ANKARA - American Historian Prof. Dr. Justin McCarthy of the Louisville University said on Thursday that Europe expected Turks to confess Armenian genocide first to join the European Union (EU).
``Can it be appropriate to join an institution which demands acceptance of a lie as an entrance fee? Can you enter an organization which tells you that you can join it only if you accept that your father is a murderer? Will Turkey enter the EU by telling a lie about its history?... Such a confession will make everything worse,`` said McCarthy addressing the meeting on ``Truth about Armenian Issue`` held at the Turkish parliament.
During his speech, the American historian explained that the Armenian genocide claims didn`t have historical ground. McCarthy said that Ottomans and Armenians lived as friends for years, stressing that this friendship which continued for 800 years was harmed when Russians incited Armenians to revolt against the Ottomans.
McCarthy pointed out to the fact that the decision of deportation was taken seven months after the Armenian revolt, stressing that ``that was a war, not a genocide.`` He also stressed that Ottomans were right to see Armenians as an enemy in that period of time.
Noting that the documents of the so-called genocide allegations put forward by the Armenian sources were either `false or biased,` McCarthy said that the Ottoman documents on the issue had sound basis and that the Ottomans didn`t fabricate false documents.
McCarthy remarked that Turks should oppose the lies told about their ancestors, adding that it was a difficult fight because there was prejudice against Turks. ``But the truth is on your side,`` he said. McCarthy suggested that the academic studies written on the issue by Turks should be translated into English, noting that he knew that Turks were not afraid of the realities.
Referring to the schemes of the Armenian nationalists, McCarthy said that they wanted Turks to ``confess (committing the genocide) first, but then they will ask for compensation and finally they will demand territory.`` McCarthy remarked that Armenian nationalists wanted to get lands (provinces) of Erzurum, Van, Elazýg, Sivas, Bitlis and Trabzon and added that he knew that Turks would not give in to that pressure. He said that EU should see the fact that Armenian nationalists didn`t want the wellbeing of Europe. ``Europeans use genocide claims for their short-term interests,`` he said.
Responding to questions after his speech, McCarthy said that the deportation of Armenians didn`t mean genocide. ``You can`t talk about genocide when 80 percent of the people survive. The number of those who died because of starvation is much more than the one who died being shot... Also the Armenians living in Istanbul, Izmir and Edirne were not deported. In Germany where a genocide was committed, Jews living in Berlin and in other parts, all died...Ottomans were very smart, if they wanted to kill Armenians, 80 percent of the Armenians would not survive...Nobody talks about that, but Russians are more responsible for the killing of Armenians as they maltreated them.`` In sum McCarthy said that all the deaths were a result of the war.
Reminding of the Turks who died because of hunger due to Russian occupation and Armenian revolt, McCarthy said that bloody massacres were committed by the Armenians and this was an indisputable fact and a proven history.
McCarthy ended his words saying that the `Blue Book` included a series of lies and in that respect it was a book based on fabricated documents.