XXI century nothing changed in Turkey

29.01.2007

YEREVAN (YERKIR) - “After Hrant Dink’s murder and funeral in Istanbul, which was attended by hundred of thousands, many people in the world began to speak about a change in Turkish as if it has become more democratic and tolerant.

Such statements occurred also in Armenia,” political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net. However, he thinks, we should recall the events, which took place a hundred years ago. “In 1908 the Young Turks came into power in Ottoman Empire. Just less than a month before it they were solemnly placing flowers to the graves of hundred of thousands of Armenians who were killed by sultanate Turkey.

At those times much was talked about the new XX century, about changing ethnic character of Turks, about religion tolerance. But the same Young Turks with mass assistance of population already in 1909 organized a massacre of 30 000 Armenians in Aleppo.

The XX century has not changed anything, nothing has changed and the XXI century. Today we see the same phenomenon which was in the past: flowers and banner for the outside world and internal readiness to kill in reality. National mentality is a quite conservative phenomenon, which practically does not yield to time changes,” stressed Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan.

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