  European Commissioner welcomes Erdogan’s apology for Dersim November 25, 2011 - 14:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle has welcomed a recent apology offered by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the killing of thousands of people in the Kurdish-Alevi region of Dersim during the 1930s. “All gestures aiming to address divisive issues of the past in a spirit of reconciliation strengthen democracy and tolerance in Turkey and are thus most welcome,” Füle told Today's Zaman. The Dersim massacre concerns the deaths of tens of thousands of Alevis at the hands of the military in 1937. Erdoğan said he “apologizes for Dersim on behalf of the Turkish state.” He also called on the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), who was part of the single-party government of the time, to offer an apology as well, referring to the party as “the actual culprit” in the massacre.   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 |  Latest news The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity  The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization.Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia.Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |
