Turkish Peoples` Equality and Democracy Party issues statement on  109th anniversary of Armenian Genocide

ArmInfo. Istanbul's Sisli district chapter of Turkey's opposition Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) issued a statement at the entrance to the Pangalti subway station, on the occasion of the 109th anniversary of  the Armenian Genocide.

As ermenihaber.am writes, this commemoration action  was accompanied  by a demonstration of photographs of representatives of the Armenian  intelligentsia who became victims of the Genocide.

It is noted that DEM MPs Ozgur Saki and Kezban Konukcu, as well as  NGO members also were in attendance.  " We have to face history and  come to terms with this murderous mentality," Konukcu said.  Ani  Kalk, who lost her relatives during the genocide also was at the  action. She noted that 109 years ago the Armenian people were  exterminated in a coordinated manner and forcibly deported.

109 years ago, Turkiye  perpetrated the Genocide of the Armenian  people in the Ottoman Empire.  Over 1.5 million Armenians were  massacred based on their nationality. The Armenian genocide is  recognized and condemned by many countries of the world and  influential international organizations. The parliament of Uruguay  was the first to officially condemn the massacres of Armenians  (1965). The extermination of the Armenians was officially recognized  as genocide (according to international law[177]) and also condemned  by France (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2012, Belgium, the Netherlands,  Switzerland - National Council (lower house of parliament), Sweden,  Russia (1995), Poland , Lebanon (2000), Italy, Lithuania, Greece,  Slovakia, Cyprus, Argentina (2 laws, 5 resolutions), Venezuela,  Chile, Canada (1996, 2002, 2004), Vatican, Bolivia (2014), Austria  (2015), Luxembourg (2015), Brazil (2015), Paraguay (2015), Germany  (2016), Czech Republic (2017), Portugal (2019), USA (in 35 states by  law), Latvia.  The Armenian Genocide was recognized by the European  Parliament (1987, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2015), the parliamentary  coalition of South American countries (Mercosur), the UN  Subcommission on the Prevention of Discrimination and the Protection  of Minorities, the Parliament of Latin America (2015).  Recognition  of the Armenian genocide is not officially a prerequisite for  Turkey's entry into the EU, but some authors believe that Turkey will  have to do so on the path to EU membership.

The Turkish Republic spends heavily on PR denial campaigns and  donates to universities that provide credibility to the Turkish  position. Whenever parliaments or governments of different states  discuss the recognition of genocide, Turkey threatens them with  diplomatic and trade sanctions and repression of its own minorities.   In order to destroy traces of the physical presence of Armenians in  Turkey, monuments of Armenian architecture in the country are  systematically destroyed.

Deniers' arguments are usually modifications of one of the following  statements: the massacre of Armenians never happened in the Ottoman  Empire; the death of Armenians occurred due to negligence from hunger  and disease during their expulsion from the combat zone; there was no  deliberate policy on the part of the Young Turks to exterminate the  Armenians; The death of the Armenians was a consequence of the civil  war in the Ottoman Empire, which also killed many Turks.