290) Legality of Armenian Demands

 

 

One has to wonder why the issue of the so-called Armenian genocide is still alive nearly a century later following the controversial events that occurred in the Ottoman Empire. In order to provide an understanding on this matter we would need to look at the history and the nature of Armenian demands.

 

As the Ottoman Empire continued to decline during the 18th century the Russian Empire was gaining power. Ambitious czars looked for ways to expand their territories to the south in order to capture the economic jugular of Europe, i.e., the Silk Road and the ports along the coastline of the warm seas. Ottoman Empire happened to be on the way of the Russian aspirations.

 

While many nationalities began to declare their independence from Ottoman sovereignty during the 19th century Armenian issue did not come to international spotlight until the end of the well known 1877-1878 war between Russia and Ottoman Empire. The war ended in utter defeat of the Ottomans and Russian forces were able to advance to Yesilkoy without resistance. However, with British interference, Russian advance to Istanbul was halted with San Stefano Treaty in 1878. Later this treaty was replaced by Berlin Conference and both treaties included Armenians as a provision for Ottomans to provide protection to them.

 

Armenians hoped to gain independence in eastern Anatolia but Europeans realized that Armenians did not constitute a majority in any given part of Anatolia because they were scattered throughout the empire. Disappointed by not gaining an independent state with above-mentioned treaties Armenians sought a different route to fulfill their dreams.

 

During the late 19th century many Armenian terrorist organizations sprouted like mushrooms. Among the notable ones were the Dashnaks and the Hunchaks. The goal, which was clear, is well described in ErzurumÕs British Consul GravesÕ report to the British Ambassador in Istanbul in 1895:

 

"The aims of the revolutionary committees are to stir up general discontent and to get the Turkish government and people to react with violence, thus attracting the attention of the foreign powers to the imagined sufferings of the Armenian people, and getting them to act to correct the situation."

 

In order to justify terrorism. in 1920 Dr. Jean Loris-Melikoff, one of the Dashnak founders and ideologists wrote:

 

"At the end, when these means were exhausted, the Dashnaks resorted to terrorism after the teachings of the Russian revolutionaries that the end justifies the means."

 

Finally shortly after the Ottoman Empire entered the First World War Ottoman Armenians began to join forces with the invading Imperial Russian forces in the eastern front. Although Armenians today deny this fact, the words of Hovhannes Katchaznouni, the First Prime Minister of the Independent Armenian Republic, speak for themselves ("The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnagzoutiun) Has Nothing To Do Anymore", New York 22, 1955):

 

"At the beginning of the Fall of 1914 when Turkey had not yet entered the war but had already been making preparations, Armenian revolutionary bands began to be formed in Transcaucasia with great enthusiasm and, especially, with much uproar. Contrary to the decision taken during their general meeting at Erseroum only a few weeks before, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) had active participation in the formation of the bands and their future military action against Turkey."

 

Armenian renegades and soldiers in Russian forces inflicted serious Turkish casualties in eastern Anatolia. Similarly, when Armenians joined legionnaire forces of France they began to massacre Turks and Kurds in southeastern Anatolia under French supervision. As a solution to this bloodshed Ottoman government began to clear eastern and southeastern Anatolia from its Armenian citizens during the summer of 1915. As a result, approximately 600,000 of them were forced to move to other Ottoman territories in southern Syria and Lebanon. But during the deportation process many died due to lack of preparation, famine, diseases, and attacks by revengeful Kurdish tribes.

 

By the end of First World War nearly 600,000 Armenians lost their lives while 2.5 million Turks perished. But Armenians today claim that about 1.5 million of their ancestors were killed in a systematic fashion and thus the claim of genocide. In his article "The Total of Armenian and Syrian Dead" Dr. William Walker Rockwell gave the following account:

 

"In May, when I tabulated in the ÔFifth Bulletin of the Committee for Armenian and Syrian ReliefÕ what we then knew, it seemed probable that the number of survivors was under 1,150,000. The total Armenian losses to that date would then be between 450,000 and 850,000, according as we estimate the population before the war at 1,600,000 or at 2,000,000."

 

With the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, British arranged Malta War Crimes Tribunal where they hoped to try 140 prominent Ottoman officials for presumed Armenian massacres. But at the end of their extensive investigations British and Americans realized that there was no proof for the alleged premeditated massacres of Ottoman Armenians.

 

When the Sevres Treaty was signed, Armenians were once again hopeful because American President Wilson was about to deliver eastern Anatolia to Armenians but that did not occur due to a new government in Ankara. When Armenians began to advance into eastern Anatolia they terribly underestimated the forces of Kazim Karabekir, which defeated them swiftly. On December 2, 1920 a new treaty was signed at Gumru (Alexandropol) between the new Turkish government of Ankara and the Republic of Armenia. Article 10 of this treaty stipulated that the Sevres Treaty was null and void, thus, effectively ending Armenian aspirations on eastern Anatolia. Another important point was that article 6 of this treaty allowed the return of Armenians who were deported by the Ottoman Empire. The article 7 then indicated that if Armenians did not return they would forfeit any legal rights they might have by not returning (within a year).

 

Later when Armenia entered the Soviet Empire, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey renewed the treaty - the Treaty of Kars - with Soviet Armenia on October 13, 1921. Therefore, based on these international treaties and historical facts Armenians have no right to pursue the claim of genocide with which today they hope to regain punitive damages and territorial claims in eastern Anatolia.

 

by Erol Yorulmazoglu, M.D.
Turkish Forum Advisory Board