the resolution.
Bagis: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later stated that the House of Representatives as a whole will not pass the resolution. As you know, the French Parliament passed a similar law on the alleged Armenian genocide in 2006. Then there was a ban for the French air force to fly over Turkey. We are very sensitive on this issue.
Mr. Minister has not read any books, most of which are posted on the internet and Here. His reply is irrelevant, he hides behind other excuses because he does not know the answers!SPIEGEL: What options do you have if the Americans at the end, officially recognize the genocide? Would you close the air base at Incirlik? take leave NATO?
What a shallow question! Will USA and NATO sacrifice Turkey for a hearsay-rumor-unproven-unlawful-illegal unilateral SLANDER? Bagis: I leave that to the imagination of your readers. But let me remind you of one thing: Seventy percent of the logistics support for deployment to Iraq passes through Incirlik.
As a reader I am imagining that the speaker knows nothing of essence, and turns around the corner with vague words!SPIEGEL: Why is it so difficult for Turkey to recognize the Armenian genocide?
Bagis: It is for historians, not politicians, to judge what happened in the past. Politicians consider the future. We offered to create a joint commission of historians with the Republic of Armenia - so far without success. In addition, you should know that the Ottoman Empire was an ally of the German Reich. Nothing happened in the past has happened so without consultation with the Germans.
Well, this defense at least has some truth and logic in it!SPIEGEL: If you do not accept the word "genocide", so how can you have a "Genocide Museum" in the city of Igdir in eastern Turkey, devoted to the Turks who died in 1915?
Bagis: it is very easy: Every action leads to reaction. But I do not exclude the possibility that one day, this museum could be transformed into a "Museum of Coexistence" or "a museum of mutual pain." I do not want to deny that Armenians have spent a very difficult time ...
Mr. Minister never heard of General Harbord or Niles & Sutherland report in US Archives confirming refinements of cruelties by Armenians to Moslems and destructions of towns and villages! SPIEGEL: You call that "tough times"? We are talking about 1.5 million Armenians who died between 1915 and 1917.
Bagis: According to the American historian Justin McCarthy, 600,000 Armenians died at that time, and at the same time, 2 million Kurds and Turks. There was a civil war in Turkey, directly in the middle of the First World War.
Never mind what McCarthy said, why you do not divide 1.5 million in 150 days – 10.000 corpses per day to be buried by hand! You would need 150 stadium size graves. How come no such any mass grave has been ever found? Only this fact shows how Tall is the LIE!SPIEGEL: Minister of Interior in this time, Talat Pascha, told the U.S. ambassador was present at the time, Henry Morgenthau, that "physical extermination" of Armenians was a necessary goal of the war.
Bagis: According to McCarthy, this quote is not entirely accurate. But I am not a historian. I was not there, you were not there. Why do not we leave this matter to a joint commission of historians, including Armenians and Turks?
Talat never said any such thing which should have been in Morgenthau’s diary. This is a later fabrication.SPIEGEL: There is a time when Turkey seemed closer to the road to confrontation of his past. In 1919, the three main men responsible for the Armenian genocide - Talat Pasha, Enver Pasha and Cemal Pasha - have all been sentenced to death in absentia. Ataturk wanted nothing to do with them. However, there are still three large tombstones for those magnificent men in Istanbul.
Bagis: it is traditional in our culture to commemorate the dead. Like all of us, these men must have done something good and some bad things in their lives and their country.
Again these are empty words! The kangaroo courts were formed under British occupation after the Mudros Treaty using some Turkish turncoats. Britain detained 144 dignitaries in Malta on genocide allegations for about two years but could not find any judicial evidence and released all without an indictment or trial! Why?SPIEGEL: Turkey is worried that she Armenian require repairs?
Bagis: You know, an estimated 100,000 illegal Armenian immigrants in our country, who works in providing care for the elderly and children LDes. For me, this shows that there is no hatred between our peoples. On the contrary: We are trying to achieve reconciliation, there is a process of peace between our countries ...
Both Spiegel and Minister are unaware of an existence of a Settlement between USA and Turkey dated 1937, and that all claims were settled and paid in full!.SPIEGEL: ... stagnant at the moment.
Bagis: this is not our fault. We have tried to reconcile our differences, we want to open all archives. But when you see the other side blocking all your efforts, it makes you skeptical.
SPIEGEL: That is a point on which the AKP government, the military and secular elite are all on the same page. That does not bother you?
Bagis: No. My Government aims to solve problems. We want good and friendly relations, also with Armenia.
Interview conducted by Bernhard Zand and Daniel Steinvorth
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