Kemal Kilicdaroglu: Turkey is not afraid of facing its history

March 3, 2011 - 13:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu said that "Turkey opened its archives.”

He went on saying: “We want Armenians to open their archives. Let the historians come together and discuss. We are not afraid of facing our history. Armenia should also open its archives."

Delivering a speech at the Oxford University on March 2, Kilicdaroglu said that they were against all repressive mindset in Turkish universities, Anadolu Agency reported.

“We are determined to defend freedom and democracy under all conditions. The CHP will host rallies of freedom and democracy in all corners of Turkey prior to the general elections of June 12,” Kilicdaroglu said.

“Women's participation in politics is crucial to improve the quality of democracy. The only political party with a quota for women in Turkey is the CHP,” he added.

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.