Erdogan allowed himself a disgraceful statement

March 25, 2010 - 19:27 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Erdogan allowed himself an unacceptable statement, according to former Turkish diplomat, foreign policy expert Yalim Eralp.

Commenting on recent statement by Turkish Prime Minister on the possibility of deporting illegal Armenian migrants, the expert said: "I don't believe the Prime Minister actually thinks along the same lines as his statement went; still, the statement was a disgraceful one."

As the former Ambassador told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, Turkish Prime Minister was angered with the passage of Genocide resolutions in US House Foreign Affairs Committee and Swedish parliament; "yet, a statesman must know how to keep emotions at bay," Yalim Eralp said.

Just weeks after the Swedish Parliament and the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan told BBC reporters, that "There are 170,000 Armenians in my country, of which 70,000 are my citizens. We're turning a blind eye to the other 100,000. However, tomorrow, if it becomes necessary, I would say to those 100,000, go back to your country. Why? Because they're not my citizens; I'm not obliged to keep them in my country."

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.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.