YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. EGAM is worried about the eviction of the Armenian advisor of the Turkish Prime, following his declarations recognizing Armenian genocide. As reports “Armenpress”, the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement has issued a statement on this, which particularly runs as follows:

“Since 2014, Etyen Mahcupyan has been the first Armenian from Turkey to have a high ranked situation in the administration of the Turkish government.

Despite the denial of the Turkish administration which talks of a “sudden retirement”, it is clearly a firing. The true reason is evident: Mahcupyan does not acknowledge the denial position of the State of Turkey.

It is a signal that Turkey’s traditional genocide denial stance keeps on working of the 100th anniversary commemorations of the genocide, notably in Turkey.

The Turkish State combines intimidation policies as this firing and a strategy of counter fires such as the organization of Gallipoli commemorations.

For Benjamin Abtan, the President of the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement EGAM, “we will not be intimidated by the threats of the Turkish State, and we will commemorate the Armenian genocide in Istanbul the next 24th of April.

EGAM is in charge of the international dimension of the commemorations of the Armenian genocide in Istanbul, and will lead the largest delegation of activists. For the first time, youth survivors of the genocide against Tutsis, Armenian youths of Armenia, Armenians of the diaspora, and antiracist activist youth of 20 countries will be in Istanbul.

EGAM will then lead a youth delegation from Turkey to Yerevan to commemorate the genocide, on the 25th of April.

Previously it was reported that Etyen Mahçupyan, the first Turkish Armenian to be a prime ministerial adviser, is no longer in the post due to legal restrictions on age, the Hürriyet daily's website, quoting Mahçupyan, said. He said he was “automatically” removed from the post when he turned 65 on March 9 but that he continues his job on an “honorary” basis.

“I am currently abroad and I continue my work [as a prime ministerial adviser]. The only difference is that I no longer get paid,” he told Hürriyet.

It was also reported that Armenian-Turkish intellectual Etyen Mahcupyan once again has told in his interview that what happened to the Armenians was a genocide. As “Armenpress” reports, citing T24.com.tr, Mahcupyan reflected on the Pope’s statement and noted: "Vatican has thrown off itself the psychological burden of 100 years. When you say, why this word was used 100 years later, one should approach the issue from the opposite side and say, how has Vatican withstood for so many years saying nothing."

Davutoglu’s Armenian advisor stressed that one should not look for any political context in Pope's words, adding: “The word “genocide", besides being a political term, has started to get more psychological significance for both the Armenians and foreigners.”

Among other things, Mahcupyan noted that when they call the events of Bosnia and Africa genocides, it is impossible not to call the Armenian massacres of 1915 a “genocide”. “Facing with what had happened and taking lesson to build the future together is of a certain significance. Otherwise, the term has no importance. The important thing is that those, who live here today, could understand each other," he emphasized.