By Artur Hakobyan

YEREVAN. –  Turkey’s progressive journalists and public figures have harshly reacted to the Turkish Internal Affairs Minister Idris Naim Sahin’s anti-Armenian speech made during the demonstration which was held in downtown Istanbul on February 26, and which was financed by Azerbaijan. And in this connection, Turkey’s Internal Affairs Ministry issued a statement and claimed that the press had distorted the Minister’s words and presented them out of context.   

In the Ministry’s statement, it is noted that some groups had carried out provocations during the event devoted to the Khojaly incidents. “The Istanbul Provincial Hall is carrying out activities to find those groups and persons,” the statement reads.  

Also according to the release, the Turkish press had presented the Minister’s words only in part and out of context. 

To note, anti-Armenian signs were posted in Istanbul’s public places days before the aforesaid demonstration. 

Also, it became apparent that the anti-Armenian demonstration was financed by the huge Azerbaijani businessman Mubariz Mansimov. In addition, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had sent ten advisors to Turkey, who had organized this protest together with ASIM-DER, the Azerbaijan-Turkish nationalist organization functioning in Turkey.  

Even the Union of Socialist Azerbaijanis of Turkey member Rifat Abbaszade had stated that Azerbaijan spent US$ 2 million for the anti-Armenian demonstration held in Istanbul and devoted to the Khojaly incidents. And the Union of Socialist Azerbaijanis of Turkey had released a statement and noted that it is impermissible to make the Khojaly events become a tool and to use them with the intention of denying the Armenian tragedy in 1915.  

And the Istanbul chapter of the Human Rights Association and the “Say No to Racism and Nationalism” Movement had filed a lawsuit against the organizers of the anti-Armenian demonstration and Turkey’s Internal Affairs Minister.