LaMan

I am a Turk who's been living in LA for 35 years, was married with Armenian, recently moved to Turkey and visited Armenia with my Armenian friends, a few weeks ago...I also made many new friends in Yerevan and Karabagh...I must tell you; I am amazed about the ignorance displayed by so many Armenians (mostly Diaspora) about their own history and the tragic events of late 1800's and 1915...I am still trying to find the truth and keep my mind open to a real scientific proof of each side's version of historical facts about as to why so many Armenians has been killed and suffered so much and why so many Ottoman moslems has parished as well. This question can not be answered by anecdotes. No doubt Ottomans has made a tragic mistake in joining Germany in this war and opened the possibilities for Armenians to be used by Russians and the other European powers against Ottomans while both people were living in harmony for centuries despite the ethnic and the religious differences. Loyal Armenian subjects' (as described in Ottoman times)nationalistic feelings and Dashnaks, first cooperation with Otoman revolutionaries to assasinate the Ottoman sultan, then subjugating themselves to Russians and revolting against the Ottomans, are sad state of affairs in those times. The fact remains that for every story told, for every picture published by Armenians there are responding stories and pictures of atrocities in Ottoman, Russian and various Europen nations archives...Either there should be a scientific research done by totaly objective parties and whatever the truth is we should accept and deal with its consequences or simply move ahead to ensure the well being of both nations and peoples. Armenia needs Turkey and Turkey as well would benefit greatly by normalizing the realtionship...Incidently these are the opinions of Armenians in Armenia (and in Turkey as well as many in Los Angeles)-in the government, in the business as well as the "common people",... not only mine. Actually the goods in Yerevan mostly Turkish, there are regularly scheduled flights between Istanbul-Yereven-Antalya... I Just wanted to point out some of the facts and thoughts with the hope that someday soon we should resolve this matter and again start living in harmony together. Afterall, as people, we have so much in common and so much to gain from.

Although there were some "turkic" tribes came to Anatolia in earlier times, first Turks arrived in 1071 defeating the Byzantian army in Malazgirt.