Talk on 'genocide' in 1915 events must focus on Muslims: Expert

VAN, Turkey

If a genocide is to be discussed in relation to the events of 1915, this discussion should be based in the massacres Muslims suffered at the hands of Armenian gangs, a Turkish historian said on Wednesday.

"Those who were subjected to genocide, who were the victims, who suffered violence during the years of World War I, were Muslims," Bekir Koclar, who heads the History Department at Van Yuzuncu Yil University in eastern Turkey, told Anadolu Agency.

Describing the events of 1915 as a so-called "genocide" is far from the historical reality, said Koclar. "This is a false reading of history. Instead of describing the relocation of Armenians as genocide, it would be more correct to discuss the event in its own reality."

The events of 1915 are the beginning of the historical events that resulted in the occupation of the then-Ottoman city Van, which is today a province in eastern Turkey, and the great suffering of Muslims in the region, argues Koclar.

He said that "great disasters" occurred in Van during this period, adding: "Due to its geographical location, Van was the main center of the Armenian revolt in 1915. If a genocide is to be discussed, this discussion should be about the Muslims."

Underlining that it was Muslims who suffered genocide and violence during that period, he went on to say: "However, with a reverse reading of history, the resistance of the Muslims, the position taken by the state here and the relocation process of the Armenians are seen as a 'genocide'."

Koclar, along with his colleague Haluk Selvi of the northwestern Sakarya University, is scheduled on Thursday to hold a social media session in which they will discuss massacres committed by Armenian gangs during the events of 1915.

As discussions on the 1915 incidents diverged from the historical reality, they have turned into an incomprehensible chaos, said the historian, adding that he and Selvi would share the truth of these events with a wide audience through their live broadcast on social media and that they would keep telling these events on all platforms in order to reveal the truth.

Mass graves found in many parts of Van province and the Zeve Martyrs' Cemetery and memorial built in honor of 2,500 massacred Muslims in the Tusba district, are the greatest evidence of the massacres committed by the Armenian gangs, he added.

Turkish stance on 1915 events

Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces.

A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey objects to the presentation of these incidents as “genocide,” describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia, as well as international experts, to tackle the issue.

In 2014, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was the country’s prime minister at the time, expressed condolences to the descendants of Armenians who lost their lives in the events of 1915.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan from Istanbul