Richard Hovhannisian: Turkey will accept its history sooner or later

PanARMENIAN.Net - University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) professor, historian Richard Hovhannisian said Armenian in the U.S and all over the world will be morally satisfied if U.S. President Barack Obama uses the term Genocide in his annual April 24 statement to the U.S. Armenian community.



"Moreover, that would characterize Obama as a man of his word unlike his predecessor. His recognition of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Empire would be a sign to other countries that still doubt whether to recognize the crime or not," professor Hovhannisian told PanARMENIAN.Net



"As to Turkey itself, I think Turkey will acknowledge its history sooner of later. I know a lot of Turkish intellectuals and scientists who perfectly know that the 1915 events constituted a genocide," Hovhannisian said, adding that he cannot say for sure whether Obama would use the term Genocide.



At the same time, he mentioned that Armenian Diaspora would not be satisfied with acceptance of the fact only. "Of course, moral satisfaction is vital but the compensation that modern Turkey has to cover as successor of Ottoman Empire is much more important," said American historian.