The Turks are irked.
The Turks are irked.
Who would dare to irk the Turks?
One who smirks, “You’re genocidal jerks!”
And so now, in a move reminiscent of those who say in effect, “Say that Islam is a religion of peace or we’ll kill you,” the Turks are saying, “Say we didn’t commit genocide against the Armenians or we will start persecuting the Armenians.” And remember, the Armenian genocide itself started with mass expulsion orders. Hrayr Karapetyan, an Armenian MP, certainly sees Erdogan’s statement as heralding another genocide: “The statement once again proves that there is an Armenian genocide threat in present Turkey.”
“Turkey threatens to expel 100,000 Armenians over ‘genocide’ row,” by Damien McElroy for the Telegraph, March 17 (thanks to all who sent this in):
Turkey has threatened to expel 100,000 Armenians from the country in response to the US branding the First World War killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as “genocide”. […]
Tensions with Armenia have recently escalated as a well-organised worldwide campaign has persuaded the American Congress and Swedish parliament to adopt resolutions condemning the incidents as “genocide”.
An Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Bill has also been put before the House of Commons and Mr Erdogan has warned Gordon Brown that relations would suffer if parliament passes it.
Turkish law already makes discussion of genocide an offence punishable by imprisonment.
“There are currently 170,000 Armenians living in our country. Only 70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we are tolerating the remaining 100,000,” said Mr Erdogan.
“If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their country because they are not my citizens. I don’t have to keep them in my country.” […]
Mr Erdogan said its neighbour should distance itself from the overseas community leading the lobbying.
He said: “Armenia has an important decision to make. It should free itself from its attachment to the diaspora. Any country which cares for Armenia, namely the US, France and Russia, should primarily help Armenia to free itself from the influence of the diaspora.”
But yesterday there was uproar in Armenai [sic] over the suggestion of deportations. Hrayr Karapetyan, an Armenian MP, condemned Mr Erdogan’s remarks as blackmail.
“The statement once again proves that there is an Armenian genocide threat in present Turkey, thus world community should pressurise Ankara to recognise [the] genocide,” he said….