Turkish Historian On Armenian Genocide

A group of Turkish intellectuals and academics are planning to issue a public apology for the Armenian Genocide on the Internet.

Cengiz Aktar, a professor at Istanbuls Bahcesehir University, one of the campaigns initiators, said the group plans to issue the apology Monday along with a non-binding Internet petition to gather signatures, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

It will read, "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that befell the Ottoman Armenians in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologize to them."

Turks, including Nobel Literature Laureate Orhan Pamuk, have been prosecuted in the European Union aspirant country for recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Aktar said the initiative was meant to allow Turks to be able to offer a personal apology and put an end to an official silence.

"We are not targeting anyone. It is an apology of an individual nature. We want to tell our Armenian brothers and sisters we apologize for not being able to discuss this issue for almost 100 years," he told Reuters.

He said the group included 200 writers, intellectuals and academics. Germanys Green Party co-chair Cem Ozdemir, journalists Ece Temelkuran, Mine Kirikkanat, Oral Calislar, Ertugrul Kurkcu, director Bars Pirhasan, political scientist Baskin Oran, writers Murathan Mungan, Enis Batur, economists Ahmet Insel, Ayse Bugra, musician Aylin Aslim, actress Derya Alabora, and historians Halil Berkay and Selim Deringil are among the signatories.

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[presidentkasar]

There is nothing great about him. He is damaging our reputation. It is already damaged enough. These matters are political. There are so many incidents similar to the armenian case. You have been armed by british and others. You fought for your liberty and killed people. Turks was very vulerable. If we had lost against greeks and armanians we wouldn't have somewhere to live today. Armanians had been exiled and so many killed on the way. I am sorry for all of them. But this is history now!

[ArmenianNetwork]

No this is not the story, the story will end when we get either Turkish or world recognition of Armenian Genocide. It is easy for Turks to forget it but not for us. Turkish anti-Armenianism still continues today in Turkish government.

[karos9]

Taner Akcam for President!

Love from

Armenians throughout!

[amelli5555]

@presidentkasar What reputation are you talking about? You probably mean your reputation in Turkey. As far as you are concerned Turkey and Turkish people do not have good reputation outside of Turkey. I have studied in Europe and every time there was a conversation about Turkey they slapped Turkey and Turkish people about Armenian genocide. Several Germans have apologized to me saying that Germany had a part in Armenian Genocide too.

[nuneh]

thank you, taner akcam.

the armenian genocide will never be forgotten.

[RENEDU2]

about time it comes from Turkish mouth..

dont, forget Assyrian,Pontic Greek,Kurd and others..

[carlos2444444]

@presidentkasar

And it is not HISTORY, it is less then 100 years. My GRANDFATHER was victime in the Genocide!! He got live because he expected muslim faith and later when escaped he returnd to Christ. Its like saing Holocoust is History! If we forgot history then HISTORY WILL REPEAT its self. And btw, This land are not for turks. Turks came from central Asia and conquered. JUST LIKE Europe did to AMERICA. Its True fact. Im sorry, but It is true. Except it my friend.

[HalalKafir]

This guy has balls to be truthful like this - he's lucky to still be alive.

Too bad Turkey is going backwards and slowly turning into a hyper nationalistic Islamic theocracy under that lunatic, Adolf Taqiyya Erdogan, who is kicking secular Kemalistic principles with his feet.

[Vasilis719]

@presidentkasar..PART 2

Yourt turkish selfishness, and defense of vile barbarism is quite astounding..LOL. Your "concern" is that the occuying turk would have "nowhere to live"!!!!. Boo hoo, poor oppressor..LOLOLOL. Had the Greeks not had the interference of France, Italy, and Russia..Armenians would have a free, united Armenia; and much less Armenians would have been slaughtered. "Exile" by WHO'S choice?!!!!..and with WHAT results?!!!!!. DEATH. History is "TRUTH", not "convenience".

[MkVahagn]

turkey must pay ! Fuck turkey

[Garo13]

it isnt the turks fault, no need to be like them!

The turks dont know better, they are taought from brith that Armenians did not have genocide.

[asteroume]

#2. You try to excuse those beasts who organized and committed the genocide. You OBVIOUSLY don't know the whole truth, and you are too blindly and falsely patriotic to care to look for more information coming from "the other side"

[asteroume]

Wrong...Wrong.....WRONG! Don't be a fool! #1. You say he is damaging Turkey's reputation? Actually, Turkey's reputation is being (further) damaged by people who DENY or disregard the genocide, and by Turkey's reaction to people like Taner Akcam.