Armenians and Kurds: a historic parallel
"I see a very strong correlation not only regarding the solution but also regarding the origins of the Kurdish and Armenian issues," said Taner Akçam in a recent interview with the British blog "Changing Turkey in a Changing World." The interview appeared in the Armenian Weekly for Nov. 29.
Source: "In Turkey, Constitutional Court bans pro-Kurdish party, ousts members of parliament," Armenian Reporter, Dec. 16, 2009.
ReplyDelete"I see a very strong correlation not only regarding the solution but also regarding the origins of the Kurdish and Armenian issues," said Taner Akçam in a recent interview with the British blog "Changing Turkey in a Changing World." The interview appeared in the Armenian Weekly for Nov. 29.
In both cases, he explained, minority group demands for social reform and equality were repressed by the Turkish state as a threat to national security, resulting in an escalation of the conflict.
"If I may put it bluntly, the Armenian issue was the Kurdish issue of the 19th century," Mr. Akçam added. "Or the Kurdish conflict today is the Armenian conflict of the 19th century because in both cases the same mentality produced similar outcomes."
Full story: http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2009-12-16-in-turkey-constitutional-court-bans-pro-kurdish-party-ousts-members-of-parliament