Only democratic Turkey can recognize Armenian Genocide – Garo Paylan

Only a democratic state of Turkey can recognize the Genocide and open its closed border with Armenia, Garo Paylan, a Turkish-Armenian MP elected from the People's Democratic Party (HDP), said Today in Yerevan.

Meantime the politician admitted that democracy-building is now less easily achievable in the country in the light of the recent constitutional referendum giving sweeping powers to the president. “It [the Constitution] is built one religion and one identity. I warned that it would be great error,” he said in a speech at the Sixth Armenia-Diaspora Conference.

Reiterating the Armenian nation’s regret that the Republic of Turkey was founded without recognizing the Armenian Genocide - perpetrated and committed by the Ottoman Empire, its predecessor - Paylan said that the Armenians who kept on living in Turkey were doomed to silence for decades until Hrant Dink (the prominent Turkish journalist and intellectual assassinated in 2007) raised the national cause for justice, urging the Turks to confront their past.

“The Turkish-Armenians had more chances to speak out. Without confronting the Genocide, it is impossible to either resolve the Kurdish issue or establish democracy in Turkey,” he added.

Paylan said he sees that Turkey has now returned to those days of its history when using “genocide” in the country’s parliament was treated as a major crime.

“The West is turning a blind eye to the human rights violations in Turkey - as it did in relation to the Genocide one hundred years ago,” he said.

The politician said he has serious concerns that the tolerant attitude may push the country to further crimes against humanity. “Turkey is facing a dark period again, and we all know well that this kind of mindset will cause them to commit a new atrocity. A great atrocity was committed one hundred years ago, and every single atrocity which goes unpunished will give way to more atrocities in future,” he added.