No response from Armenia to Turkish initiatives: Deputy PM

ANKARA 

Turkey took steps to normalize relations with Armenia, but got no response, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister said Friday. 

Attending the “International Conference on the Armenian Question: Myths and Realities”, organized by the New Turkey Center for Strategic Research in Ankara, Yalcin Akdogan said: "They are the ones who always leave the table," referring to the Armenians.

Regarding the European Parliament, which adopted a resolution in April that called the 1915 events "genocide" against the Armenians, Akdogan said: "Parliaments cannot write history and they can not issue legal judgements."

The 1915 events occurred during World War I when a part of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the invading Russians and revolted.

The relocation of Armenians by the Ottomans to eastern Anatolia following the revolts resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey does not dispute that there were casualties on both sides, but rejects calling the events “genocide.” Instead, it calls for a joint commission of historians to be established and archives to be opened in order to study and uncover what happened between the Ottoman Empire and its Armenian citizens.

"We said that we are opening the archives. Then, we called for the establishment of a joint commission. But, there was no normalization of relations with Armenia. The other part [Armenia]  always alleged excuses," said Akdogan. 

At the conference, the head of the Turkish History Association, Refik Turan, said: "Turkey has sufficient documents on this issue, which are in measure to answer all the questions."

The head of the center, Hasan Celal Guzel said: "This question is an issue that should be analyzed scientifically by historians. It is not possible to change the historical facts by abusing the domestic politics of the countries."