Turkey's President Abdullah Gul has said he disagrees with parts of U.S. President Barack Obama's statement the previous day on the mass killings of Armenians in 1915, adding hundreds of thousands of Turks and Muslims also died.
Obama avoided using the word "genocide" when describing the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915, and welcomed efforts by Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations.
Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted to genocide.
In Turkey's first official reaction to the statement, Gul said: "There are points on which I disagree. Hundreds of thousands of Turks and Muslims also died in 1915. Everyone's pain must be shared," according to state-run news agency Anatolian. RFE
Obama said in Europe he's trying to avoid getting in the way of the patchup between Turkey and Armenia:
President Barack Obama avoided using the word genocide on April 24 when describing mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 and welcomed efforts by Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations.
As a presidential candidate, Obama, who took office in January, had described the killings of Armenians as genocide, but he referred to them as "atrocities" on April 24.
"Ninety four years ago, one of the great atrocities of the 20th century began," Obama said in a statement released by the White House. "Each year, we pause to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who were subsequently massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire."
Despite his careful word choice, Obama said his position on the killings had not altered.
"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed," he said. "My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts." Reuters
Obama's full statement:
Ninety four years ago, one of the great atrocities of the 20th century began. Each year, we pause to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who were subsequently massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The Meds Yeghern must live on in our memories, just as it lives on in the hearts of the Armenian people.
History, unresolved, can be a heavy weight. Just as the terrible events of 1915 remind us of the dark prospect of man’s inhumanity to man, reckoning with the past holds out the powerful promise of reconciliation. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts.
The best way to advance that goal right now is for the Armenian and Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a part of their efforts to move forward. I strongly support efforts by the Turkish and Armenian people to work through this painful history in a way that is honest, open, and constructive. To that end, there has been courageous and important dialogue among Armenians and Turks, and within Turkey itself. I also strongly support the efforts by Turkey and Armenia to normalize their bilateral relations. Under Swiss auspices, the two governments have agreed on a framework and roadmap for normalization. I commend this progress, and urge them to fulfill its promise.
Together, Armenia and Turkey can forge a relationship that is peaceful, productive and prosperous. And together, the Armenian and Turkish people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity.
Nothing can bring back those who were lost in the Meds Yeghern. But the contributions that Armenians have made over the last ninety-four years stand as a testament to the talent, dynamism and resilience of the Armenian people, and as the ultimate rebuke to those who tried to destroy them. The United States of America is a far richer country because of the many Americans of Armenian descent who have contributed to our society, many of whom immigrated to this country in the aftermath of 1915. Today, I stand with them and with Armenians everywhere with a sense of friendship, solidarity, and deep respect.
UPDATE 4-6: Watch Obama address Turkey's Parliament here. Obama just landed in Turkey and is scheduled to address parliament. The speech will be live at cnn.com tomorrow 8:45 eastern time.
Hurriyet: After giving an address in parliament on Monday afternoon, Obama will fly to Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, where he will attend a meeting Tuesday of the Alliance of Civilizations, a forum sponsored by Turkey and Spain to promote understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.
Obama will also tour Haghia Sofia, which once was a Byzantine church, and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul’s historical Sultanahmet district.
The visit, Obama’s first to a Muslim country, is seen as symbolic in terms of unity and strategy, as the new administration tries to improve the U.S.’ tarnished image abroad. One of the main reasons for Obama’s surprisingly early visit is to win back the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens of Turkey - one of the countries where public opinion about America has reached record low levels.
Some protests:
Hours before his arrival, several dozen people were protesting against Obama’s visit in Ankara and Istanbul.
In a main square in Istanbul, members of a leftist group shouted “Obama, go home” and waved Turkish flags. Police did not intervene.
Protester Abdullah Turker said he did not want Washington to use Turkey as a corridor for the American withdrawal from Iraq. He said he feared the U.S. would encourage separatism by urging Turkey to make concessions to its Kurdish citizens.
Meanwhile dozens of members of an Islamic group gathered in Ankara, protesting the U.S.’s position regarding Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to congress, talks about the significance of Obama's trip to Turkey:
WSJ: When President Barack Obama visits Turkey tomorrow, millions of Americans hope that he will fulfill a campaign promise by preparing the Turkish government for official American recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915-23.
No American president since World War II has come into office with a stronger understanding of the facts about this terrible chapter in history. And no president has a greater track record of speaking plainly about it: As a presidential candidate, Mr. Obama argued forcefully throughout the campaign that "America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides."
His words reflected a powerful personal commitment. In 2006, for example, our ambassador to Turkey, John Evans, was recalled for using the term "genocide" to describe the events of 1915-23. In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 28 of that year, then Sen. Obama described the official U.S. position on the events of 1915-23 -- which is not to describe them as a genocide -- as "untenable." He reminded Ms. Rice that "the occurrence of the Armenian genocide in 1915 is not an 'allegation,' a 'personal opinion,' or a 'point of view.' Supported by overwhelming evidence, it is a widely documented fact."
"Words matter," as Mr. Obama said on Feb. 16, 2008. And genocide has a particular power, encompassing within a single word a crime of unsurpassed barbarity -- the effort to destroy an entire people. When Holocaust survivor Rafael Lemkin coined the term during World War II, he drew on the Ottoman campaign to annihilate the Armenians, in which over 1.5 million perished, as a paradigmatic example. It is no wonder that the International Association of Genocide Scholars and all credible historians (outside Turkey) have agreed that this was the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey and Armenia easing conflict:
LAT: Turkey and Armenia are likely to announce a deal soon aimed at easing their conflict, diplomats said Friday in a development that would sweeten President Obama's visit to Turkey next week.
The two countries are expected this month to announce an agreement to resume official contacts and reopen borders that have been closed since 1993, said the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the subject. ..... But a deal between Armenia and Turkey could spell disappointment for Armenian Americans who want Obama to fulfill his campaign pledge to declare that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks beginning in 1915 was a genocide.
With substantial progress toward rapprochement, Obama is likely to postpone a genocide declaration in a presidential proclamation April 24, the annual remembrance day. The White House is expected to argue that under the circumstances, the use of the term "genocide" in the proclamation would anger Turkey and threaten the talks.
