ANKARA (AA) - Prof. Dr. Yusuf Halacoglu, the Chairman of the Turkish History Society (TTK), said on Wednesday that scientists could be criticized, but could not be stopped by courts, when commenting on the investigation launched regarding the statements he made in Switzerland that the Armenian genocide allegations were baseless.
Stating that the Armenians were manipulated by western imperialism, Halacoglu said, ``you can`t expect two nations (Turks and Armenians) that lived together for 850 years to become enemies suddenly. There are circles which provoke this (enmity). You can see how they were organized in French archives, how they are used by the Brits, and how Russians used them as spies. If I were an Armenian, I would sue Britain, France and Russia in international courts.``
Halacoglu added, ``genocide cannot be committed by an entire nation. Genocide can be carried out by a government or administration, and so they (government/administration) should be accused. But, they (foreigners) are accusing the entire Turkish nation. They are trying to apply a double standard, and they have different targets. It is not just to reject Turkey`s EU membership. This is also related with Turkey`s standing as a regional power, and not allowing imperialist countries to exploit its underground resources. In fact, they are trying to reinforce Sevres (Treaty).``
(BRC-ULG)
2005-05-04