Turkish PM adviser fired over “age restrictions” after Genocide remarksApril 16, 2015 - 16:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Etyen Mahçupyan, an adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu who has recently been in the news for his remarks on the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, is no longer formally serving in the position, Today’s Zaman reports. Mahçupyan, the first Turkish Armenian to be a prime ministerial adviser, is no longer in the post due to legal restrictions on age, the Hürriyet daily's website, quoting Mahçupyan, said. He said he was “automatically” removed from the post when he turned 65 on March 9 but that he continues his job on an “honorary” basis. “I am currently abroad and I continue my work [as a prime minister's adviser]. The only difference is that I no longer get paid,” he told Hürriyet. Mahçupyan, appointed to his post by Davutoğlu in October 2014, created a stir when he said it was impossible not to accept that Armenians were subject to genocide during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. “It is impossible not to describe what was done to the Armenians in 1915 as genocide while what happened in Bosnia and Africa is accepted as genocide,” Mahçupyan reportedly told a website, karar.com, earlier this week. He also defended Pope Francis' characterization of the 1915 events as the first genocide of the 20th century, saying the Vatican has finally dispensed with a “100-year psychological burden.” The government has criticized the pontiff after his remarks, and Prime Minister Davutoğlu even accused him of joining an “axis of evil” formed against his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Turkey. Turkey also lashed out at the European Parliament, which has passed a non-binding resolution to commemorate the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. 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. 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.” |