PUBLICATION

On April 15, the European Parliament adopted a resolution which states that "the tragic events that took place in 1915-1917 against Armenians in the territory of the Ottoman Empire represent a genocide." While the Armenian government praised the Parliament's efforts to promote human rights, Turkey's Foreign Ministry issued a written statement to reiterate that "we do not take seriously those who adopted this resolution by mutilating history and law." Considering that the debate will presumably remain at the top of the world's political agenda for the next couple weeks, we would like to call on the governments of Turkey and Armenia, along with the international community, to revive the hope of former Ottoman nations for reconciliation and to promote peace and stability in the region. 

In recent years, the Turkish government developed a positively constructive approach to the 1915 events and called for open dialogue regarding the allegations. From the mid-2000s onward, the public has engaged in a healthy debate about the human cost World War I. Last year, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered his condolences to the Armenian people and called for open dialogue and cooperation between Turkey and Armenia. On Monday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu expressed Turkey's deepest condolences to the grandchildren  of the  deceased Armenians, adding that Turkey will honor deceased Armenians during a ceremony which will be held on April 24th at the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul. These efforts, which would have been unthinkable juat a decade ago, not only reflected the country's eagerness to build stronger ties with a Caucasian nation but also demonstrated its government's commitment to celebrating the nation's ethnic, religious and cultural diversity by healing old wounds.