Despite Undisputable evidences which proves that the Ottoman Turks massacred 1.5 million Armenians, over half a million Assyrians and hundreds of thousands of Greeks during world war one Turkey has steadfastly refused to admit its responsibility, and has accused the victims of having caused it. This is another example of such tactics.

Assyrian Genocide Claims 'Bogus,' Says Turkish Historian

Ankara -- Turkey is now being haunted by claims of an Assyrian genocide in 1915 during the country's relocations.

Bulent Ozdemir, head of the Turkish Historical Society's (TTK) Assyrian Studies Section, responded yesterday to a draft report by Dutch Christian Democrat parliamentarian Camiel Eurlings, in which she asserted that Turkey should accept Pontic Greek and Assyrian genocide claims, in addition to those by Armenians.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Ozdemir said that claims regarding an Assyrian genocide during World War I are groundless and branded them "bogus" along with the Armenian claims.

Ozdemir said that they had prepared a book on the issue and during its preparation process they mostly used foreign archive documents rather than the Ottoman archives to make it more reliable and exact. "After four months of research at the British National Archives from November 2004, we made a detailed study at the U.S. National Archives in May last year," he said. "The results of our meticulous research show that neither the Ottoman Empire nor today's Turkish Republic can be accused of genocide during World War I. Foreign archive documents strengthen the arguments of Turkey on this issue. Compared to the Armenian genocide claims these untrue statements about Assyrians can not trouble Turkey."

Pointing out that Assyrians declared war on the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the conflict and fought against the Ottomans along with Russian and the British soldiers, Ozdemir said that these statements were expressed in a petition presented by Assyrians at the Paris Peace Conference. see webmasteres comments below

"They chose a side in the war and combat occurred under the rules of war. At this point the title of Wigram's book clearly expresses the situation: 'Our Smallest Ally'," Ozdemir said. "At the end of the Ottoman reign, Assyrians were considered a 'Trojan horse' by Russia, France and the Britain. It's obvious that they were used by some nations."

Ozdemir underlined assertions by some historians that the real culprit for the pain and suffering the Assyrians faced during World War I were the policies of Russia and the Allies in the region, and their not fulfilling promises given to Assyrians.

"Today accusations regarding an Assyrian genocide are addressed just for the sake of politic interests and these accusations twist the truth," Ozdemir said. "Migrating to the U.S., Australia and Western European countries after the war for various reasons, Assyrians are organized and they have formed a diaspora. They use genocide claims as a means of identity."

Attending a conference on the so-called Assyrian genocide held at Erciyes University's History and Culture Club, Ozdemir answered questions from students.

The assertion that Turkey should accept the so called Pontic Greek Genocide in addition to the so-called Armenian genocide was in Eurlings' draft Turkey Report, which was presented to the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs

The New Anatolian

Bulent Ozdemir, head of the Turkish Historical Society, the so-called historian, seems to contradict himself. On one hand he claims that Assyrians declared war against Turkey, implying that if they were massacred it was their fault. On the other hand he claims they were not massacred.

In that case what happened to half a million Assyrians who disappeared during world war one? Are all those who witnessed the death of their father, mother, brothers, sisters and their entire community ignorant liars who enjoy blaming Turkey?

Contrary to this so-called historian these accusations are not new. In 1916 Assyrians writer Youhannan Abrahim wrote the 'Death of A Nation' documenting the decimation of the Assyrians in northwest Iran by the Turks and their alies the Kurds. Joel Warda in his Flickering Light of Asia published in 1924 described the decimation of the Mountain Assyrians by the Turkish army and the Kurds. Joseph Naayem in his book Shall this nation die describes the killing of the Assyrians and the Armenians in Turkey.

Viscount Bryce in a preface to Naayem's Book wrote:

"The bloodstained annals of the East contains on records of massacres more unprovoked more widespread or more terrible than those perpetrated by the Turkish Government upon the Christians of Anatolia and Armenia in 1915. It was the suffering of the Armenians that chiefly drew the attention of Britain and America because they were the most numerous among the ecclesiastical bodies, and the slaughter was, therefore on a larger scale. But the minor communities such as Assyro- Chaldean churches, were equally the victims of the plan for exterminating Christianity, root and branch, although the Turks had never ventured to allege that these communities had given any ground of offense."

One has to asked who were these Assyrians who declared war against Turkey? were they the infants in the cradle, unarmed men and women young and old killed by the Turks and their allies the Kurds in the cities of Turkey?

Were they the unarmed Assyrians of northwest Iran that Turkey invaded in January 1915 which resulted in the massacre of thousands? Were they the Assyrians of Kurdistan who had only flint guns to defend themselves with against millions of Kurds and Turkey's military equipped with the latest weapons? Which Turkish city did Assyrians invade, which mighty Turkish army they defeated, and when. Does this historian have any answer to these questions? If not how can he claim to be an honest one? wm warda

Stavros, a professor at the American University Washington, D.C. writes
Can this alleged Historian explain how did Turkey’s Christian population (Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks) which comprised about 25% of Turkey’s population before 1915, is now less than half of 1%? Did they just all decide: Let’s go to Disney?

He cites the follwoing statistics from U.S. Census Bureau, International Database, and The World Factbook:

Turkey’s population before 1915 was about 14 Million comprising of:
11 Million Muslims (Turks, Kurds & Other)
3 Million Christians (Assyrians, Armenians, Pontic Greeks)
Also some Jews, Yazidis and others.

Today’s population of Turkey is about 70 Million comprising of:
69.85 Million Muslims (Turks, Kurds & Other)
Under 200 Thousand or Less than 1% Christians (Assyrians, Armenians, Pontic Greeks)