Guest Posted July 3, 2000 Report Share Posted July 3, 2000 "...there is a strong Armenian lobby in Turkey centered in Istanbul" Ankara - Turkish Daily News </A>2 July 2000, Copyright © Turkish Daily News http://www.turkishdailynews.com/ ---------------------Azeri ambassador reacts to press reports on Armenians Ambassador Aliyev accuses press and claims that there is a strong Armenian lobby in Turkey centered in Istanbul --------------------- Ambassador Mamed Aliyev of Azerbaijan strongly reacted to Turkish press criticism that the authorities were wrong in deporting four Armenian citizens who were deported from Kars last week while trying to attend a conference. Speaking at a press conference Saturday at the Azeri Embassy in Ankara, Aliyev claimed that there was a strong Armenian lobby in Turkey. "We were aware that there was a strong Armenian lobby in Turkey but we never realized it had such a strength," said Aliyev. FDirecting his criticism mainly against daily Hurriyet daily and its editor-in-chief Ertugrul Ozkok for its reporting on the issue, Aliyev said they were happy with the Turkish government's policy calling the decision to deport Armenians "a very appropriate one." Indicating that there were over 1 million Azeri refugees who had to flee their homes in Nagorno-Karabagh because of Armenian occupation, Aliyev called on Turkish press to focus their attention to the plight of Azeri Turks rather than "four Armenians." He added that Turkey has done its best to improve its bilateral relations with Armenia and exttended much aid to this country especially in the wake of the disastrous earthquake in Armenia in 1988. "Turkey got its response from Armenia by witnessing a real increase in the Armenian efforts to make many states recognize the so-called Armenian genocide. Armenian diplomats in the U.S. went even to the smallest regions and told people about this event and unfortunately they were successful to a certain extent," said Aliyev. Aliyev stressed that the successful future of the Turkic world would be realized through the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project, the Kars-Tblisi railway, the Trans-Caspian projects but not by investing in the relations with Armenia. He stated that many people in Armenia were starving and leaving their country and asked "How a country which can not feed its own people contribute to Turkey's economy." >>My comment (Ararat):>>CIA WORLD FACTBOOK>>Armenia----GDP per/capita: $2,700 (1998 est.)>>Azerbaijan-GDP per/capita: $1,640 (1998 est.) Aliyev concluded his remarks by saying that 99.99% of Turkish population were supporting their brothers in Azerbaijan and demanding the end of Armenian occupation in the Turkish soil of Nagorno-Karabagh. >>My comment (Ararat):>>99.99% -this is Azerbaijani lovely number. Four Armenian officials who were invited by the local businessmen to attend Kars City Convention were deported from Kars last Wednesday and the issue was widely covered by the press. Papers said what was done to the Armenians was inappropriate and ugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 3, 2000 Report Share Posted July 3, 2000 Wow, the idea that the Turkish press would even defend four Armenians is incredible, but confirms the impression I am getting that there is a small, but growing change in attitude among the Turkish people. I still have hope that one day the genocide will be acknowledged, call me a dreamer, but it will happen. I also have read that the Armenian population in Turkey, after a steady decline, has started to actually grow since the late nineties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 6, 2000 Report Share Posted July 6, 2000 http://www.ataa.org/ataa/ttimes/june1_00/ozan.html Extremely poor conversation from both parties... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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