Turkish Education Ministry defends textbook slurring ArmeniansJune 28, 2012 - 10:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Turkish Ministry of Education has defended a school text book that includes slurs about Armenians as well as a number of Turkish writers, saying the book was written “with the sense of national reflex and humorous criticism,” Hurriyet Daily News reported. Penned by Yunus Zeyrek, the book, titled “Bu Dosyayı Kaldırıyorum: Ermeni Meselesi” (“Closing this File: The Armenian Issue”) defines Armenians as “dishonorable and treacherous” and vilifies novelists such as Nobel Prize Laureate Orhan Pamuk and writer Elif Şafak. History and literature teachers distributed the books to students of their own volition after receiving them. Education Minister Ömer Dinçer responded a parliamentary question proposed by Kadir Gökmen Öğüt of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) about the book, saying “the examples in the book were written with the sense of national reflex and humorous criticism,” according to a report by daily Taraf. Öğüt asked whether the ministry had approved the handing out of the book and also whether the content of the book could be considered as being a form of hate crime. In his response, Dinçer said the Ministry of Education had never recommended the book. “The Governorship of Istanbul stated that some of the books were presented to students by the District Governor of Kartal and that nobody was targeted in any chapter of the book.” Dinçer had earlier announced that the ministry had launched a probe against a controversial book distributed by the education directorate among high schools in Istanbul’s Kartal district Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |