It’s time for Turkey to call things by names – open letter to Gul
TurkeyThe Forum of the Armenian Associations of Europe has published an open letter to Turkey’s president, calling for urgent efforts to confront the past and take steps towards the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Referring to the Armenians’ contribution to Turkey's development in different epochs of history, as well as the country's European integration efforts, the authors say that Turkey will never be considered a full-fledged democracy unless it admits the historical fact.
“It is now time for Turkey to be accountable for its past and have enough courage to call the atrocities by their own name. You are probably aware that the probe into the events made [Raphael] Lemkin, a US scientist and political figure, coin the term genocide, which later applied to the Jewish massacres too. Scores of countries later condemned the Armenian Genocide, and especially its denial (Act Nr 300/2005 - CRIMINAL CODE, Section 424a, adopted on september 01, 2009 by Act Nr 257/2009/).
“Turkey now seeks to be a country pursuing high democratic values, and obtain permission to become a full-fledged member of the EU. The Forum of the Armenian Association of Europe does, undoubtedly, support that aspiration of Turkey, provided only that the present-day Turkish authorities have courage to admit the fact of Genocide. The Turkish authorities realize, of course, that the Armenian Genocide denial will isolate Turkey, never allowing it to be considered a state governed by [the principles of] justice and development. The confirmation of the fact of Genocide will evoke a deeper respect for your country by not only the Armenians scattered around the world but also the civilized humanity,” reads the letter.
The members of the Forum say they intend to send the letter to President Gul through all possible diplomatic channels.