Denktas says apology campaign ordered
The founder and first president of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas, has pounded a
wave of criticism on the supporters of the online signature
campaign recently launched by a group of Turkish citizens to
apologize to Armenians for the alleged World War I-era killings of
their countrymen.
Denktas said in Istanbul on Sunday that the campaign has been ordered and is backed from abroad.
The initiative, launched on the www.ozurdiliyoruz.com website in early December by up to 200 Turkish scholars and public 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. The campaign is expected to last a year.
"The East issue, which was being used to split up the Ottoman Empire, has been replaced in the past few days by the Great Middle East project, which seeks to redraw the region`s map," Denktas said. "The apology initiative has nothing to do with history, common sense or consciousness. Such statements will deal a blow to the country. This is not a plain issue - these are projects that came to the fore based on recommendations and orders from abroad."
Denktas`s statement has sparked controversy in Turkey, with different presumptions being made about which force could have ordered the apology campaign. Some charge that the orders had come from the White House, while others tend to believe that the Armenian Diaspora has a hand in launching the campaign.
Denktas said in Istanbul on Sunday that the campaign has been ordered and is backed from abroad.
The initiative, launched on the www.ozurdiliyoruz.com website in early December by up to 200 Turkish scholars and public 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. The campaign is expected to last a year.
"The East issue, which was being used to split up the Ottoman Empire, has been replaced in the past few days by the Great Middle East project, which seeks to redraw the region`s map," Denktas said. "The apology initiative has nothing to do with history, common sense or consciousness. Such statements will deal a blow to the country. This is not a plain issue - these are projects that came to the fore based on recommendations and orders from abroad."
Denktas`s statement has sparked controversy in Turkey, with different presumptions being made about which force could have ordered the apology campaign. Some charge that the orders had come from the White House, while others tend to believe that the Armenian Diaspora has a hand in launching the campaign.
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