Vahan Hovhannisyan: Turkey hasn't changed over past 95 years

March 19, 2010 - 13:55 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Prime Minister's statements prove that Turkey hasn't changed over the past 95 years, so Armenians residing there are in serious danger, ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary group leader Vahan Hovhannisyan stated.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, Armenian residents of Turkey have to immediately leave the country. "Nationalistic element might signal the beginning of anti-Armenian activities. Though Armenian Foreign Minister responded to the statement, still there's a certain nuance: current Armenian community of Istanbul can't be compared with Armenian population of 1915, as, back then they were not migrants, but lived on their own land where Turks were newcomers," Mr. Hovhannisyan emphasized.

RPA parliamentary group leader Galust Sahakyan, in turn, noted that the figure of 100 000 illegal Armenian migrants, indicated in the statement, is an obvious exaggeration. "Erdogan's statement proves Turkey still goes unpunished. In contrast to 1915, when it secretly planned the Armenian Genocide, now it acts blatantly and openly," Sahakyan said.

According to Prosperous Armenia party secretary Aram Safaryan, "Armenia did not send illegal workers to Turkey, so giving advice on the issue is outside Armenia's competence." "At the same time, I'd like to emphasize that according to official data of Turkish sociological centers, there are only about 15 000 Armenian illegal migrants in Turkey," he noted.

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.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis (Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia) in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian The ARF has the largest number of members from the political parties present in the Armenian Diaspora, having established affiliates in more than 200 countries.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun led the effort toward the establishment of the first Armenian Republic in 1918 and was the party in power for the duration of its existence. Following the Sovietization of Armenia in 1920, the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun was banned by the Communists and its leadership exiled.

In the Diaspora, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun fought Soviet rule over Armenia and championed the cause of Armenian rights and independence; it played a leading role in organizing a social and cultural framework aimed at preserving the Armenian identity.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun officially re-emerged in Armenia during the dissolution of the USSR, in 1990.

On December 28, 1994, the activities of the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun were "temporarily suspended" by the Armenian authorities. In view of the political nature of the anti-ARF interdictions by the Armenian authorities, the ARF continued to operate in Armenia. On February 9, 1998, less than a week after the resignation of the then president Ter-Petrossian, the Justice Ministry lifted the ban on the ARF Dashnaktsutyun.

Prior to Serzh Sargsyan's election as president of Armenia and for a short time thereafter, the ARF was a member of the governing coalition, even though it nominated its own candidate in the presidential elections.