WASHINGTON D.C. (A.A) - 10.04.2002 - Orhan Kaymakcalan, the Chairman of the Assembly of Turkish-American Associations (ATAA) sent a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush and asked him to take into consideration the Turkish point of view in the message he will issue for Armenians on April 24.
U.S. Presidents traditionally issue a message of commemoration for Armenians who died at the end of First World War on April 24. The Armenian lobby in the U.S. claims that a total of 1,5 million Armenians were forced to migrate and subjected to ''genocide'' during the Ottoman Empire era.
ATAA Chairman Kaymakcalan said in his letter that ''On behalf of the members of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, I am urging you to consider the Turkish American perspective when formulating your commemorative April 24 message as requested each year by the Armenian community. We want you to know that this message carries great importance for the Turkish American community and the Turkish nation as well, and we too weigh each or your words with great care. Our concerns go beyond the use of the word genocide", which you rightly avoided in last year's message, but extend to a correct interpretation of the whole history of this period that is factually correct and recognizes the suffering of all civilian ethnic/religious groups, including Ottoman Muslims.''
''I want to state first and foremost that as a community with a long and mostly peaceful mutual past and many cultural similarities with the Armenian community, we join you in commemorating the contributions and accomplishments of the Armenian nation and Armenian Americans.''
''Turks and Armenians today live peacefully together in Turkey as co-citizens, and thousands of Armenian nationals find employment and other opportunities in Turkey. Unfortunately, such positive relations between Turks and Armenians past and present, are largely ignored as efforts focus on characterizing tragic events that transpired primarily during World War I. Therefore, we feel compelled to write to you on this part of Ottoman-Armenian history, knowing that this is the area where our government is pressured to take sides.''
''The period of 1915-17 was part of an extremely complex and monumental era as nations and empires disintegrated in World War I. Chief amongst these was the Ottoman Empire, a realm that encompassed 30 of today's nations. While the Empire was coming to end, it was being assailed on all fronts including its Eastern flank, an area that was home to many of the Empire's Armenian community, a minority which enjoyed great autonomy and freedoms under Ottoman rule.''
''Incontrovertible historical evidence shows that large segments of the Armenian population engaged in treasonous acts in an effort to establish an independent Armenian homeland carved out from Ottoman territory, by siding with Russia as this country invaded the eastern parts of the Empire. Considering that, by the beginning of World War I, Armenians made up only 17 percent of the area they claimed as 'Ottoman Armenia', the so called 'Six Vilayets', this goal was only achievable through horrific atrocities that included mass killings of civilian Ottoman Muslim populations, expulsion and other forms of ethnic cleansing. Muslim populations of entire cities in the eastern Ottoman Empire were 'cleared' and, in fact, occupied for years by Russian/Armenian regular and irregular forces. Despite these facts, many members of the Armenian community today have extricated themselves from the deeds of some of their ancestors, choosing instead to present a piecemeal argument of genocide that ignores the realities of the period.''
''Research by various scholars on this subject has so far only unearthed that there is no evidence of an attempted or materialized policy by the Ottoman Empire to eradicate or, in your words last year, 'annihilate' the Armenian population. In fact, Armenian and other researchers have not been able to find even one official Ottoman document that could be referred to as evidence of a plan to exterminate Armenians. Over the course of this research, some Armenians even resorted to fraudulently produce such documents. One well known example of such fraud are the so-called 'Talat Pasha Telegrams' which were proven beyond any doubt to have been manufactured, and were subsequently discredited even by Armenian scholars.''
''In the absence of a 'smoking gun', Armenian advocates assert that a preponderance of evidence shows that, while there may have not been an official genocide policy or official order, that this was indeed the hidden intent of the Ottoman government and cloaked in the well-known relocation order. Such an argument can be easily refuted by going back to Ottoman sources and simply looking at a multitude of documents and actions by the Ottoman government, regional governors and other bureaucrats that clearly include orders to aid and assist Armenians during this relocation process and give information on monies spent by regional governors to feed and care for Armenians passing through their districts. It may also be apt to point out here that while your 2001 message used the word 'exile' in order to describe this relocation, Armenians were moved to inhabited areas of Syria, which were also under the governorship of the Ottoman Empire.''
''There can be a credible discussion about the legitimacy of the relocation order by the Ottoman government, although such mass civilian population movements were not the exception but rather the norm prior, during and after World War I. In fact, one may even argue that, even if the relocation order was justified due to the mass treason of Armenians and the exasperating conditions of wartime, that the Ottoman government maladministered this relocation. Furthermore, Armenians that were not in the conflict region, by and large, were not moved and Armenians communities in the Western parts of Turkey continued to flourish. These are not measures compatible with the intent to destroy a community.''
''In 2001 you also touched upon an issue of great controversy concerning the exact numbers of Armenians who died in the period. At this point I would like to state for the record that like yourself we too: 'mourn the tragedy that scarred the history of the Armenian people.' One life lost is one life too many. However, this debate has always concentrated on one side of story. Many more Muslims, some scholars quote 2.5 million, died in the same period and region than did Armenians in tens and thousands at the hands of Armenians rebel forces -- and yet their names are not remembered nor their deaths commemorated. Furthermore, almost all of the demographic data of the period, many from reliable sources including Armenian figures, indicate that the total population of Armenians in the whole Ottoman Empire was less than 1.5 million. Non-combatant civilian deaths in this region outnumbered those in all the European theater. More than armed conflict, the causes were internecine warfare agitated by outsiders. Thus, while the historical analysis continues, we urge you not to make any statements that contain unproven and unreliable data.''
''In a recent statement the British government, who at the time was the sole occupying power in Istanbul and with access to all relevant materials, re-iterated its position on the 1915-16 period as such:
''The British Government of the day and successive British Governments viewed the massacres of 1915-16 as an appalling tragedy. We understand the strength of feeling on this issue given the loss of life on both sides. But we do not believe the evidence demonstrates that the events should be classified as 'genocide', which has a specific meaning under the 1948 U.N. Convention on Genocide.''
''We believe that this statement is accurate in that it officially acknowledges the fact that this was not a one-sided affair but one that incorporated two groups in what was internecine warfare. Similarly, Nobel Peace Price laureate and the Foreign Minister of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres also refused comparisons by Armenian groups with the Holocaust and stated on numerous occasions that the events did not constitute a genocide.''
''Mr. President, as the Assembly we look to the future and raise our children with this mentality. In the Turco-Armenian conflict, we believe that a foundation for dialogue between the two peoples must be created in an atmosphere that lends itself to healing. Healing can only take place when all sides are ready to face the truth. It is to this end that my organization will continue to work with all genuine groups to further dialogue and strive to reach a common understanding and some degree of closure to our communities on a history that is now almost 100 years old. Our community sincerely hopes that you, Mr. President, will provide moral leadership for all of us in this issue, as you have done in many others that affect us as Americans.''
''Finally, I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your steadfast support of Turkey during these difficult times for both nations. We are committed to protect and strengthen this dynamic partnership and strong alliance for generations to come, believing that together, our nations can work to create a better world for generations to come.''