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• Controversial ritual: Armenian youth burning Turkish flag met with criticism at home as well as in Turkey

Supporting ASALA basically justifies Turkey's position about 1915. Just so we understand how terrorists are dealt with. What the international standard is. America is the most powerful country in the world and therefore has a lot to say on this issue. GITMO, Iraq, etc. That is how one deals with terrorists. And of course Turkiye will flow America's example when dealing with terrorists. All you ASA...

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The demonstration has always been viewed by some Armenians as an unnecessary political act on a day that should show reverence over hostility.

This year, however, the flag burning also included burning photos of the prime minister and president of Turkey during the march organized by the Youth and ‘Nikol Aghbalyan’ student unions of nationalist Dashnaks.

Criticizing the flag-burning action, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "This action tramples on international law. They are complicating the process of the normalization of relations."

On Sunday, April 25, members of the Turkish nationalist Great Union Party, in response to the action of the Armenian youth, burnt Armenia’s flag in central Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey.

Taksim Square was the site of an April 24 gathering by a few hundred Turks who paid homage to the 1915 Armenian Genocide victims. “This is our pain, this grief belongs to all of us,” said organizers among whom were well-known Turkish intelligentsia.

According to Turkish analyst and human rights defender Sami Feynash, who recognizes the Armenian Genocide and condemns his Government for denying it, “anyway, burning a flag is not a civilized method.”

“When I see the photos of the torch lighting procession, I shiver, but I get angry when I see how they burn the [Turkish] flag. I also get angry when I see how [Turkish] nationalists burnt Armenia’s flag in Istanbul. You cannot justify anyone acting so; it is a pointless action,” Feynash says.

Youth activist Daniel Ioannisyan, head of youth wing of Heritage Party of Armenia, also considers the action to be “uncivilized” and “pointless.”

“It is an aggressive action, which does not glorify national spirit at all. Instead, it complicates the possibilities of normalization, and it creates an impression as if Armenian youth are not ready to gather around a civilized negotiations table,” Ioannisyan told ArmeniaNow.

Armenian political analyst Yervand Bozoyan is also against such “extreme” actions, however, nonetheless he says that he understands Armenian youth’s indignation, which is fueled by Turkey’s policy of denial.

“The flag-burning action is typical to extremists of the Middle East, and, of course, I do not agree with it. It does not yield any positive dividend; just the contrary, it ruins Armenia’s reputation in front of the international community.”

Commenting to ArmeniaNow on the incident, Giro Manoyan, Director of the International Secretariat of ARF Bureau in Yerevan said the flag burning was not sanctioned by the ARF Executive Council, but it was rather the youths’ independent action.

“Flag-burning is a well-known action in the world. And moreover, taking into consideration Turkey’s policy of denial, young people express their protest that way.”