AMHERST, N.Y—On March 25, Amherst town councilman Daniel J. Ward announced that he had declined an invitation to attend an annual Turkish friendship event, sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Center under the auspices of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. Ward was one of many invited to the “invitation-only” event.
“We all look forward to a day of full normalization of relations with Turkey, certainly a valuable partner of ours in the Mid-East,” said Ward, noting that President Obama was due to visit Turkey next month. “Turkey is an ancient civilization from which we can learn a lot. The culture is a part of our past. However, also part of Turkey’s more recent past is the Armenian Genocide. Turkey has yet to take full responsibility for this horrific crime, much less discuss reparations or restitution,” he added.
“On April 21, we will be commemorating the Jewish Holocaust (Shoah), and we would do well to recall the Armenian tragedy, while not as large, as well. As a human race we will not achieve our ultimate perfection until we can forever stop the killing of each other for cultural, racial, ethnic, or religious reasons. We cannot begin to stop such sub-bestial behavior until we can at least acknowledge it, to accept the truth, however ugly,” said Ward. “For Turkey to want to become a full-fledged NATO partner, we must demand at the very least some form of national official recognition of this genocide, and a declaration it was wrong, and some sort of contrition. Recent opposition by Turkey’s Foreign Minister to a resolution of the U.S. Congress to call the killings genocide, which of course they were, is indicative of the long-held Turkish government refusal to take responsibility for the 1915-16 killings, with more in 1922-23. During that period, one and one-half million Armenians were killed out of a total of two and one-half million Armenians in the then-Ottoman Empire. We remember these victims and say ‘never again’ once more. Healing cannot begin until there has at least been admission.”
Ward also said he is disturbed with the human rights violations committed by Turkey against its Kurdish population. “The Kurds are not just going away. Turkey must find a way to accommodate them despite cultural differences. The harshness displayed cannot lead to another Armenian-like slaughter for them either.”
“For now, I have requested my office to decline such invitation, its hospitality and good will notwithstanding. We need to demand more from Turkey first, in remembrance of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and all other cultural or ethnic groups, such as the Kurds, which the Turks harshly discriminate against even today,” Ward concluded.
“Councilman Ward should be commended for his principled stance in calling on Turkey to end its campaign of Armenian Genocide denial as well as its ongoing mistreatment of the Kurds,” said ANCA Eastern Region executive director Karine Birazian. “A strong U.S. – Turkey relationship cannot include turning a blind eye to genocide or rampant human rights violations.”
Guest Contributor
Someone should tell Ward that Turkish Civilization is an oxymoron. The Turks had nothing to do with the ancient civilizations of “Turkey.” That’s not to say I don’t applaud him for declining the invite. I do. Good for him.