September 21, 2006
Many adults in Armenia believe their border with Turkey should not be
reopened unless there is an acknowledgement of the genocide, according to
a poll by the Gallup Organization. 57 per cent of respondents reject
resuming cross-border travel and commerce.
Relations between Armenia and Turkey are still tense due to historical
factors. In 1915, the government of the Ottoman Empire-formed by members
of the Turkish nationalist Committee of Union and Progress (ITC)-ordered
hundreds of thousands of Armenians to relocate from the Caucasus to
Mesopotamia.
The state-sponsored deportation campaign led to a high number of Armenian
fatalities, estimated at anywhere from 200,000 to 1.8 million. While some
scholars believe the campaign was a deliberate attempt to exterminate
Armenians, Turkey has never formally accepted the use of the term
“genocide” to describe the event.
Yesterday, Turkish deputy prime minister Egemen Bagish discussed the
situation, saying, “(Turkish prime minister Recep Tayip) Erdogan took a
step that no one has ever taken. He declared that the Turkish people are
ready to stand face-to-face with their past and offered discussions with
Armenia if it can do the same. Armenians rejected to stand-face-to- face
with their past and said they will make Turkey accept what they want. So,
there is nothing to say in this case.”
The poll was conducted with the support of the Armenian Sociological
Association, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the
International Republican Institute.
Polling Data
Do you agree or disagree with reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border,
that is, the unconditional resumption of cross-border travel and commerce,
without Turkish recognition of the genocide?
Agree
39%
Disagree
57%
Source: Gallup Organization / Armenian Sociological Association /
U.S. Agency for International Development / International Republican
Institute Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Armenian adults, conducted
in early August 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
Yorumlar kapatıldı.