Tuesday, March 11, 2014
ANKARA – Turkey is ready to face its history records, Turkish parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek said Tuesday speaking on Armenian claims of genocide.
“We did not have a criminal record until now,” Cicek said during the meeting with Canadian speaker of the House of Commons, Andrew Scheer, in Ankara adding that Turkey is ready to accept the conclusions of a Joint History Commission with Armenia.
“The biggest insult and the biggest disrespect that can be done to a society is accusing them of committing genocide, though it is not real”, Cicek said adding that the acceptance of 1915 events by Canadian parliament as genocide has hurt Turkey.
Cicek said that in the Ottomon empire in 1915, allied forces was attempting to snatch the Turkish lands and as a result both Armenian and Turk populations suffered. “That has nothing to do with genocide according to international law”, Cicek said.
Canadian speaker of the House of Commons, Andrew Scheer said that Turkey`s call for a “Joint History Commission” with Armenia to address the 1915 events is positive.
During the First World War, the Ottoman Empire approved a deportation law for Armenians, amid their uprising with the help of invading Russian army. As a result, an unknown number of people died in civil strife. Armenian diaspora and state of Armenia term the incidents as “genocide” and asks for compensation, whereas Ankara says while Armenians died during deportation many Turks also died due to the attacks by Armenian gangs all around Anatolia.
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Turkey ready to face history records on Armenia – Turkish Press