Turkish PM threatens to expel Armenians

Posted By Andrew Swift Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 5:29 PM Share

In the latest development in the Armenian genocide resolution row, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hinted at expelling thousands of Armenians from the country. The threat was made as a result of genocide resolutions progressing in the U.S. Congress and Swedish parliament.

About 100,000 undocumented Armenians live in Turkey (and another 70,000 legal residents), many performing menial work.

Obviously Erdogan's words aren't helpful (and would seem particularly crass given the issue), but they're nothing new. Aris Nalci, editor at Agos, a Turkish-Armenian weekly, downplayed the remarks:

We are not taking it as a serious threat.

Checking the scorecard, the impact of the committee vote is now a threat to the use of Incirlik Air base, a crucial link in the supply train to Iraq; damaging the peace process and rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia; and now a warning that tens of thousands of poor, migrant Armenians might get deported.

Does the foreign affairs committee still think it was worth it?

EXPLORE:CAUCASUS, EUROPE, TURKEY, U.S. CONGRESS
 

RWE

7:46 PM ET

March 17, 2010

Check your facts

There are approximately 12,000 citizens of Armenia in Turkey not 100,000.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-194672-100-report-12000-armenian-citizens-working-illegally-in-turkey.html

The 'legal residents' are actually 50,000 ethnic Armenians who are Turkish citizens and who are all that remain of the more than 2 million Armenians who lived in what's now Turkey prior to WW1.

Does Andrew Swift think this is the kind of ally the USA wants?

 

AR

3:35 AM ET

March 18, 2010

swift is a tool, what did you

swift is a tool, what did you expect of him, to actually do his on research on the issue instead of repeating what the turkish president said as fact?
Does the tool even know that turkey has been stalling the Protocols between Armenia and turkey since the day after it was signed, when erdogun linked its passage in the turkish parliament to a set of pre conditions, such as the NRK (Artsakh) issue, and dropping the world wide campaign for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

FP, get rid of swift, he is bringing the quality of this site down/

 

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