YEREVAN (A.W.)—In a strongly worded letter, President Serge Sarkisian on Jan. 16 responded to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s invitation to Turkey on April 24, to attend commemoration ceremonies marking the centennial of the WWI Gallipoli campaign.
President Serge Sarkisian (Photo: Official website of the President of Armenia)
“Turkey continues its conventional denial policy and is ‘perfecting’ its instrumentation for distorting history. This time, Turkey is marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli on April 24, even though the battle began on March 18, 1915 and lasted until late January 1916; while the allies’ operation started on April 25,” wrote Sarkisian, adding, “What is the purpose [of this] if not to distract the world’s attention from the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide?”
According to Hurriyet Daily, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has also sent invitation letters to his counterparts. A Turkish government official has told Hurriyet that Erdogan sent the invitation to Sarkisian because Armenians, among other ethnic groups, also fought at Gallipolli as part of the Ottoman army. “We fought together in Gallipolli. That’s why we have extended the invitation to Sarkisian as well,” the official was quoted as saying.
In his letter, Sarkisian chose to highlight the case of one Armenian, artilleryman Captain Sarkis Torosyan who loyally served in the Ottoman Army and fought in the Battle of Gallipoli and in return met a bloody end, while his family was brutally massacred and deported. “The wave of massacres and forceful deportations planned and perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian people also led to the death of Sargis Torosyan; his parents were among the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide; while his sister perished in the Syrian Desert,” wrote Sarkisian.
“Peace and friendship must first be hinged on the courage to confront one’s own past, historical justice and universal memory,” continued Sarkisian. The President also called on Erdogan to substantiate his calls for world peace by calling on the world to recognize the Genocide. “Each of us has a duty to transmit the real story to the future generations and prevent the repetition of crimes and prepare the ground for rapprochement and future cooperation between peoples, especially neighboring peoples,” added Sarkisian.
Erdogan has sent invitations to more than 100 heads of states. According to Turkish sources, Britain’s Prince Charles and his two sons will be present at the ceremonies commemorating the Battle of Gallipoli, so will Australia’s and New Zealand’s prime ministers. Around 8,500 Australians and 2,000 New Zealanders are also expected to participate in the April 24 ceremonies. On April 23, a “Summit of Peace” is reportedly being planned to mark the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Parliament.
Meanwhile, during a joint press conference with Azerbaijani Preisdent Ilham Aliyev on Jan. 15, Erdogan said, “We sent invitations to many heads of states and governments for April, 24. We will be together with my brother İlham Aliyev on April, 24 in Çanakkale.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greeted Azeri President Ilham Aliyev on Jan. 15, in the presence of 16 soldiers dressed in ceremonial costumes representing various Turkic people in history. (Photo: Official website of the President of Turkey)
Below is the text of Sarkisian’s letter to Erdogan.
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Dear Mr. President,
I received your invitation to participate in the commemoration ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli.
World War I is one of the darkest pages of human history, which resulted in the loss of millions of innocent lives and the mutilation of destinies.
Armenian artilleryman, Captain Sargis Torosyan joined the troops of the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Gallipoli and was an officer who was dedicated to ensuring the defense and security of the Empire. For his loyal service and sacrifices, he had received military honors. That same year, however, the wave of massacres and forceful deportations planned and perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian people also led to the death of Sargis Torosyan. Torosyan’s parents were among the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide, while his sister perished in the Syrian Desert.
It was as a result of that unprecedented massacre that Rafael Lemkin coined the term “genocide,” and it was the impunity of that crime that prepared the ground for the Holocaust and the genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, and Darfur.
According to you, the Battle of Gallipoli symbolize—not only for Turkey, but for the entire world—friendly relations that were borne out of war; while the battlefield is a reminder of the bitter consequences of war and a memorial to peace and friendship. Leaving aside the significance of the Battle of Gallipoli or Turkey’s disputable role during WWI and WWII, we need to remember that peace and friendship must first be hinged on the courage to confront one’s own past, historical justice and universal memory.
Alas, Turkey continues its conventional denial policy and is “perfecting” its instrumentation for distorting history. This time, Turkey is marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli on April 24, even though the battle began on March 18, 1915 and lasted until late January 1916; while the allies’ operation started on April 25. What is the purpose [of this] if not to distract the world’s attention from the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide? Turkey had a much more important duty to its own people and humanity: the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and its condemnation.
Therefore, I would advise you to remember in your calls for world peace to make a call to the world to recognize the Armenian Genocide and commemorate the 1.5 million innocent victims. Each of us has a duty to transmit the real story to the future generations and prevent the repetition of crimes and prepare the ground for rapprochement and future cooperation between peoples, especially neighboring peoples.
P.S. Your Excellency, a couple of months ago, I invited you to Yerevan to respect the memory of the innocent martyrs of the Armenian Genocide together on April 24, 2015. Armenians don’t accept being hosted by the guest without receiving a response to the guest’s invitation first.
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