YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to deport Armenian nationals living and working in his country in retaliation for resolutions passed by U.S. and Swedish lawmakers recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
“There are currently 170,000 Armenians living in our country. Only 70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we are tolerating the remaining 100,000,” said Erdogan during an interview with the BBC Turkish service in London on Tuesday. “If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their country because they are not my citizens. I don’t have to keep them in my country.”
Armenian leaders condemned the threats on Wednesday. Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said they evoke memories of the mass deportations of Armenians ordered by the Ottoman rulers in 1915. “I think that shows that the issue of genocide recognition is still very timely and it will find a radical solution only if Turkey itself recognizes the genocide,” he said during his government’s question-and-answer session in the Armenian parliament.
Sargsyan said Ankara and Yerevan should address the problem of illegal Armenian workers, mainly concentrated in Istanbul, through “diplomatic channels.”
“And that means there must be diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries without any preconditions,” he said. “The statements by Turkey’s prime minister do not contribute to the improvement of relations between the two states and peoples.”
Turkish leaders have at various times spoken of between 30,000 and 100,000 citizens of Armenia allegedly residing in their country in an effort to embarrass Yerevan in the international arena and showcase Ankara’s declared good will towards Armenians.
A senior Armenian government official accused the Turks late last year of grossly inflating their number, saying that it does not exceed 5,200. An Istanbul-born Armenian researcher who studied the issue last year came up with a similar estimate.
According to Reuters, Erdogan also blasted Armenia’s international Diaspora for its efforts to gain recognition of the Genocide and called on Yerevan to turn its back on the nearly 7 million Armenians living beyond its borders.
“Armenia has an important decision to make. It should free itself from its attachment to the Diaspora. Any country which cares for Armenia, namely the U.S., France and Russia, should primarily help Armenia to free itself from the influence of the Diaspora.”
Hranush Hakobian, the Armenian minister for Diaspora affairs, shrugged off the claim. “This is yet another statement which are used to hearing,” she told RFE/RL. “It is baseless and meaningless. The Armenian Diaspora and the Republic of Armenia will continue to campaign for genocide recognition.”
The Ottoman thinking and behaviour of so called ‘modern Turkey’ is very much live and kicking.
I don’t believe for a second that Turkey can ever change into a civilised behaviour and conduct, sadly the west has been duped by Turkey’s promises and self and it’s self-importance.
So, I guess by the deportation of a 100,000 Armenians living in their ancestral lands the entire Armenian nation of 10 million is going to stop these genocide commemorations and recognitions? Go ahead forget deporting them, how about massacring them or maybe they are Russian spies and you could have them slaughtered, wouldn’t that quench your thirst for Non believer Blood?????
This is a prima facie evidence of my thesis that Armenians are only safe in Armenia. Furthermore, Armenians who live in Armenia or serving Armenia abroad are real Armenians. They deserve my highest respect and love.
Let’s see the millions of illegal Turkish immigrants in Germany and other countries pack their things up and leave. They are not welcomed in Europe, or any civilized nation for that matter.
See how awful this sounds? Well that’s what we got a century ago, minus the eviction notices.
This is just another bluff added to a number of other empty statements made. The Turkish administration and that of their lesser cousin to the east have a tendency of uttering stupid remarks.
the formal ideology of Turkey just exists for Turkish people, erdoğan does not have the right to send the Armenian people. Besides Kurds are already living in Turkey like slave.We do all the bad jobs.
That stupid man should know that Armenians are in their real ancestral homeland….his political game plan is addressed to Europe and US congress.
The world is watching Turkey and Armenian population of Turkey..
erdogan = modern day hitler
You Mr. Erdogan, you can deport 100,000 Armenians from your country when you return back our occupied cities