UK seeks to reconcile Armenians and Turks ahead of Genocide centenary

June 6, 2014 - 17:11 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Integration NGO is collecting stories to be presented by real people whose ancestors survived the Armenian Genocide and were saved with the help of their Turkish neighbor, friend or an ordinary Turk witnessing the events, Panorama.am reported.

The project titled “The Turk Who Saved Me” is supported by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The selected stories will be published in Armenian, Turkish and English languages in Armenia and Turkey. Some of the stories will also be published in a book.

The organization further requested those who have similar stories or know people who could tell of such to contact it at info@europeanintegration.am (subject line: “100 years… True Stories”) or call at 00374 10 588 911 or 00374 98 491 019.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.