The Turks’ requirement that Armenian and Turkish historians should impartially research the subject of Armenian Genocide has been fulfilled long ago. The Turks often repeat that there was no genocide. For modern historic research these allegations can serve no serious argument, the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung reports, referring to the question of new historic research of the 20th century.
Vivid example of this research is the work Judgement at Istanbul, published in 2011 in the United States. The authors of the book are the Turk Taner Akcam and Armenian Vahakn Dadrian. The book tells about the litigations in the military trials during 1915-1922. As a result of those proceedings Talaat Pasha and Enver Pasha were sentenced to death for committing crimes against humanity. The documents of the legal case prove that the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in the aftermath of the war were considered shameful until the Turks converted it into an idea of ‘national revival,’ the newspaper writes.
The newspaper also refers to Germany’s guilt in committing the Armenian Genocide. In this sphere the research by Vahakn Dadrian and Christoph Dinkel is significant. It mentions that the Germans, who practically didn’t take part in the killings of Armenians, contributed to anti-Armenian policy in the Ottoman Empire as allies.
Besides, in his book Dadrian mentions that back in 1897 the chief German field-marshal Colmar von der Goltz advised Turkey to strengthen its positions in the Asian part of the Empire and in the Caucasus. In February 1914 during his report in Berlin von der Goltz suggested deporting Armenians and resettling them in Syria and Mesopotamia. In 1915 the Young Turks were committing exactly this with regard to Armenians, only by resettlement they perceived annihilation, the newspaper writes.
Turkey still proceeds with its policy of silencing history and actually gets support in the form of hands-off approach by Germany, the newspaper concludes.
The photo depicts Emperor Wilhelm 2 and Enver Pasha.
