Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoghan is increasing his pretensions to the role of judge in regional issues. Erdoghan reached the peak when he called on the Syrian regime “not to massacre” people, adding that “otherwise the history will always remember it as sanguinary”.

How the heir of those who built their state on the corpses of the Armenian people dares to teach morality to others. Opposing to the reasonable world and rejecting even the proposals of the progressive intellectuals of Turkey, instead of acknowledging the monstrous crime committed by their ancestors against humanity – the Armenian Genocide, and the fact of forcing Armenians deportation from their historical native cradle and asking forgiveness, Mr. Erdoghan and the rest of the Turkish officials keep leading the genocide policy trying to dispute the occurrence of the Armenian genocide.                                            

Mr. Erdoghan has no right to teach morality to others unless he listens to the appeals of the European leaders and comes to terms with the dark pages of its history, and only afterTurkeycan be accepted as a family member of a civilized world.Turkeyis also opposed to proofreading the discriminatory civil legislation of the country. This demand has been hanging over the country for three decades: first of all Turkey is urged to abolish the notorious medieval Article 301, the latest victims of which became the publicist Zarakolu, who used to voice about the sufferings of national minorities -victims of the Turkish discriminatory policy. 

Turkey’s “Zero problem with neighbors” double-natured policy has turned into “Zero friendship with neighbors” policy.Turkeyprovokes daily tension with its neighbors and opposes to the appeals of the international community continuing persistently the 37-year occupation ofNorthern Cyprus.

Hence, naïve would be those, who believeTurkeypursues humanitarian rather than selfish ends inGaza, in case it has been blockading the smallArmeniafor already 18 years without concealing its chauvinistic ideas on supporting its brotherAzerbaijan.

We appeal on the Arab World, in particular peoples ofEgypt,Tunisia,Lydia,SyriaandIraqnot to trustTurkeyand remain independent. Arab people, who met with open arms the survivals of the Armenian genocide in 1915, were also a victim ofTurkey’s policy.

It is wrong to trustTurkeytoday since it no longer hides its dream of restoring theOttoman Empirewhich massacred and enslaved the peoples of the region.

We appeal on European and international structures not to involveTurkeyin any regional humanitarian programs until it acknowledges the genocide it committed against Armenians and fulfills the preconditions set by the European structures.

Assembly of Armenians of Europe

16 November 2011