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YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS: The adoption or the discussion of the resolution on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide by the parliaments of different countries is a unique message of the civilized world to Turkey to keep pace with 21st century’s way of thinking, first of all not to avoid the past and to establish normal relations with neighbors, specialist of Turkish studies Ruben Melkonyan said today at a meeting with journalists. According to him, Turkey responds to that all in a passionate way.
Turkish Prime Minister’s statement on the exile of the Armenians from the country was “passionate and hysteric”. But the specialist of Turkish studies says that currently Turkey tries to change its strategy a bit, and certain “correction” is taking place in these approaches. According to R. Melkonyan, the Turkish political machine tries to give a bit smooth nature to prime minister’s statements. Not only the country’s president, whose statements contradict to prime minister’s statements, is involved in that matter; an attempt is made to involve the Armenian community of Turkey, too.
“There is a head of the Armenian community in Turkey neither at legal, nor at any other level. There is no similar status and has never been. Petros Shiriogli who presented himself as head of the Armenian community tries to address unique messages to the world as if the Turkish state is very kind to the Armenians, trying to change the current reputation of Turkey,” the speaker noted. Analyzing all this, R. Melkonyan finds that a decision has been adopted in the Turkish political upper class to change the passionate statements by smoothening them, using the Armenians living in Turkey for that purpose.
According to him, more active processes are going on in the Armenian community of Turkey, particularly, more actively is spoken of the improvement of the conditions of the Armenian schools in the country, as well as of the educational rights of the children of illegal Armenian migrants in Turkey. “This all has a distinct tendency of a bit “correcting” the stereotype shaped in Turkey and the statements unacceptable for the civilized world. But it is pitiful that people from Armenian descent are involved in that process,” R. Melkonyan stressed.
According to him, Turkish prime minister’s statement on exiling the Armenians from the country is unacceptable, as Turkey, too, has illegal migrants throughout the world, and the first response of the international community is that country, too, should think of its citizens. R. Melkonyan considered it a theatrical performance that P. Shirinogli tries to take on the responsibility of the Turkish Prime Minister through his statements. He noted that the number of the Armenians who are citizens of Turkey is 55-60 thousand, and the number of the illegal Armenian migrants is 12-15 thousand. According to R. Melkonyan, the regulation process of Armenian-Turkish relations has a tendency of continuation.
Political analyst Yervand Bozoyan said that the adoption of the resolution on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide is an attempt by different countries to exert pressures on Turkey for ratifying the Armenian-Turkish protocols. According to him, by anti-Armenian statements Turkey harms just its own reputation.