Young Turks planned to annihilate the entire Armenian population, Turkish historian saysApril 1, 2010 - 15:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A prominent Turkish historian told Taraf newspaper in an interview published Wednesday that "the Young Turks planned to annihilate the entire Armenian population." Historian Selim Deringil said that there was also a distinction between the aims of the Young Turks and their predecessor Sultan Abdul Hamid at the turn of the 19th century. "The difference between Sultan Abdul Hamid and the Young Turks was that the Young Turks wanted to completely destroy and annihilate the Armenians, while Sultan Abdul Hamid sought to get rid of a certain element of Armenians, to diminish their economic dominance and to create and Islamic bourgeoisie," he said. "There were Armenians [living] everywhere [in Turkey]. The massacre of Armenians took place in different cities. Today, the official history states that in all the areas where people were killed there were Armenians revolts; however, the majority of those were not rebellions." The historian said that 300 000 Armenian were massacred under Sultan Adbul Hamid between 1841 and 1897 and 800 000 were murdered during the Armenian Genocide. He also referred to Turkish policy failures after the establishment of the modern-day Republic. “At the onset of the Republic an estimated 300 000 Armenians lived in Turkey, while today that number has dwindled to 70 000,” he said. "Annihilation does not only happen through killings," Derengil claimed. "If you make life unbearable [for people] they will pick up and leave." Derengil also criticized Turkish historians, who “spend all of their time trying to rationalize Turkey's official denialist position on the Genocide.” "They work only to prove that Armenian assertions are baseless." “After World War I, there was plenty of evidence that demonstrated the crimes, kidnapping and rape of Armenian women in Anatolia beginning in 1915,” Derengil concluded, Asbarez.com reported. 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 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Your home is in Armenia – Ameriabank offers mortgage loans for the Diaspora To buy real estate, Diasporans can apply to Ameriabank online to buy, renovate or build a home anywhere in Armenia. Armenia-Qatar ties discussed in Doha The Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council met with the Deputy Secretary General of the National Security Council of Qatar. ARARAT special evening dedicated to Aznavour's 100th Anniv. On May 20 ARARAT legendary Armenian brandy, celebrated the centennial of Maestro Charles Aznavour with a special event. Surveying works underway in Armenia’s Kirants Surveying works are underway in the Armenian village of Kirants in the northern Tavush province. |