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Iran Daily: Turkish Embassy in Tehran responds to Armenian Prelacy's statement
Subslug: Press release by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, Tehran: "Press release: Duplicity of Armenian History"
[FBIS Transcribed Text] The Armenian Prelacy of Tehran's press release, which appeared in Iran Daily of 23.04.2001 is an extension of a propaganda campaign orchestrated by Yerevan and a clear distortion of history. Armenians of Ottoman Empire, in general, constituted a respected and integrated element of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. Indeed they were termed as "reliable people", widely contributing to the economic and political life of the society.
The advent of nationalism and the decline of the Ottoman Empire induced the imperialist powers of the time to carve out spheres of influence within the potentially disintegrating empire. Armenian militants were manipulated by these forces, not least by Tsarist Russia. Ambitions and competition to dominate the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia are well recorded.
The ensuing frictions and confrontations between Turks and Armenians, which have their roots in this process and go back to the 19th century, in no way implicated the entirety of Armenians militants, organized as terrorist committees essentially under the Dashnaks, who committed atrocities against vulnerable and isolated Islamic communities. They entered into military conspiracies with the colonialist powers of the time. These atrocities included target communities with-in the present boundaries of Iran as well. Muslims, including Azeris and Kurds, suffered immensely, entailing incalculable loss of life.
The terrorist tactics of Armenian militants resurrected during the 1970s when ASALA waged its assassination campaign against the diplomats of the Turkish Republic. This was again essentially a tactic to create wider Armenian national consciousness among the new generations in the diaspora.
Armenians in the past suffered from the mistakes of their militants.
Now, the methods seem to have been modified. Yet, the motivation
prevails. Trying to internationally market the accusation of "genocide"
will not bring the people of Armenia peace and prosperity. Turkey and
the wider Turkish world would reach out to them under different
conditions.
Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News Archives