Gunaysu: The Impossibility of Discussing Giro Manoyan’s Comments in Turkey
On Fri., Sept. 4, the daily Taraf, the beloved newspaper of the democratic, anti-militarist, and liberal opposition circles in Turkey, including myself (despite several objections on certain issues and the language it uses from time to time), published an interview with Giro Manoyan, one of the top leaders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutiun (ARF), with the headline, “Armenians have their own Bahceli,”referring Manoyan and his stance on the steps towards a détente between Turkey and Armenia. At first—and superficial—glance, one can see why Manoyan was compared to Devlet Bahceli: The latter is Turkey’s ultra-nationalist leader who violently opposes both the process of finding a “resolution” to Turkey’s so-called “Kurdish Question” and the signals given by the government to normalize relations with Armenia. However, Bahceli is also the leader of the Nationalist Action Party, which represents the Turkish version of the neo-Nazi spirit, with its endless hatred of non-Muslims and Kurds, and its history of violence—murders, massacres (of Alevis), kidnappings, tortures, the throwing of bombs on groups of students. The analogy drawn between Manoyan and a politician like Bahceli, in a newspaper that is the most courageous opponent of the Ittihadist state tradition in Turkey, should be considered in the context of the general Turkish mindset about anything related to Armenians.
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Thank you Ayse for the excellent article.
I’m speechless. Very well written article.
Dear Ayse (if I may), every time I read your columns, I wonder what can be done so that the millions of Turks listen to you?
Dear Ayse, as usual my hat’s off to you. What a bright, intelligent, inquisitive, EDUCATED, and most of all COURAGEOUS journalist! The Ottoman Empire was losing the war (WWI) and lots of countries and lands that it was ruling. In its desperation to hold on to the lands most adjacent to it, ie Armenian lands, it massacred their native population and annexed their lands. Turks and the whole world must come to know this unbelievable injustice dealt to my people.
Dear Ayse.
Systemic Therapy has shown that denial preserves from a devastating truth. Governments use denial to protect their citizen from becoming crazy when they realize what they have done. But facing the reality is the only way to peace.
Love
Chiara Hayganush
Whit out a reasonable doubt we ( the Turks ) did commit the most hideous crime possible against the Armenians. I came to this conclusion quite recently, because of my education system and the set of propaganda I was exposed to. I was raised to see Armenians as traitorous backstabbers. Once I started to see Armenians, not as Armenians but as humans my hole basis for seeing Armenians as an enemy changed and I started to see their frustrations and anger.
However, I feel no responsibility for the actions of my great grandfather who was a very prominent figure in the city of Nigde in 1915 and even though I can not be a hundred percent sure on this he probably had a hand in massacring and deporting the Armenians of Nigde.I can not change what happened no matter how much I desire to.
There is a very slow transformation taking place in Turkey. People are starting to question the governments policy of denying the Armenian Genocide. I wouldn’t be surprised if in 15 to 20 years the Republic of Turkey would recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Finally, for their to be lasting peace in the region, the validity of current borders must be accepted. Eastern Anatolia or western Armenia, which ever you prefer, has been controlled by Turks since 26 August 1071. I cannot imagine ever parting from it and let’s not forget every parcel of today’s Turkey belonged to someone else before the Turks migrated en mass. I have no desire going back to central Asia. The Turks and Azeries on the other hand should accept Nagorno-Karabakh / Artsakh as being Armenian, because what is the alternative? War, suffering and genocide.
You guys are really funny; this whole article can be re-read as it was the case for establishment of the Armenian nation starting from the early 19th century. Many Armenians today do not know they were the called the loyal people, they do not know the number of Armenian ministers and representatives in the Ottoman House. They do not know the doctor of many of the Sultans were Armenians, they were rich and respected in the Ottoman community. The Armenian peoples of the Anatolia were living in peace a thousand year with their Turkish neighbours. The person who took after the Ottoman prince in exile was Armenian, etc.
I met an Armenian girl in France, who was literally having a nervous breakdown after she learnt I was Turkish. Please, think about yourself, your feelings, and how much in hate you guys are? COuld not this cloud your judgement, and your fairness to an entire nation by accusing them to murder the entire Armenians? How about what Armenians did? Did you ever wonder why the deportation took place, and how it happened? How many people died en route, and who exactly killed them? And for what motive?
I tell you something: Turkish people can be brutal, and I would be, too against 1) people who murder their beloved ones, and 2) people who betray them. Unfortunately Armenians did both.
Other than that, I had great armenian friends in Turkey, and during my visit to Erivan; however is this a coincidence that I could never be friends, or have a civilised conversation with anyone from diaspora? What exactly is in your minds?
Is it land you want? I tell you; if you keep on asking for Turkish soil, we are about to develop the idea to get Erivan, which was a Muslim majority before the WW1, back.
Peace friends,
Mehmet:
Genocide can exist and does exist if the perpetrators of the Genocide die as well. In WW II,Approximately 5.5 million German military were killed, anywhere between 1 to 2 million German civilians were killed. Please now tell me that the Holocaust did not happen.
I find it ironic that you write about “loved ones being killed” and “betrayal” as justification of an attempted extermination of entire people. The reality is most Armenians wish the historic events were closer to your vision then what happened in reality.
Your little anecdotal stories are irrelevant, please repeat them to people who are forced to listen to you because they have no choice. (your wife and kids). Nothing qualifies you to speak about the topic aside from the fact that you are born a Turk.
As for country, you have contributed not one iota of culture to the world. Your greatest cultural reference point, the Hagia Sophia, is a structure your people didn’t even build and it was originally a church. Your country declared war on Germany and Japan effective March 1, 1945. 2 months before Germany completely surrendered. Your country put on trial Orhan Pamuk, the only real intellectual your country produced for commenting on the Armenian Genocide.
Your country is known more for killing journalist, military coups, and eradicating entire Kurdish villages in the countryside. Nobody in Europe likes you, yet your desperate to join them. In short your country, and culture is a complete joke. Plus, Your childish predications are an example of the intellect that country is able to produce.
It is the land we want, but its not even your land. Nobody speaks Turkish in the lands we want, they are all speak Kurdish.
Centuries ago An Ottoman Emperor said: ” The Land which has been taken by Blood, will be just given by Blood “.
whtever u guys talk, nothing will change.
Dear Miss Gunaysu, thank you for the well thought article presented here.
Mehmet, Kemal:
Contrary to what you two think, Armenians do Not hate Turks. We are mature enough to distinguish between a “people” and a “government.”
As for myself, my grandfather’s family owned orchards and vineyards in and around the city of Van. I have No desire to get back property lost in 1915. But as an Armenian, whose grandfather “barely” survived the Genocide, I would like to hear some words of courage from the government(s) of Turkey. Accepting responsibility for committing the Genocide, will solve a lot of “unsolved and unresolved” disputes between Armenia on one side, Turkey and Azerbaijan on the other side.
I have forgiven All Turks, past accomplices and perpetrators of the Genocide, absolutely no bad feeling towards any Turk in Turkey or on this forum. Besides, on my last visit to Turkey, visiting historical Armenia, I had unspeakable, let me put it this way, Monumental difficulty (even) finding ONE ethnic Turk…they all professed to be Kurds. As for your comment about you “acquiring” Yerevan…what about Baku in the 1910s, when the majority of the people were Armenians? What about the “almost the whole country of Azerbaijan” that previously were under Armenian kingdom of Tigranes the II? What about Western Armenia? Come on, I respectfully suggest that you refrain making childish comments here. I understand you to be a mature man, and Not a child driven by emotional outbursts. Wish both of you Turkish commenters good health.
Preston Bagrationi