TURKISH HISTORIAN TANER AKCAM: "POLICY OF DENIAL IN TURKEY IS FED BY STATE"

YSU Vice-rector Gegham Gevorgyan, Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies Ruben Melkonyan, Head of the Chair of Turkic Studies Alexander Safaryan, Lusine Sahakyan, lecturer from the same Chair and Professor of the Faculty of Oriental Studies Gurgen Melikyan were present at the meeting.

During the meeting, famous Turkish historian Taner Akcam delivered a lecture on "Facts, Truth, Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide."

Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies Ruben Melkonyan first welcomed the guest and mentioned that today YSU has the honor to host one of the most famous Turkish historians, known for his works on the Armenian Genocide.

"Famous Turkish historian Taner Akcam is one of the founders of Turkish alternative historiography, the historiography that deviates from the official Turkish thesis and is able to present the reality. In the 1970s, he was a prominent figure in the left-wing opposition movement in Turkey. In Turkey, Taner Akcam was condemned in time, but later he managed to escape from prison and become a well-known scientist," - said Ruben Melkonyan.

During his lecture, Taner Akcam presented historical facts about the Armenian Genocide, touched upon the arrest of Armenian intellectuals, the exile of Armenian writers, and the documents obtained from various archives.

According to Taner Akcam, denial is not only a denial of truth, but also the fact that the denial of the truth is protected by the state: "Today there is a very big philosophical issue: which is the truth in history, it is very important what the truth is and on what facts it is based on. In Turkey, the political power has created its own truth, while great scientific wars are being made to find the truth," - the historian said and added that the Turkish policy has always been based on the denial.

"The main difference between the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust is that the Holocaust was adopted as truth, but we can not say the same about the Armenian Genocide," - the historian said and added that the Armenian Genocide was confirmed in the academic circle, on which a number of books were published.

"The policy of denial of the Turkish state is so weak that it can be destroyed by academic work, but there are so many works to do. The Turkish state should examine our academic studies as a starting point, but it is not done. That's why we have to work hard. The policy of denial in Turkey is being nurtured by the state and only academical works on the Armenian Genocide are not enough," - the historian said.

According to him, today in the Turkish archives you can not find a document which contains true information about the Armenian Genocide: "Very important historical documents related to 1915 were destroyed by the state," - the historian added.

At the end of the meeting, Taner Akcam said: "Believe me that what I do is not a big thing; I am just telling the truth and am embarrassed for the country where I was born because the truth is not presented in that country. I am sorry that you thank someone who only presents the naked truth about the Armenian Genocide."

At the end of the meeting, the well-known Turkish historian Taner Akcam answered a number of questions asked by students, and Gurgen Melikyan, the professor of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, presented him a rug from Artsakh.