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“We apologize”: Turkish academics say ‘sorry’ to Armenian people over genocide

The latest “My Apologies” initiative of a group of Turkish intellectuals who decided to offer personal apologies to the Armenian people for the Genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire has elicited a wide international response.

A petition to which all who wish may join is uploaded on the website www.ozurdiliyoruz.com. During the first 24 hours of the website’s operation, more than 5,000 people signed upt, including more than 200 Turkish journalists, political scientists, historians, musicians, scholars.

Nevertheless, the petition available in eight languages, including Armenian, does not mention the word ‘genocide’, but instead speaks about the “great catastrophe.”

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13
25.04.2009 11:06
it's about time for the turks to come out of the closet and tell the world about the armenia genocide, and also to educate the turkish youth
12
19.01.2009 10:39
Dear Friends : Yes, an apology is necesary from the Turky Goverment and People. Knew of this Genoside in Argentina 50 yrs ago. As a member of the Human race send to all Armenians a Big Hug. Ricardo Felippa - Brisbane - Australia
11
09.01.2009 16:26
I do have some turkish colleagues at work, and it is so immoral of them of trying to convince me that what happened in 1915 was only war and then twisting and turning to tell me that armenians also killed turks. They do not look at it as a genocide and the fact that they wanted to erase us from history. I am proud of being an armenian and will never forgive the bloody turks for what they have done. Talking is easy, but let a turk put himself in our shoes and picture the misery armenians had to go through during the ottoman time and then let him judge.
10
07.01.2009 18:28
I'm Armenian and i can't forgive turks for killing 1,5mln Armenians
9
25.12.2008 12:47
100.000 Armenian live in Turkiye. 10.000 people sorry about pseudo genocide. Even 90.000 Armenian not sorry about pseudo genocide. This means genocide is a lia. At establish of Turkiye mentioned about 200.000 Armenian, 500.000 turkish die. All contries accecp this. Is it a genocide. Every body at war in 1915. Only children, women and old people were at Anatolia. Who made this genocide. 200.000 Armenian died at movement, we accept. Those killed by Armenian terorists during the movement. 200.000 Turkish soldier killed by Armenian terorists during the Armenian movement. But numbers of died people increasing every day. Today mentioned about 1.500.000 Armenian died. Armenians were 800.000 at anatolia in 1915. Is it true 1.500.000 armenian died. Lia is the caracter of armenian.
8
20.12.2008 17:46
It really surprises me the fact that so many Turks that their history was peacefull and without nothing to be ashamed of. You really think that the nomad Turkic tribes who came to this area in the Middle Ages, were welcomed by the people who already lived there for over 1000 years and who already had their state, and that when Turks took away the lands that did not belong to them, those people accepted it and said : Thanks for taking it away from us, you are so heroic. The history of Turkic people is that of conquering land, because in their original place the lands were worth nothing, destroying the cultural heritage of the orginal people, and killing. So don't even be surprized by the events of 1915. I don't think that was the first time such a thing happened in the history of Turkey.
7
18.12.2008 17:26
In 1915 there were 15.000.000 people in Anatolia (inclusief turks, kurdisch, greeks, arabisch, ermanian). Ottoman was in the Balkan war between 1904-1908 than 1. world war between 1914-1918 than freedom war between 1918-1922. In Ottaman the moslims could be soldier, in 1915 Ottaman was in the war to Italy, England, Rusland, Grece, France,Austuraly, Newzeland... There for al the muslims men from 15 to 70 years old in the army. On the east Anatolia there were just kurdisch women, childeren and Armenisch men, women, childeren. Armenische men wanted to have a land, there for there worked to gether with Russische army to kill the arm kurdisch people. There fore Ottaman took the armenias from east to Arabia away. Those armanian live now adays all around the world. In that time there were 2 millions arabisch, 1 million armanian, 4 millions kurdisch, 5 hundred thousands grece 5 or 6 millions turkisch in Anatolia. If somebody says that the 6.000.000 turkisch people(most of them are women en old people and childeren) were in war opposite of 6-7 landen and the same time they killed 2 million armenias (from totaal 1 millioan armenians) and took away 6 hundred thousends ermanias to Arabia, than I said just to them "you can not think anymore, go to a doctor for your brain"... There fore I m sorry to Turkisch people that there were to much people with out brain...
6
18.12.2008 15:27
I have very good Turkish friends. I love them very much. We have talked about the Armenian Genocide issue a lot. I really wish that what happened in 1915 indeed were just a war. It was not just a war. During a war people fight and then make peace. This is not the case. Besides that Armenians were killed and deportated, Armenian children were taken away from their Armenian families. They were given Turkish names and put in Turkish families. I don't think those childeren knew anything about their Armenian identity when they grew up. They were Turks now. And I also doubt that the Turkish soldiers were acting by themselves by taking away the Armenian identity from those Armenian children. They have received commands and they were following those commands. So how should we (Armenians) regard this? We regard this as an attempt to try to erase the Armenian identity and the Armenian rase. I hope you can understand us. Turkey keeps saying: We should investigate, we should investigate, we should investigate. When is Turkey going to start investigating?
5
18.12.2008 12:37
To Ayse Sabuncu and Engin Korkmaz There is a huge misunderstanding regarding “apologizes campaign” this ““apologize campaign” is referring to “Turkish people” and Turkish government which is behind denial policy! Armenia people are not in need of such apologizes issued by Turkish individuals but Turkish government should be much courageous as the individuals issuing apologizes and condemnation of Turkish denial policy – this should be the message of “apologizes campaign” issued by Turkish intellectuals. There are a lot of politicians and journalist in turkey who made carrier by denying the fact of Armenian Genocide the same people are suffering form amnesia beside this Turkish government itself was and is a “Ergenekon gang” And “Turks” who demand an “apologize” from Armenians should make first of sure that there parents/ancestors are for sure not of Armenian, Greek, Assyrian or Arab oigion There are much take about numbers of Armenians living in Anatolia prior to Armenian Genocide . How about “number of ethnic Turks “living in Anatolia before start of Armenian Genocide !? As “Sever Treaty” mentioned below in his/her comments. Only a small part of population in Anatolia (Western Armenia) regarded themes “ethnic Turks” this point as “who moved Turks and Muslims to Armenian towns before 1915 and the racial motivated policy of kemalists after 1921 is being widely ignored by historians above all by “Turkish historians” who are busy manipulating facts regarding number of killed Armenians as number of Armenians in Western Armenia (“Anatolia”)
4
18.12.2008 04:35
I support the existance of such a campaign in Turkey because it's a fragment of the fact that people in Turkey "think" and search for the resolution and the truth instead of yelling and shouting and insulting and barking.. But I do not apologize to anybody. Not yet. First of all Armania should accept our call to set up a historical research partnership. They just refused it. Why? The keep killing Turkish embassadors and other important officers in many countries. It hurts us. We have no problem with Armenian people today.
3
17.12.2008 23:17
@Ayse Sabuncu yes , maybe u are right , everything i spossible, I have read in foreign news media that Turkish racist are going to leave Armenian homes occupied by there fathers and Turkish government is preparing to implement the Sever Treaty. (Aug. 10, 1920), beside this Turkish government is going to tell the truth to Turkish „nation“ that prior to Armenian Genocide only 2% of population of “Anatolia”( including Western Armenia) regarded themselves as ethnical „Turks“ !
2
17.12.2008 20:01
Hi. I just read in a Turkish newspaper that Armenian intellectuals are preparing a similar campaign to present their apologies to the Turkish people, because during the war their fathers back-stabbed the Ottoman army, formed ultra-nationalist terrorist organizations, later killed Turkish diplomats all over the world, they still have the archives closed etc. Is this really true? Best
1
16.12.2008 18:22
This courageous campaign will just „unmask“ Turkish government and above all politicians like Erdogan .. The contra statement of Turkish Ex ambassadors and nationalist demonstrate in a unique way that the denial of Armenian Genocide is being orchestrated by Turkish politicians therefore this denial needs just a political answer! A apologize and compensation is only the task of Turkish government. Turkey is entering in a phase which Ankara is forced and see an argent need - at least for a while- for making some changes to its denial strategy… Bu still first of all Turkish government should apologize to Turkish people/nation for there lies and denial policy (this should be the first step)! And Armenian authorities including there allies as well Levon and HHsh(!) should learn form Turkish intellectuals and issue an apologize to Armenians having turned the central of Yerevan to a battle field on March 1 in order to secure there privileges or gain back there old privileges !
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