Armenian Case

April 24, Armenian genocide, has been brought into discussion again with a proposal submitted to the FRENCH Parliament. Such incidents have occurred in various countries. Because of this genocide, Turkey has been condemned, Armenian memorials have been erected and mourning days have been declared. Turkey has always objected these conducts.

Today, I want to explain the Armenian case in very brief. What is this incident? Where does it arise from?.. Because, most of us do not know the real truth.

The Ottoman Empire participates in the First World War in 1914. This was the last adventure and after that the Empire would fall. Turkish forces began to fight in many fronts.

Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, East and the Southeast Anotolia, Sarykamy?, Erzurum, Romania, Dardanelles…

The Russian forces that entered into our country through our eastern borders occupied Van and Bitlis areas, and advanced towards Erzurum.

At this stage, our hundreds of thousands of Armenian citizens living in those areas rebelled. These people had rebelled everywhere on former occasions. Various committees were established primarily in Istanbul and weapons were stored in the churches and schools.

The Armenians, especially in the East and Southeast, began to betray Turkish forces. Russia supported them.

The rebellions in Van, Mu?, Diyarbakyr, Bitlis, Sivas, Adana and Mara? accelerated. The army was in a difficult situation. While fighting against the Russian army on one side, Armenian gangs and people attacked our soldiers from behind on the other side.

What should have been done?

 

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An operation was conducted in Istanbul on April 24, 1915. 2400 Armenians, who openly were hostile to the state, were arrested. Committee centers and churches were raided and documents and weapons were seized.

This is the date April 24, about which the Armenians have made clamours of "massacre day" and which they exploited.

In the meantime, particularly the East and Southeast Anatolia was full of Armenian gangs. Turkish and Kurdish villages were attacked by them, people were killed and raped.

The state tried to take measures. Circulars were sent to the governorships, instructing that the Armenian people attacking our soldiers from behind would be migrated to certain places.

An act was passed on this issue on May 15, 1915.

In all of the written orders sent to the governorships, it is instructed that they should treat the Armenians to be migrated well, the administrators would be held responsible in case of any harm to the lives and possessions of the Armenian people and the Armenians could take all of their transportable possessions with them. All of these documents are kept in the Ottoman archives.

 

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Now, let’s think about it. You are living as a citizen of this or that country. Your country has gone into a war… And you are collaborating with the army that occupies the territories of your country. You are arming against your own army and attacking it from behind. You are rebelling everywhere.

 

In which part of the world and which state can be a mere spectator.

In short, after the process I summarized, "tehcir" (deportation) begins.

The word "tehcir" is in Arabic. It means, to be migrated.

According to the Ottoman records, 702 thousand Armenians were migrated from the places they lived especially to Musul and Halep areas.

Of course, there occurred sad incidents during this migration. Despite all of the state orders, many Armenians died during the long walkings. They were sometimes waylaid by the gangs. There were incidents of plundering and rape. Some attacked these people just because to take revenge.

 

The picture is clear. Both sides suffered painful incidents and many people died.

The number of Armenians died in the tehcir is definitely not clear. However, it is estimated to be around 50 thousand.

While all of these happened, 250 thousand Turkish soldiers were martyrized only in the Dardanelles.

After the surrender of the Ottomans, War Councils were set up in Istanbul under occupation. Many innocent and patriotic people such as Kemal Bey, the Head Official of Bo?azlayan district, and Nusret Bey, the governor of Urfa, who were claimed to be involved in Armenian tehcir, were hanged at end of shameful trials.

 

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Various countries in the world, particularly the United States and, some of the Armenians, who have settled down in these countries, have been making clamours since 1915. Some countries have been trying to use this as a trump-card since then.

The wounds that needs to remain in the depths of the history and needs to be forgotten have continuously been scratched.

The Armenian terrorist organization Asala, which was established in the 1970’s to take the "revenge" of the incidents in the past, killed many Turkish ambassadors and diplomats starting from the United States in 1973.

We gave some 40 martyrs.

There occurred the Esenbo?a raid in Ankara and the Grand Bazaar bombing in Istanbul.

As a result, Turkey developed some measures against Asala. Some of its leaders were killed, some were overcome and the organization finished.

 

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This is the summary of what they call Armenian tehcir, or Armenian genocide. Every time, they are coming up with this incident. 83 years have passed since then, we are still watching the same movie. In the United States, France, Australia, Belgium, and everywhere…

United States threw two atomic bombs to Japan to finish the Second World War and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people. However, for some reason, nobody calls this a "Japanese genocide"!

The Armenian case, on the other hand, is continuously repeated by the enemies of the Turkish.

What could be done to the people, who collaborated with the enemy forces and attacked their own army, and who rebelled in their own country, under the conditions of war in those days?

However, today when we look back to the past, we certainly feel sorry for the people who died.

We say, "If only they had not betrayed their countries"…

Because the treason is not forgiven, no matter who commits it.