Foreign

Home page

Foreign

Turkish Armenian community says no need to rake up the past

26 March 2010 15:52 (UTC +04:00)

APA reports quoting CNN TÃ¼rk. Following his meeting with Erdogan in Ankara, Bedros Sirinoglu said, â€œMy grandfather died during the incidents of 1915. But there is no need rake up the past and call it genocideâ€.
Turkish State Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc was also present at the meeting.
â€œIncidents of 1915 sowed discord between two close friends, who loved each other. It was a row of a hundred years ago and it created mistrust. We have to forget it and look forwardâ€, Sirinoglu said.
Turkey strongly rejects genocide allegations and regards the events as civil strife in wartime which claimed lives of many Turks and Armenians.
When asked about the Armenian population before 1915 and today, Sirinoglu said that the population was 1.5 million at that time.
However, he said a significant part of Armenians migrated to several countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq and France and added that both Turkish and Armenian peoples suffered from what happened a hundred years ago.
â€œIf we dredge up (the incidents of 1915), we will have to stay in darkâ€, he said.
â€œIt has been a hundred years. No need to hold a grudge. Such things have happened in the world such as wars. But they have all been covered up. But I donâ€™t know why, these incidents between Turkish people and Armenians living in Ottoman state are still not coveredâ€.
Sirinoglu said that Armenian people were living safely in Turkey. Sirinoglu also said that he apologized to Erdogan for misguiding him about the number of Armenian citizens living in Turkey.
Earlier this month, Erdogan said 100,000 out of 170,000 Armenians living in Turkey were not Turkish citizens. He said Turkey could deport these people living in Turkey illegally.
â€œThere are 20,000 Armenian citizens living in Turkey, not 100,000â€, said Sirinoglu. â€œMr. Prime Minister gave credence to our words and said it was 100,000. I would like to thank him for trusting us. But I would also like to apologize for misguiding himâ€.