As Biden's statement on 'genocide' has occupied the agenda, we have talked to professor Yusuf Halaçoğlu, who has been the president of the Turkish Historical Society for 15 years and is the author of the books 'Armenian migrants' and 'From exile to genocide.' Halacoğlu said, 'Armenian groupings started ethnic cleansing before 1915.'
The reactions to the 'genocide' statement of US President Joe Biden are not calming down. I asked professor Yusuf Halaçoğlu if he could provide Haberglobal.com.tr readers with all details from the Black Cross Society, the first Armenian terrorist organization established on the territory of the Ottoman empire, to $1,300,000,000 in compensation paid to Armenians in 1923. Halaçoğlu, who is the author of the books on this topic, spoke about the past and the present of Armenians.
What happened during the period that forced the Ottoman Empire to deport Armenians?
Beginning in 1812, Armenians backed by the United States, England, Germany, France, Russia, Austria, and Italy opened missionary schools in the Ottoman lands. The United States led them. In 1845, American missionaries began to open schools, where only non-Muslims were registered.
What plans did the superpowers of that time had regarding the Ottoman Armenians?
They made steps to create an independent Armenian state. A provision on reforms to be carried in the places where Armenians lived was added to Article 61 of the Treaty of Ayastefanos signed during the Ottoman-Russian war in 1877-1878.
Russia, Britain, and German were planning to divide the Ottoman Empire. They were competing for influence over Christians living in the Ottoman Empire. Russia added such a provision to show that it is on the side of Armenians.
What was the first Armenian terrorist organization in the Ottoman Empire?
The Black Cross Society was created with the signing of the Berlin Treaty in 1878 in Van for the purpose of holding reforms in Erzurum, Sivas, Van, Bitlis, and Elazig, where Armenians lived. These were utterly racist and illegal societies, similar to American Ku Klux Klan. The Hınçak Society was created in Geneva in 1881.
The Dashnaksutyun party was established in Tbilisi in 1889. These societies added provisions to their charters on the creation of an Armenian state through war and the use of force. They attacked the Ottoman Bank and organized the assassination of Sultan Abdulhamid, those who supported the Ottomans and did not support the Armenians, as well as Ottoman statesmen.
Sultan Abdulhamid's meeting with Sheikhulislam after the Friday prayer saved him from assassination. Ottomans detained them but were obliged to release them under Western pressure.
What was the density of the Armenian population in Anadolu at that time?
Armenians never constituted the majority in any province, including Eastern Anadolu. The biggest number of Armenians was observed in Bitlis, where they constituted 33% of the entire population. In Anadolu, the share of Armenians was around 19%. Those groupings started to kill civilians to gain superiority and scare Muslims away from this area. Armenian bandits started ethnic cleansing even before 1915.
What did Armenians do when the Ottoman Empire joined the First World War?
When the Ottomans joined the First World War, they called on Armenians to side with them and promised them autonomy in three provinces after the war, but Armenians did not accept it. While in 1914, Ottomans were fighting on four fronts in Çanakkale, the Caucasus, Mosul, and Palestine, Armenians raised a revolt in 23 areas within the empire. They seized telegraph cables to cut off communication and captured key points on railroads to prevent the supply of ammunition.
What happened on April 17?
Van was razed to the ground, and 80,000 people were killed on April 17. They took young girls to the Akdamar Church, where they raped and tortured them. Women threw themselves into the Van lake to protect their honor. I proposed a bill in the Assembly to commemorate April 17 as the 'Day of Massacres Committed by Armenians' and erect a 'monument of chastity,' but the commission has not raised this issue yet.
Why did Armenians choose April 24 as the remembrance day for their fictional 'genocide'?
A decision to detain 235 members of the Ramgavar, Armenaken, Hinçak, and Dashnak organizations was taken on April 24, but they were only sent to prisons, not killed. As their key commanders were arrested, they mark this day as the day of 'genocide.' In fact, no one was killed.
What steps did the Ottomans take when managing the deportation process?
All provinces received guidance on how to treat and what steps to take on deported Armenians. The guidance included instructions on providing food, safety, and faith for those deported and setting up hospitals when needed. Imagine that on the one hand, you are fighting the world, and on the other hand, you are providing military force to protect the deportees. The Ottoman state built churches so that they could worship wherever they went. 60 monetary units were provided to each adult and 20 monetary units to each minor a day. Other states were allowed to assist, as instructed by Talat Pasha.
What caused deaths during deportation, and who were those killed?
Some Armenians were seized or killed in the attacks by bandit groupings. Though the exact numbers is not known, the number of deaths was around 8,500 people. There were deaths, but those deaths were committed not by the state but by bandits.
1,673 people were taken to the military court for these attacks in October 1915. Among them were government officials who neglected or did not fulfill their duties. For example, two people from the Teşkilât-ı Mahsusa were brought to court. Of the 1,673 people, 67 were sentenced to death. Thus, the state punishes criminals.
According to our research, about 500,000 were deported. A document prepared after the 1918 Decree of Return shows that 644,900 Armenians lived in the Ottoman lands. This figure is based on those who have never left Anatodu. For example, Armenians in Kastamonu and Istanbul were not deported, they stayed where they were. The annihilation of this ethnic group was not at issue.
Can Armenians demand compensation after Biden's statement?
Until 1918, Balkan emigrants lived in houses abandoned by Armenians. When the Armenians returned, the immigrants were evicted, and the houses were given to the Armenians. However, if the IDP did extra work at home or damaged Armenian property, the Ottomans would compensate them.
At that time, there were 218,000 Armenians who did not return and moved to America. Under an agreement signed between the United States and Turkey in 1923, Armenians in the United States were compensated $1.3 billion. Armenians in America have already received this money. When $900 million of this compensation was sent and distributed to the Armenians, the United States said, "There is no one left to pay, so don't send more." They cannot make any claims for compensation today.
Why did Biden use the word "genocide" now?
Turkey prevented the establishment of a Kurdish state in Syria with the Euphrates Shield, the Spring of Peace, Operation Idlib, and the Democratic Union Party was helpless. Thus, America could not change the map of the Middle East it wanted. Didn't they hold military exercises with 60 planes before accepting the "genocide" to intimidate Turkey? America's attitude towards Turkey had already changed before the expression "genocide" was used. But the word "genocide" inflamed it even more.
How can we explain Biden's use of "Constantinople" instead of "Istanbul"?
Biden's statement in the text, "I say this so that it does not happen again," actually means that the Turks did it and that today he is making tougher accusations for it to 'never repeat.' He made a gesture to Greece by saying Constantinople and wanted to say, "we are on your side." In fact, America is not interested in Armenians. The term "genocide" is just a tool he uses to carry out his policies. America never spoke during the Karabakh war.
What steps should Turkey take next?
Biden violated the first paragraph of Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There is no court decision on the genocide. In this case, the US President has committed an illegal act.
There is a law in the international sense called "hate crime"; It is a "crime of hatred" to insult a society and accuse it of a crime if you are ignorant. Biden accuses our ancestors of committing genocide without a court order.
Biden's hatred is a crime. Even the American president must answer in court. Turkey must sue Biden. We must say that we recognize what the Americans did to the Indians, the killing of the Japanese in the Pacific in World War II, the French massacre in Rwanda, as genocide and include it in our history textbooks.
What was the reaction of the Turkish Historical Society, which you headed for 15 years?
There was an Armenian table that I set up when I was in the Historical Institution, and there were many young people there. But they dismissed it all. I don't think they reacted adequately. They have to go out and talk about everything openly on TV.