Turkish ’Blue Book’ criticized
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Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 01, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - The recently published Turkish edition of the "Blue Book," which voices claims about the Armenian genocide, aims to defeat the Turkish position from the inside, according to a retired ambassador.
"The Turkish translation of the book is part of a strategy that aims to make Turkish people advocate the Armenian position, both in Turkey and abroad," said retired Ambassador Ömer Engin Lütem, speaking at a press conference in Ankara on Tuesday.
"Some of the Turkish intellectuals are thus contacted and meetings that back the Armenian claims are organized in Turkey by the NGOs and universities in this respect," he said. "And some publishing houses in Turkey publish Turkish translations of Armenian or non-Armenian people’s books that advocate genocide claims in line with this strategy."
The book, "The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915 - 1916," also known as the "Blue Book," was originally published in 1916, in English, by the British parliament. The central thesis of the book is that Armenians were subject to a policy of mass annihilation in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, starting in 1915.
"Some of the Turkish intellectuals are thus contacted and meetings that back the Armenian claims are organized in Turkey by the NGOs and universities in this respect," he said. "And some publishing houses in Turkey publish Turkish translations of Armenian or non-Armenian people’s books that advocate genocide claims in line with this strategy."
The book, "The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915 - 1916," also known as the "Blue Book," was originally published in 1916, in English, by the British parliament. The central thesis of the book is that Armenians were subject to a policy of mass annihilation in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, starting in 1915.