Fraud revealed in Turkish apology campaign
An apparent fraud has been revealed in an online
signature campaign launched by a group of Turkish citizens to
apologize to Armenians for the alleged World War I-era killings of
their countrymen.
It has now been revealed that most of the Turks included in the list of people voting for the "apology" have either died or are non-existent. Additionally, some of the persons listed were not aware that they had been included in the campaign.
The initiative, launched on the www.ozurdiliyoruz.com website on December 15 by up to 200 Turkish scholars, journalists, men of art and NGO representatives, seeks to extend an apology for the alleged mass killings in the Ottoman Empire that Armenians term as genocide, a claim strenuously denied by Ankara. Supporters of the campaign vote by including their names, city of residence and email addresses on the web-page. An opportunity has also been created for non-users of the Internet to submit their votes by mail. The campaign is expected to last a year.
The website claimed that among those apologizing to the Armenians was Turkey`s ambassador to France Ismayil Erezi, who was slain by Armenian terrorists in Paris in 1975.
The web site further says that over 13,000 people have already joined the campaign, but it is unknown which of the published names are forged. After the persons whose names had been included in the list without their knowledge appealed to the prosecutor`s office, the website`s sections saying "Katilanlar" (Those joining) and "Katilmak ichin tiklayin" (Click to join) were removed.
It is of note that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials have condemned the campaign.
"I do not understand the organizers of this campaign and believe they are wrong," the Turkish premier said. "One has to commit a crime to ask for an apology afterwards.
Treating matters with good will is one thing, while apologizing in the absence of any crime is completely another."The Turkish Armed Forces Headquarters has labeled the online "apology" campaign as a move that will be harmful to the country, with Armed Forces official, Metin Gurak, calling the move erroneous.
Turkish Ambassador in Baku, Hulusi Kilic, has also come out against the initiative, saying Turkey is not apologizing to Armenians, but, on the contrary, is expecting an apology from them.
"The Turkish nation does not owe an apology to any other nation," Kilic told reporters.
Some 60 former ambassadors denounced the "apology" initiative as running opposite of the country`s national interests. In a statement, they said the re-settlement of Armenians carried out in 1915 in the conditions of war had caused bitter consequences. However, the Turks` losses due to Armenian terror and riots, were no less heavy.
To counter the initiative, Turkish intellectuals have lately launched a campaign called "We are not apologizing." The signature collection campaign is being carried out on the www.ozurdilemiyoruz.com website.
Meanwhile, the Turkish embassy in Baku has expressed concern over the baseless reports in local as well as Azerbaijani media claiming that President Abdullah Gul`s maternal side is ethnic Armenian. A source from the embassy told AssA-Irada that Gul has made a formal statement regarding his family`s roots, saying his generation comes from traditional Muslim Turks.
After all officials in Ankara except President Gul condemned this "act of propaganda", a representative of Turkey`s opposition Nationalist Movement Party claimed that Gul`s relatives on his maternal side are ethnic Armenian Turkish citizens who originally come from the Kayseri region. The embassy said Armenia was sticking to its unequivocal stance on the purported genocide and its relations with the neighboring country. It noted that the head of state has repeatedly offered to Yerevan to open up historical archives to study the Ottoman Turkey developments, in order to prove the falsehood of the genocide claims.Armenia and Turkey maintain no diplomatic ties and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s insistence in response to Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territories and the Armenian "genocide" claims. However, relations between the two countries have begun to improve of late. Following secret talks between Turkish and Armenian diplomats in Bern in July, the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan early in September when Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish president to visit Armenia. Further, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian visited Turkey on November 24 where both countries discussed ways of normalizing relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Documented evidence
A document has been discovered that exposes the fraudulent nature of Armenia`s genocide allegations. According to the Turkish media, the document says that the then Armenian patriarch and a group of Armenians from his entourage launched a signature-raising campaign to put forward territorial claims against Turkey. "The Turks tormented us in 1917 and endangered our lives and property", the document said.
In response to this statement, the Anatolian Armenians and Greeks circulated a statement of their own.
"We, the Anatolian Armenians and Greeks, have lived in peace and stability with the Turks for years, and this will continue," the historical document says. "There is no pressure against us whatsoever. This is a ploy by those interested in muddying the waters. We are very pleased with our lives."
It has now been revealed that most of the Turks included in the list of people voting for the "apology" have either died or are non-existent. Additionally, some of the persons listed were not aware that they had been included in the campaign.
The initiative, launched on the www.ozurdiliyoruz.com website on December 15 by up to 200 Turkish scholars, journalists, men of art and NGO representatives, seeks to extend an apology for the alleged mass killings in the Ottoman Empire that Armenians term as genocide, a claim strenuously denied by Ankara. Supporters of the campaign vote by including their names, city of residence and email addresses on the web-page. An opportunity has also been created for non-users of the Internet to submit their votes by mail. The campaign is expected to last a year.
The website claimed that among those apologizing to the Armenians was Turkey`s ambassador to France Ismayil Erezi, who was slain by Armenian terrorists in Paris in 1975.
The web site further says that over 13,000 people have already joined the campaign, but it is unknown which of the published names are forged. After the persons whose names had been included in the list without their knowledge appealed to the prosecutor`s office, the website`s sections saying "Katilanlar" (Those joining) and "Katilmak ichin tiklayin" (Click to join) were removed.
It is of note that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials have condemned the campaign.
"I do not understand the organizers of this campaign and believe they are wrong," the Turkish premier said. "One has to commit a crime to ask for an apology afterwards.
Treating matters with good will is one thing, while apologizing in the absence of any crime is completely another."The Turkish Armed Forces Headquarters has labeled the online "apology" campaign as a move that will be harmful to the country, with Armed Forces official, Metin Gurak, calling the move erroneous.
Turkish Ambassador in Baku, Hulusi Kilic, has also come out against the initiative, saying Turkey is not apologizing to Armenians, but, on the contrary, is expecting an apology from them.
"The Turkish nation does not owe an apology to any other nation," Kilic told reporters.
Some 60 former ambassadors denounced the "apology" initiative as running opposite of the country`s national interests. In a statement, they said the re-settlement of Armenians carried out in 1915 in the conditions of war had caused bitter consequences. However, the Turks` losses due to Armenian terror and riots, were no less heavy.
To counter the initiative, Turkish intellectuals have lately launched a campaign called "We are not apologizing." The signature collection campaign is being carried out on the www.ozurdilemiyoruz.com website.
Meanwhile, the Turkish embassy in Baku has expressed concern over the baseless reports in local as well as Azerbaijani media claiming that President Abdullah Gul`s maternal side is ethnic Armenian. A source from the embassy told AssA-Irada that Gul has made a formal statement regarding his family`s roots, saying his generation comes from traditional Muslim Turks.
After all officials in Ankara except President Gul condemned this "act of propaganda", a representative of Turkey`s opposition Nationalist Movement Party claimed that Gul`s relatives on his maternal side are ethnic Armenian Turkish citizens who originally come from the Kayseri region. The embassy said Armenia was sticking to its unequivocal stance on the purported genocide and its relations with the neighboring country. It noted that the head of state has repeatedly offered to Yerevan to open up historical archives to study the Ottoman Turkey developments, in order to prove the falsehood of the genocide claims.Armenia and Turkey maintain no diplomatic ties and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s insistence in response to Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territories and the Armenian "genocide" claims. However, relations between the two countries have begun to improve of late. Following secret talks between Turkish and Armenian diplomats in Bern in July, the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan early in September when Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish president to visit Armenia. Further, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian visited Turkey on November 24 where both countries discussed ways of normalizing relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Documented evidence
A document has been discovered that exposes the fraudulent nature of Armenia`s genocide allegations. According to the Turkish media, the document says that the then Armenian patriarch and a group of Armenians from his entourage launched a signature-raising campaign to put forward territorial claims against Turkey. "The Turks tormented us in 1917 and endangered our lives and property", the document said.
In response to this statement, the Anatolian Armenians and Greeks circulated a statement of their own.
"We, the Anatolian Armenians and Greeks, have lived in peace and stability with the Turks for years, and this will continue," the historical document says. "There is no pressure against us whatsoever. This is a ploy by those interested in muddying the waters. We are very pleased with our lives."
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