YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS: Ruben Safrastian, head of Turkey division at the Institute of Oriental Studies, an affiliation of the National Academy of Sciences, argued today that Armenia should shift the case of the 1915 genocide from politics to the realm of international law.
He said Armenia must take the case to international organizations and the Hague Human Rights Court to demand that Turkey acknowledges this crime. He said Armenia must also claim for moral, material and territorial compensations. Hovhannes Igitian, a senior member of the former ruling Armenian National Movement (ANM) who was invited to debate with Safrastian on Armenian-Turkish relations, pointed out to a dramatic change in the coverage of this issue by the Turkish media, which he said posts sometimes very tolerant and courageous ideas and thoughts. He said Turkey would recognize the Armenian genocide only when its society ‘would comprehend and accept the historical truth.”
He shrugged off wordings which define the Turkish society as ‘sick’ saying it is the Turkish government that is working to make the society sick. He said Turks have the problem of identity as their society is a mix of various religious and ethnic components, which he said makes it difficult to forecast future developments in that country. Igitian spoke than in favor of eliminating the atmosphere of hostility existing between the two nations and seeking to resolve the problems through negotiations and dialogue.
Though Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations last year’s trade between them, according to official figures, amounted to $68 million. Other, non-official estimations put it at $280 million.
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