BY FIKRET BILA
MILLIYET- A bill on the Armenian ‘genocide’ issue will be voted on Germany’s Parliament after Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder’s visit to Ankara next week. German parties have already agreed to replace the word ‘genocide’ mentioned in the bill with ‘emigration and mass murder.’ The bill is expected to pass after these changes have been made.
Turkish Ambassador to Germany Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik has long been working to inform the German Parliament and the public on what really happened. ‘The Armenians know there was no genocide,’ said Irtemcelik. ‘But they have ruined our ability to make our voice heard in the international arena. Since their claims are untrue, they reject our offer to assemble a group of historians from both sides to investigate the issue. Their first aim is to make Turkey apologize for the ‘genocide,’ and next they will demand money and land from us. The Ottoman archives are open to everyone, whereas the Armenians keep theirs closed. That’s part of their strategy. Before Turkish-Armenian relations can be normalized, the Armenians must recognize Turkey’s territorial unity.’
Irtemcelik noted that the Armenian ‘genocide’ bill is full of intentional mistakes, and added, ‘It’d be sad to see that this bill passed by such a serious institution as the Bundestag.’
Irtemcelik stressed that Turkey isn’t trying to escape the truths of the past, because there’s nothing in its past Turkey is afraid to face. ‘But no one should think that we will recognize the Armenian ‘genocide’ claims just because some people want us to,’ he added. ‘The Armenians must come to see that their designs on Turkey are both illegitimate and utterly futile’.