Turkey seeks explanation from Iran over alleged genocide remarks

[Jigs]

FULYA ÖZERKAN
KARAMAN – Hürriyet Daily News

Alarmed by reports that Iran’s vice president said the events of 1915 constituted a "genocide," Turkey is seeking high-level explanation from Tehran.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu spoke late Friday with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, who told him that Iran's position was in line with Turkey's stance on the issue.

“I asked for an explanation from Mr. Mottaki,” Davutoğlu told journalists in the central Anatolian province of Karaman on Friday.

The mass killings and deportation of Armenians during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire constituted “genocide,” according to Iranian Vice President Hamid Baghaei. “A hundred years ago the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against a certain number of Armenians,” he was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency IRNA.

Davutoğlu said the Turkish Foreign Ministry immediately contacted both the Iranian Embassy in Ankara and the Turkish Embassy in Tehran.

Turkey’s envoy to Tehran went to the Iranian Foreign Ministry to follow up on the issue. Later in the day, Davutoğlu contacted Mottaki.

Soon after the allegations, the Iranian Embassy in Ankara released a statement saying that the Iranian vice president’s statements were not accurately reflected by some media outlets. The embassy stated that Baghaei commented on the subject only as a problem between Turkey and Armenia and that he did not express his opinions about the issue.

During their telephone conversation, Mottaki told Davutoğlu that the conference attended by the Iranian vice president was about World War II, not about World War I, while repeating that there was no change in Tehran's position regarding the events of 1915, the Turkish foreign minister said.

But it appeared Friday that Davutoğlu was not satisfied with Mottaki’s assurance. He said he told his Iranian counterpart that Turkey was awaiting an explanation from Baghaei himself.

“Mottaki told me that Baghaei will make an explanation,” Davutoğlu said.

The Iranian vice president made the alleged remarks during a conference “Iran, a bridge of success” on Wednesday.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

That would be a very stupid mistake for Iran to refer to the events of 1915 as genocide.

What a diplomatic blunder that would be.

 

[Thomas]

I had a very dear friend who was Armenian and is now passed away. He related a story to me from when he was 7 years old living in Turkey. Turkish soldiers came one day and rounded up his family. He was able to hide from the soldiers, but the rest of his family ended up being lined up and shot by the soldiers. Their crime was that they were Armenian. What happened then is no different then what has gone on in world history for thousands of years. The U.S. did it with Native Americans (which I am am one), The colonial powers acted similarly with Africans, ECT.

However until Turkey comes to terms with what happened. And openly admits that the massacres did take place. They will never be able to move on and get past the dark cloud that hangs over it.

 

[Nahraf]

Iran leadership is foolishly trying to support false Armenian propaganda against Turkey.

 

[somebozo]

Some Iranian diplomats are loose tounges. A quick slap from Turkey shound reminds these most sanctions regime on earth.

 

[CardSharp]

I had a very dear friend who was Armenian and is now passed away. He related a story to me from when he was 7 years old living in Turkey. Turkish soldiers came one day and rounded up his family. He was able to hide from the soldiers, but the rest of his family ended up being lined up and shot by the soldiers. Their crime was that they were Armenian. What happened then is no different then what has gone on in world history for thousands of years. The U.S. did it with Native Americans (which I am am one), The colonial powers acted similarly with Africans, ECT.

However until Turkey comes to terms with what happened. And openly admits that the massacres did take place. They will never be able to move on and get past the dark cloud that hangs over it.

I think that is what most victims want in this situation is a simple apology and recognition that what was done was wrong.

 

[somebozo]

I think that is what most victims want in this situation is a simple apology and recognition that what was done was wrong.

Turkey will appologize if it was the country or government to commit the crimes. Turkey has since dissassociated itself from Ottomans or Ottoman Empire.

 

[CardSharp]

Turkey will appologize if it was the country or government to commit the crimes. Turkey has since dissassociated itself from Ottomans or Ottoman Empire.

And the Bundesrepublik have distanced itself from the Nazis, and the Japanese have distanced itself (somewhat) from Imperial Japan, but they've still made apologized and made amends to their victims today. A little sensitivity wouldn't kill Turkey.

 

[below_freezing]

i have only 1 thing to say to turkey: it's time to face the truth, because denial only makes you a weak nation.

 

[Jigs]

Armenians were killing Turks too and a lot of people overlook this. Many people were assassinated by armenians and on top of that it was at a time when the Ottoman empire was falling apart.

Compensation was paid in the 30s to the Armenians (something overlooked) Rather then seeking peace the Armenians have been running a smear campaign against Turkey. They need to let it go and look at improving relations.

 

[oceanx]

i have only 1 thing to say to turkey: it's time to face the truth, because denial only makes you a weak nation.

My problem with your fake outrage is that you know d@mn well that "genocide" is currently a political tool, just as the word "democracy" ... by you know who to achieve you know what.

By the same token, you know full well that's one reason why many ethnic Chinese were outraged by the off-handed statement from a certain Turkish head of state after a certain tragic event in a certain part of Western China ...

But two wrongs do not make a right and one does not bring up "untruth" to counter "untruth".

Frankly, you yourself have said before that no one knows what game Iranians are playing these days. People like you and I are spectators and only fit to be spectators.

We know about Iranians' latent worries over "pan-Turkism" and their "strategic ties" with Armenia ... but there is always more to meets the "press".

Perhaps they are trying to "leverage" the small but influential Armenian community in the US ... Time will inform us peasants long past these "two minute to midnight" events.

Anyhow, I agree that Turkey should and probably could do more to shed more light on the events 95 years ago. They could and should acknowledge the massacres more forthrightly ... and apologize ...

But are the Russians going to apologize to anyone for ethnic cleansing of the Caucasus?

In all fairness, Turkey has offered to open up archives (to an extent) and form joint commissions ... I don't know the extent of compensation, however.

Anyways, it's supreme hypocrisy for you to cast a stone when your government hasn't even acknowledged the massacre on the streets of your capital and my birth country a mere 21 years ago!

And we won't even bring up the topic of a museum for an event that caused 非正常死亡 of 100 million Chinese in this Century ...

 

[huzihaidao12]

My problem with your fake outrage is that you know d@mn well that "genocide" is currently a political tool, just as the word "democracy" ... by you know who to achieve you know what.

By the same token, you know full well that's one reason why many ethnic Chinese were outraged by the off-handed statement from a certain Turkish head of state after a certain tragic event in a certain part of Western China ...

But two wrongs do not make a right and one does not bring up "untruth" to counter "untruth".

Frankly, you yourself have said before that no one knows what game Iranians are playing these days. People like you and I are spectators and only fit to be spectators.

We know about Iranians' latent worries over "pan-Turkism" and their "strategic ties" with Armenia ... but there is always more to meets the "press".

Perhaps they are trying to "leverage" the small but influential Armenian community in the US ... Time will inform us peasants long past these "two minute to midnight" events.

Anyhow, I agree that Turkey should and probably could do more to shed more light on the events 95 years ago. They could and should acknowledge the massacres more forthrightly ... and apologize ...

But are the Russians going to apologize to anyone for ethnic cleansing of the Caucasus?

In all fairness, Turkey has offered to open up archives (to an extent) and form joint commissions ... I don't know the extent of compensation, however.

Anyways, it's supreme hypocrisy for you to cast a stone when your government hasn't even acknowledged the massacre on the streets of your capital and my birth country a mere 21 years ago!

And we won't even bring up the topic of a museum for an event that caused 非正常死亡 of 100 million Chinese in this Century ...

Sorry, the students also have the mob, I support China's government to take action, but not support the use of force incident, students are being used,only a tool, he was a tragedy, however, compared with the United States Kent State University of events, students are no serious acts of violence，do you think is not a massacre?

 

[huzihaidao12]

Interview mit Helmut Schmidt: Wir sehen China ganz falsch - Nachrichten - Politik - Home - Westdeutsche Zeitung

Wenn es keine Soldaten, sondern Polizeibeamte gewesen wären, hätten sie nicht sogleich geschossen, sondern mit Stöcken gedroht. Es gab aber keine Polizei. So gibt es viele Faktoren, die in den westlichen Medien weder richtig dargestellt noch von ihnen verstanden wurden, die diese Tragödie insgesamt ausgelöst hatten.
如果当时不是士兵，而是警察，那么他们就不用马上开枪，而是可以用警棍来自卫。但是没有警察进去。所以就产生了很多西方媒体既没有正确展示，也没有正确理解引发这场发生在天安门广场的悲剧的许许多多因素。

Worauf Sie bewusst hinweisen, wenn Sie über die Chronik der blutigen Ereignisse reden, ist, dass diese Studentenunruhen nicht mit der Studentenrevolte im Westen vergleichbar sei, weil es primär nicht um mehr Freiheit ging.
您有意识地指出，谈及这起血腥事件时，不能把这次学生动乱和西方的学生暴乱相提并论，因为它最初不是要求更多的自由。


Schmidt: Das ist richtig. Aber natürlich spielten unter den Studenten vielerlei Strömungen eine Rolle. Denken Sie an den legendären Mai 1968 in Paris mit den gravierenden Studentenunruhen auf den Straßen, die beinah zum Sturz von De Gaulle geführt hätten, oder denken Sie an die Auswüchse der Baader-Meinhof-Gruppe, die ja durchaus bereit war, andere ihrer politischen Ziele wegen umzubringen.
Schmidt: 是的。但是在学生当中，当然也有很多股潮流在涌动。您想一下1968年巴黎学生在街头严重骚乱，差点让戴高乐政府垮台，或者您想一下Baader-Meinhof集团的发展，他们完全是准备好出于自己的政治目的而杀害其他人的。


So gab es auch in China einige Studenten, die gewaltbereit waren. Sowohl in Deutschland als auch in Frankreich hat ja die 68er Studentenbewegung durchaus zu einer Reihe von Gewalttaten geführt. Diese im Westen mit staatlicher Gewalt gebrochene Gewaltbereitschaft darf nicht unterschlagen werden, wenn man über die Tragödie in China redet.
在中国也有几个学生是准备使用暴力的。在德国和法国的68年学生运动也完全导致了一系列的暴力行为。如果人们要提中国的这次悲剧，那么就不能不说这些在西方用国家武力破坏掉的暴力行为。


Im Westen endete das zwar nicht mit 800 oder 900 Toten wie in Peking. Nun weiß ich nicht, wie viel Tote es wirklich waren. Die Zahlen über die Toten sind in der westlichen Presse übertrieben worden. Die westlichen Botschafter, die ich 1990 in Peking darauf ansprach, haben alle nur geschätzt.
在西方这样的骚乱也是跟北京这次一样以800或者900人死亡而结束。现在我就不知道，到底死了多少人。死亡人数被西方媒体扩大了。我1990年在北京问过的那些西方大使，也都只能是估计出一个数字。


Unter den Künstlern, die sich zur Tatzeit auf dem Platz des Himmlischen Friedens aufhielten, waren bis auf einen alle wider Erwarten sehr auskunftsfreudig. Sie erzählten so freimütig, dass ich mir filmreife Bilder von dem machen konnte, was dort passiert ist.
出乎意料的是，那些当时在天安门广场也参与了事件的艺术家们，只有一个人不愿意多讲。剩下的人都很坦率地说，我是可以把当时发生的事情拍成一部电影的。


Schmidt: Was haben sie Ihnen erzählt?
Schmidt:他们都给您讲什么了？


Dass sie die Schüsse, die sie hörten, nicht als solche, sondern als Freudensignale ihrer Mitstreiter zunächst identifiziert hätten. Erst als sie sich dem Ort annäherten, von wo aus die Schüsse kamen, hätten sie realisiert, dass diese tödlich waren. Offensichtlich haben sie erst gar nicht in Erwägung gezogen oder mit einer Niederschlagung Ihrer Proteste gerechnet. Ich vermute, dass sie nicht naiv waren, sondern darin Vertrauen hatten, dass die Partei keine Gewalt gegen sie anwenden würde.
他们说，他们一开始把听到的枪声当作是一种友好的信号，而不是当作真枪实弹。只有在后来他们接近开枪的地方时，他们才意识到，那是致命的。他们明显刚开始根本没有考虑到，或者是想过他们的抗议会被镇压。我猜想，他们不天真，而是信任党不会对他们使用武力。

 

[huzihaidao12]

As for the "非正常死亡", 100million? Has been rising? Your figure is so simple out from your mouth?





Solange Mao lebte, hat er eine Reihe waghalsigerExperimente durchgeführt und dabei schwere Fehler begangen. Zum Beispiel hatsein Großer Sprung nach vorn in den 1950er Jahren Millionen Hungertotegefordert. Man weiß nicht genau, wie viele dabei umgekommen sind.

毛活着的时候，他做了一系列冒险的实验，这些实验后来都以严重的错误告终。比如50年代的大跃进，让几百万人活活地饿死过去。人们不知道当时究竟有多少人死去。




Möglicherweise eine zweistellige Millionenziffer.Schließlich hat auch das andere gigantische Experiment, nämlich seinesogenannte Proletarische Kulturrevolution, Tausende Tote gekostet. Sie allesind umgebracht worden. Er selbst starb 1976, und wenige Jahre darauf gelangtemit Deng Xiaoping jemand an die Spitze, der ein neues Experiment mit bisherglänzendem Erfolg wagte.

也有千万以上的数字。其他的巨型实验，即他所谓的无产阶级文化大革命，让数千人失去了生命。这些人只是被枪毙的人。毛是1976年去世的，几年后邓小平站在了领导位置上，他后来又勇敢地尝试了至今为止成果辉煌的实验。

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

And we won't even bring up the topic of a museum for an event that caused 非正常死亡 of 100 million Chinese in this Century ...

Then why do you bring it up? Starvation caused by failed economic policies does not fit the definition of genocide.

Maybe the party has not apologised directly for it (yet), but all leaders of the CPC starting from Deng Xiaoping have admitted that Chairman Mao made serious mistakes.

And his mistakes have nothing to do with the new generation of leadership, all of who support a "socialist market economy", and many of whom were actually PURGED during the era of Mao.

So firstly it was not genocide (although it was a very large tragedy)... and secondly, the policies of Mao died in 1978 when Deng Xiaoping brought in market reforms.