Assyrian Member in Turkish Parliament Proposes Erecting Monument to Armenian Genocide Victims
Agos
Ankara — Speaking in the Turkish Parliament on the issue of erecting a new monument to Talaat Pasha, parliament member Assyrian George Aslan of the People’s Equality and Democrac party said the following:
“We do not accept the erection of a monument in honor of the person who ordered the death of Armenians. Some people may be heroes for one people, but for other peoples, these people are not heroes, but murderers. In 1915, the population of the Ottoman Empire reached 13 million, while about three million of this population were Christian peoples: Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians. Today, 110 years later, while the population of Turkey has reached 86 million, why does the population of Christian peoples only reach tens of thousands, when under normal conditions it should also reach millions? What happened to these people? Of course, I did not receive an answer to this question I asked earlier. While we were waiting for a frank confrontation, the Christian people of 1915 In the context of the genocide committed against the peoples, on the contrary, public spaces, streets, parks and schools are being named after the perpetrators and monuments are being erected to them.”
Aslanyan continued: “Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas ordered the construction of a monument to Talaat Pasha in the Altındag district. Meanwhile, a monument should have been erected for the tens of thousands of Armenians who were killed, exiled and whose property was confiscated… In 1915, they were ordered to be killed. We will not accept a monument to the man who killed them.”
“Good” party deputies tried to interrupt the speech. “Good” party deputy Şenolsunat Aslani, who was from Manisa, shouted in response: “Some party members should not make a speech distorting history, slandering the Turkish nation and blessing the traitors. Therefore, I curse this man. Know that the so-called Armenian Genocide and these slanders, which foreign sources and imperial powers have put in your minds, can never be accepted by the Turkish nation.”
Denizli Deputy Yasin Ozturk, slapping the table of Deputy Speaker Tekin Pinkol and standing up, said: “You must also be impartial. This cannot be called the Armenian Genocide.” Pinkol, in turn, responded by saying: “Mr. Aslan, you have no right to accuse people with abstract concepts.” When the debate continued, he added: “Don’t shout and go outside,” ending the session.
