Distinguished parliamentarian,

First of all, we would like to express our concern about the Caucasus Report that was brought to the agenda of the European Parliament and put to the vote on 27 February 2002.

We regretfully observe that in the 21st century some parliamentarians still have a biased attitude that makes the historical facts difficult to be understood. Such a biased resolution by the European Parliament makes us suspect the reliability of its future resolutions and therefore we believe such deeds are not expected from this esteemed institution.

Moreover, in our opinion it would be useful also for your future projects to recall a summary of the events and facts that have taken place since the beginning of the last century up to the present time.

What is Turkey’s position when we examine the recent history of the world and the present?

Turkey was the second country, after the US, to deploy military forces within the NATO.

Turkey has been under the threat of an “active moral genocide” carried out by the Armenian lobby with which she would rather discuss, in any platform, the constructive relations between Turks and Armenians.

Turkish people have never disgraced their history, honor and national interests under the Turkish identity but at the same time they are a tolerant and patient people.

Turkish people have quickly forgotten the unjust acts and treatments against themselves because they have embraced the principle of “Peace at home, peace in the world”.

The Turkish Republic has always been open to mutual help and understanding with the troubled neighboring countries even if she is in a difficult situation herself because she has never had and never will have a territorial demand from any state. Turkish people believe in the superiority of peace and law.

The Turkish Republic has once more proved how much she claims its history by allowing access to the Ottoman archieves.

As a secular country Turkey has a sensitive structure whereby she carefully tries to maintain the safe practice of the tree divine religions within its borders. Due to its commitment to the international treaties, the Turkish Republic is closely interested in the security of its neighbors and of the countries with which it has linguistic and cultural ties. However, this cannot be confined to Azerbaijan only.

Moreover, Hodjali – Upper Karabakh, which is in the Azerbaijani territory, has been under Armenian occupation since February 1992 and there has been an obvious genocide and this is still continuing.

The Caucasus Report, which has been brought to the agenda of the European Parliament and which has been accepted by the majority, of course, includes unsubstantial false claims that are deeply offending the Turkish people and the Turkish state. Nevertheless, how appropriate it is to act emotionally and to blame the entire Armenian people for this?

Therefore, we find it meaningless and inappropriate to generalize the term “Armenians” because it is a well-known fact that the terrorist organization ASALA, which had been notorious from Europe to the US for many years, is only the extension of an extremist Armenian political organization.

On the other hand, the peaceful Turkish people that have greatly suffered from their struggle against terrorism for many years and especially our young population, whose only criteria is the historical facts, are disappointed about the reliability of the European Parliament by such attempts.

In the future, when the next Turkish generations take part in the European Union and even in the European Parliament, they would be regretfully talking of the issues included in such an unfortunate report.

Will history be shaped in the light of such reports you have drafted? The matter causes a real concern with all its dimensions. Seventy million Turks are bothered with political games played by the advocates of a false claim based on lies.

It is also equally unfair and meaningless to blame the entire Armenian people for the activities and lobbying against Turkey carried out by certain groups.

Turkey possesses true documents refuting the claims full of historical mistakes based on lies that have been brought to the agenda of the international community by bloody acts for many years and these documents are not kept secret.

Whereas, the Armenian extreme racists do not possess any documents and the archives that are said to have been found in Yerivan are kept secret.

Armenian racists have made some authors they hired or the racist militants like themselves write baseless articles lacking the facts for propaganda purposes and they have failed to go beyond a racist utopia.

As Bernard LEWIS stated in the “Dialogue Among Civilizations Forum” held on 8 February 2002 in Istanbul, “It is dangerous to distort the history!”

The subjects, written by authors such as Lepsius, Morgenthau and Dadrian, continuously raised by the Armenians in international platforms are still an issue of discussion. Moreover, the errors inherent in most of the articles have been described as tragicomic and deeply criticized by historians.

In our opinion, the truth can only be comprehended through historical approaches. Here are a few examples;

Bogos NUBAR, the head of the Armenian delegation during the discussions of the Sevres Agreement, publicly and officially declared that they had been fighting with the Ottoman State by means of his signature.

The Ottoman State, through the notes forwarded to The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the neutral states of the World War I, requested two jurists from each of these countries. The Ottoman State wanted a commission formed by these jurists to investigate the “Armenian Claims ”. However, the embassies of The Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and Sweden notified that their governments have refused to send the jurists (BOA. HR. MU, 43/17). This initiative proved to be fruitless thanks to the intervention of the British and the establishment of this commission and therefore the investigation of the subject have been personally impeded by the British Government.

R.C.CRAIGIE, then British Ambassador in Washington, has given the following account to Lord CURZON in his telegram dated July 13, 1921, according to the US Archive reports: “I am sorry to inform that there is nothing to use against the Turks who are under arrest in Malta…There is no concrete incident that can form sufficient evidence! The mentioned reports by no means seem to contain evidence that could support the information held by His Majesty’s Government” (PRO.FO.371/6504/E.8519).

Talat Pasha, then Minister of Interior, who has been murdered by extreme racist Armenians being allegedly responsible for the events, had on the contrary tried to protect the Armenians before, during and after the war with his all capacity and dispatched four different inquiry commissions to Anatolia, personally established by himself. These commissions delivered the corrupt officials immediately to local court-martial following their investigations there.

Are not these examples sufficient enough for you?

The General Directorate of Statistics has been established in 1892 in the Ottoman State in the presence of Armenian, Jewish and American officials. The demographic information of the Ottomans was under the control of the foreigners in a period when significant incidents took place, conveying the Armenian issue to the political arena. For this reason, the demographic information of the Ottomans requires respect since no documents or conviction exist on the contrary up to now. Unfortunately, the fabrications sought by Armenian lobbies do not exist in the official documents devised by them.

In that case, the scientists of both societies should reveal the groups who have been trying to take advantage of the incidents experienced in World War I through interpretations and striving to settle themselves in global equilibria.

In a period when an atmosphere of tolerance is tried to be created between the two societies, we are lost in amazement and sorrow to see that you have been the captive of a group which has been seeking benefit by manipulating historical information, disregarding the opinions and the living conditions of the Armenian people.

The countries, supporting the baseless claims of Armenians, condemn themselves in front of history, by turning history into a political instrument. The truth has been proved by documents and it exists in the archives. This document and the other thousands at the disposal of historians should not be ignored.Turkey has been working for full membership to the European Union. However, the conditions for full membership to the European Union are not determined by the European Parliament, but by the European Union itself. Turkey cannot give permission to the manipulation of historical facts in return for the membership to the EU. If this was what has been wished or expected, we believe it could not reach its final success.

We are astonished to observe that you have given place to a speech of ATATÜRK dated April 10, 1921 in the Report, again although it could not be documented. It is thought provoking to see that such a mistake has been neglected in a serious institution and that warnings have not been taken into consideration, despite the notification of Turkish officials that no session had been held in the parliament at the given time.

Instead, we would like you to include the speech of M. Kemal ATATÜRK on March 11, 1922, in Turkish Grand National Assembly, summarizing the incidents to our opinion.

“This issue, which is called the Armenian Question and has been tried to be solved in accordance with the interests of world capitalists, not with the real interests of the Armenian people, reached its fairest solution by means of the Kars Agreement. The bonds of friendship have gladly been reformed between two hardworking people, living friendly for ages.”

Respectfully yours.

THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE COMMEMORATION OF THE GENOCIDE VICTIMS