Turkey will heal its public by facing its own history: Murat Belge

YEREVAN, 3 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The commemoration of the Canakkale Battle on April 24 is another proof for the international community that the Turkish state has undertaken the next step to conceal its own shameful past. The Canakkale plans prepared by Turkey cannot change the views of anyone on 1915. The prominent Turkish intellectual, academic, civic activist Murat Belge noted this in a conversation with “Armenpress”, answering to a number of questions.

- Mr. Belge, before years You published a book titled "The Armenians in Literature", at the same time You are literature professor in the Bilgi University. What is the opinion of Your students about the Armenians?

- Among my students there are also ethnic Armenians. This means that for many of them the Armenian is not an unseen and unknown person, on the contrary, he is a exemplary classmate. In fact, the prejudices arise, when the people do not know each other. There is no such thing in our academic environment.

- For long years, You have tried with a number of Turkish intellectuals to make Your voice heard against the Turkish state denial in the issue of the Armenian Genocide. What do You think, today whose voice is high, yours or the voice of the Turkish authorities?

- The states and governments always and everywhere have the opportunity to make their voices the highest one. But the reliability of the speech cannot be conditioned by the voice, which comes out “loudly”. Due to the historical reasons, to which I do not want to deepen now, only one voice was coming out in Turkey on the massacre of Armenians. More accurately, perhaps there were other voices, but only one of them was heard. But In 2005, this monopoly stopped being a monopoly, after the seminar we organized about the Armenians. Many academic works have been published on generally Genocides and particularly massacres of Armenians.

If we continue again to speak regarding the allegories of "voice", but it should be noted, that the "learning" is something which is being done silently. The human being reads, understands, nods, maybe sighs, but later he doesn’t yell and cry. But if a day comes when it’s necessary to raise one’s voice, for instance, if someone asks that “What had happened in 1915”, not only one but at least two voices will come out. This process has already been underway in Turkey for a certain period of time.

- How do You comment the decision of commemorating the Gallipoli celebrations on April 24?

- The preparations of Gallipoli, as I explained earlier, should be considered an event, which is placed with the opportunities of states "to raise voice loudly". The current ruling party is a political force, which puts astounding differentiation between the first ten years of its stay in office and the subsequent years. The initiative of the Gallipoli events is the reflection of the mindset of Turkey’s current authorities, with which they want to "strangle" the anniversary of the massacre of the Armenians.

2015, the hundredth anniversary, could finally lead Turkey to face its own history. This is a clear necessity. This is especially necessary for Turkey to heal its social psychology. The Canakkale war is one of the most important events of the Turkey’s national history. It is definitely understandable and acceptable that here there is a desire to celebrate the victory. But this cannot be the reason to close the historical inglorious pages, which happened in the same period.

- What should be the attitude of the international community to these events?

- The initiating of Canakkale events and the attempts of consigning to oblivion the massacre of the Armenians were weak opportunities, but it should be noted, that they have been influential in Turkey. They slightly calmed down those, who do not want to hear the word "massacre” (but their number is not few)…

What will be its impact on the world? The international community is not compelled to observe the events of 1915 from the viewpoint of Tayyip Erdogan and his party. In addition, those who would know about the incident, they know it already long ago. In this situation, the Canakkale plans prepared by Turkey cannot change the views of anyone towards 1915. All this only will further strengthen the existing condemnation, which says. “This year have you found that way to continue this shame?”

- On different occasions, You have stated, that You are next to the Armenian people. Where are You going to be the day of the hundredth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide?

- If there isn’t any problem, I will be in Los Angeles by the invitation of the University of California of Los Angeles.

Interview by Araks Kasyan