Turkish government is fearful of the truth April 24, 2011 - 15:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Every year on April 24, the President of the United States issues a statement commemorating the annihilation of the Armenians that began on that evening in Constantinople (now Istanbul) with the arrest of 250 of their cultural leaders. They were sent to prison to be tortured, and most were killed, Peter Balakian writes in the article titled “Don't forget Armenia: On anniversary of genocide, President must press Turkey to admit to its crimes.” “Every year, Armenians around the world look to the American President to use the accurate term for the mass killing of the Armenian population: genocide. Every year, a President says everything he can about the meaning of the event, but stops short of using that word because the Turkish government, fearful of the truth, employs every possible tactic to dissuade the President from speaking it,” says the article published by NYDailyNews. “Coercion works, because Turkey is a consequential ally, and our government has not been able to muster the moral courage to do what many countries around the world have done: Make an official statement of recognition of the Armenian genocide. Such statements - by Canada, Uruguay, France, Russia, Poland, Greece, Lebanon, Sweden and so on - have been made not to legislate history, but only to affirm what is a clear, resolved historical record and to make what might be called a redress to official Turkish denial. It seems perfectly clear that the 21 countries that have made such resolutions find Turkey's aggressive efforts of denial ethically repugnant and unacceptable for a NATO member that also aspires to European Union admission.” Balakian is the author of "The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response." He teaches at Colgate University. 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 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 | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |