‘An unexpected move from Congress may harm strategic ties’

19.02.2007
Today's Zaman
İstanbul

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is reputed to be a wolf in sheep's clothing by his opponents in Turkey and here he is living up to his name.

Referring to the Armenian genocide resolution pending at the US Congress, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that he doesn't expect a decision which would damage US-Turkish relations, but he is concerned that a surprise move would harm the strategic cooperation of Turkey and the US.

Erdoğan, who spoke at the third anniversary of the founding of the American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT), said, "We're tired of the Armenian diaspora's claims, but they evidently are not tired of repeating them. They either gain some advantages by bringing this issue to the table over and over again, or they enjoy it. We say that this is a task for the historians."

He also said Turkish citizens of Armenian ethnic origin do not face any problems regarding security in Turkey. In reference to the slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, Erdoğan said, "If you bring one unique example to us, we also have much to say in response. 42 Turkish ambassadors were murdered while on duty. How did the world act then?"

Erdoğan also said about 50 thousand people from Armenia live in Turkey without necessary permission from the Turkish authorities: "But we don't send them back home. They came here for a reason. They came here because they can have better living standards here."

Noting Turkey's strategic partnership with the US as a NATO member in the region, Erdoğan told the businessmen at the ABFT event in İstanbul that he thanks them for their efforts to curb the genocide resolution which would be harmful to Turkish-US Relations. In a letter sent to members of the US House of Representatives, ABFT urged US congressional representatives to reconsider the Armenian genocide resolution and work toward reconciliation efforts between Turkish and Armenian communities.

Representing about 70 US firms operating in Turkey, ABFT said that the resolution is counterproductive and could set back recent progress toward reconciliation between Armenians and Turks. ABFT noted that the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink last month brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets in sympathy and protest, and has compelled the communities to work even harder to achieve reconciliation, based on inter-communal dialogue.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.