The intention of imperialists and liberal circles in scratching the sufferings of Armenian people is neither confronting history, nor modernizing Turkey. Imperialism wants to discredit the struggle against imperialism in Turkey. The insistence on the term genocide has no practical meaning other than that. We consider Armenians’ "Medz Yegern" as the "Great Catastrophe" of all peoples. Today the communists and patriots, who claim the struggle waged against imperialism in our country, have no obligation at all to acquit nationalist cleansings. The peoples, who were persecuted, massacred and deported not only in 1915 but also before and after, are the brothers and sisters of patriots in Turkey. We shall neither give up the struggle against imperialism, nor defending the fraternity of peoples.
Turkey has been discussing the Armenian genocide law attempt in France for days. Numerous actors of the system are bringing suggestions about the necessary reactions against France. French imperialists on one hand, and the Turkish nationalists on the other hand, are turning the situation into a deadlock. And then there are the other imperialists, who intervene in the role of the "good cop"….
The first truth to be said about the Armenian question is that the subject shall be freed from the hands of imperialists and nationalists. It is impossible to get the tiniest solution in the interest of peoples from any discussion, which is engaged by these hostile brothers. Whenever imperialists intervene and whenever Turkish nationalism tries to respond to them, the gap between the peoples, which are primarily related to the subject, is widened.
On the contrary, whenever the problem between the two peoples is being dealt with, whether it is concerning the past or the future, everybody’s aim shall be building the friendship of peoples. The actual process is heading towards the opposite direction. The basic principle of the solution of communists and patriots is the fraternity of peoples.
The Turkish-Armenian question is not a question which is confined to these two peoples. The Turkish-Armenian question is part of the "Eastern Question", which escalated with the World War One. The Eastern Question was not created by the Eastern peoples, but by imperialists and colonialists, who were eager to share the region. The debates on who attacked whom and who killed whom are not serving to the revealing of historical truth today, but to the obscuring of the role played by imperialism and colonialism.
As the disintegrating "ancien regime" of the era, the ability of the Ottoman state to confront these interventions through standing shoulder to shoulder with peoples was exactly nil. The Ottoman equilibrium, which rested on the enslavement of workers and dependency of peoples, was a reactionary order. There is nothing surprising about the ability of imperialism to plant mines between joslem and Christian peoples in this order.
Everybody is talking about revealing historical truth, and confronting history. During the imperialist game of separation, Turkish and Armenian peoples were set on against each other. This bloody and painful history was written by imperialists. Meanwhile Turkish and Armenian peoples surrendered to their own nationalisms, and they lacked the ability to disturb these coward scenarios. As long as this approach doesn’t overcome the debate on who persecuted whom, the history will serve to hostility.
It is evident that it was Turkey’s Liberation War, which positioned itself against imperialism in this struggle. The conducting of this liberation process through the elimination of other peoples, who were engaged in imperialist separatism, was a method started by the former rulers of the Ottoman Empire and adopted by the new rulers of Turkey. Replacing the Ottoman Empire, the capitalist Turkey continued the same inability and unwillingness in the subject of peoples’ fraternity.
Today the communists and patriots, who claim the struggle waged against imperialism in our country, have no obligation at all to acquit nationalist cleansings. The peoples, who were persecuted, massacred and deported not only in 1915 but also before and after that, are the brothers and sisters of patriots in Turkey. We neither give up the struggle against imperialism, nor defending the fraternity of peoples.
The intention of imperialists and liberal circles in scratching the sufferings of Armenian people is neither confronting history, nor modernizing Turkey. Imperialism wants to discredit the struggle against imperialism in Turkey. The insistence on the term genocide has no practical meaning other than that. We consider Armenian’s "Medz Yegern" as the "Great Catastrophe" of all peoples.
Our question is to convey this understanding to the working masses.
And our aim is to build up an order of fraternity, which is immune to disintegration through imperialist interventions.
Communist Party of Turkey
Political Committee
October 11, 2006
