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This was my official response in Europe (2006) to a request regarding my stance on Armenian Issue
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My Thoughts About the Armenian Issue
We have a different perspective on the Armenian Issue, which is not the denial of those some dismal things occured. It is rather what exactly happened and to what extent and why.
Unfortunately European perspective is purely one sided and do not question the causes. Armenians had been considered as ´the nation of trust´ in Turkey before the 20th century and some people were even calling them ´Christian Turks´ because of the tight social ties. What happened out of the blue that those two cultures departed from each other after such dismal incidents. Many people don´t even bother to question ´why´ those things happened, and in what circumstances.
Because of the nationalist movements in the late 19th century, particularly Panislavism Policy by Russians, Armenians had the very idea of an independent Armenian State, within the territories in the Eastern Anatolia, where they were not majority anywhere, scattered throughout the region.
They had already had bloody fights with Azeris in the Caucasus, there were massacres in each side (though we would tend to think that its Armenians who started all this)...
In the early 20th century, there were many Armenian uprisings against the Ottoman Authority which had little credibility in the process of dissolution. Armenians, who were already highly spoiled with Soviet support and Intelligence, were at many times, able to speak up against the Authority.
Many of the Armenian Soldiers in the Ottoman Army escaped and joined the Russian Army, which is considered treachery. There were up to 100.000 (even more in some sources) Armenian Soldiers in Russian Army, who were still Ottoman Citizens.
Also by the European support, Armenian Gangs were invading the defenceless, armless Turkish villages (as Most of the Young Male Population was away in the Army) and butchering thousands of people, which is practically an ethnic cleansing to create an Armenian majority for the grounds of self determination.
The Armenian Gangs were striking the Ottoman Army behind, and the Ottoman Army was set between two fires.
As you can even track within Tolstoy´s novels, The Armenian people In Turkey were highly in favor of Russian occupation, and they were usually in cooperation with the ´Enemy´. This is for sure enough of a reason to be considered as a betrayor.
The Muslim civillian losses were up to such a point (millions) that The State had to take some extraordinary measures. It should not be forgotten that we were not living in todays humanitarian world, it was 1915, where the Ottoman Empire was engaged in a fully fledged war, when you can´t take decisions like the way you normally do. You had very limited time and opportunity to take decisions, which had to be quick and effective. And the decision was given, the only way to secure the Empire from collapsing was ´compulsory migration of the Armenians´, which is assumed to be genocide by Europeans.
First off, the numbers of death are extremely exaggerated, you will find the Armenian census in Anatolia of different sources in the CD (which I´d attached).
Secondly, the number of casualties, also include the Armenian Gang members or the Armenian Soldiers who were killed during the wars between Ottoman-Russians or New Turkish Republic-Armenians or in the turmoil in 1918-1919.
Thirdly, many of the people who were lost are assumed to be dead, which is not true because of the increase of Armenian population in various places of the world (they had emmigrated to those places or safely arrived in their destinations, mainly Syria).
Finally, Only the Orthodox Armenians and those in Anatolia (not in Istanbul) were expelled, the Catholic and Istanbul Armenians were not touched. So it doesnt maake much sense to consider this a genocide without completing the chain, in stark contrast to having Armenian deputies on the parliament and in many other keypoints. And the history must talk about more than one million of Muslim civillian victims killed by Armenian Gangs and Soldiers before judging the Turks for the alleged genocide. Turks lost 20-25% of their population during the WWI and less than half of this were soldiers. We don´t deny though, that this ´compulsory migration´ wasn´t a humanly act, or that it is a humanitarian crime. But it was not a genocide and it was only as a result of the acts by Armenians and the only possible solution during the World War, in a country on the verge of total destruction.
Edited (4/9/2011) by newquaker
Edited (4/12/2011) by newquaker
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