Gwynne Dyer's Armenian analysis flawed

By Sedef Yavuzalp

I am writing to clarify on the allegations put forward by Gwynne Dyer the London-based journalist in his article entitled “The Armenian Genocide” published in the New Vision of April 20, 2015.

Prime Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoğlu in his statement on April 20, 2015, has underscored that “During the last years of the Ottoman Empire, a very large number of Ottoman citizens from different ethnic and religious backgrounds endured great suffering, leaving deep scars in their memories. They had all lived together for centuries in peace and harmony.

As descendants of nations with different ethnic and religious origins, who endured these sufferings amid the conditions of the First World War, we understand what the Armenians feel. We remember with respect the innocent Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives and offer our deep condolences to their descendants.

It is both a historical and humane duty for Turkey to uphold the memory of Ottoman Armenians and the Armenian cultural heritage.

With this in mind, a religious ceremony will be held by the Armenian Patriarchate on April 24, this year and Ottoman Armenians will be remembered in Turkey, just as they will be across the world.’’

He also stated that ‘‘However, laying all blame -through generalisations- on the Turkish nation by reducing everything to one word and to compound this with hate speech is both morally and legally problematic.

The scars left by the exile and massacres that Turkish and Muslim Ottomans were subjected to a century ago are still vivid in our minds today.

To ignore this fact and discriminate between pains suffered is as questionable historically as it is mistaken morally.’’

The article in the New Vision which talks about the deaths of Armenians during the First World War, although it rightfully points out that these events were not pre-planned by the Turkish Government and that it puts the Turks in a different light, still has a flawed approach.

The author's insistence in using the terminology of “genocide” for the events of 1915, is erroneous and is in fact a politicised interpretation. The term “genocide” is a legal concept coined in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, which cannot be employed arbitrarily. The events of 1915, in no way, carry the conditions specified in that convention.

The Ottoman Empire has never committed 'genocide'. Turkey has a clear conscience in that regard. According to international law, for genocide to be established a specific intent (dolus specialis) must be present and convincingly demonstrated. Genocide has to be proven, assessed and established in accordance with the rules of criminal law and by a competent court.  However, as regards the 1915 events, a legal judgement has never been rendered to that effect.

Attempting to manipulate history can, in no way, change the truth about what happened in 1915.

We would like to call upon the Armenians to respect just memory and our shared suffering during the First World War as the descendants of the Ottoman Empire. We appeal to the Armenians not to allow this suffering to be manipulated by others with different political agendas, who in fact lack any genuine pity for the Armenians.

Despite the unethical approach of the Armenians towards our forefathers and the whole Turkish nation to date, Turks have never blamed Armenians' forefathers for the sufferings they inflicted upon Turks during that slice of history.

In the Ottoman millet system which embraced non-Muslim communities as constitutive elements of the Empire, Ottoman Armenians have, in fact, traditionally occupied high bureaucratic and political positions and acquired wealth as a result of their free commercial activities, which reflects the Ottoman Empire’s peaceful and fair approach towards them.

Turkey will continue to take positive steps forward to build a common future as neighbours living in peace and harmony, just as we did centuries ago.

The writer is the Ambassador of Turkey to Uganda