200 Turkish intellectuals apologize to Armenians for GenocideDecember 15, 2008 - 16:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A group of Turkish intellectuals and academics are planning to issue a public apology for the Armenian Genocide on the Internet.Cengiz Aktar, a professor at Istanbul's Bahcesehir University, one of the campaign's initiators, said the group plans to issue the apology Monday along with a non-binding Internet petition to gather signatures, Hurriyet Daily News reports. It will read, "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that befell the Ottoman Armenians in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologize to them." Turks, including Nobel Literature Laureate Orhan Pamuk, have been prosecuted in the European Union aspirant country for recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Aktar said the initiative was meant to allow Turks to be able to offer a personal apology and put an end to an official silence. "We are not targeting anyone. It is an apology of an individual nature. We want to tell our Armenian brothers and sisters we apologize for not being able to discuss this issue for almost 100 years," he told Reuters. He said the group included 200 writers, intellectuals and academics. Germany's Green Party co-chair Cem Ozdemir, journalists Ece Temelkuran, Mine Kirikkanat, Oral Calislar, Ertugrul Kurkcu, director Bars Pirhasan, political scientist Baskin Oran, writers Murathan Mungan, Enis Batur, economists Ahmet Insel, Ayse Bugra, musician Aylin Aslim, actress Derya Alabora, and historians Halil Berkay and Selim Deringil are among the signatories. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. 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. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. 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. |