Monday, 7.3.2005
From the Greek Daily ‘Chronos’

The Deportation Law was being applied after a direct order from the Interior Ministry.

The Ottoman Empire pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians and Greeks according to Turkish historian and Professor of the University of Sabanci, Halil Berktay whilst referring to historical Ottoman sources and documents. In an interview with the Turkish daily ‘Milliyet’ Professor Berktay calls the Balkan wars of 1912-13 a ‘turning point’.

‘As the Greek and Bulgarian Armies were marching towards Istanbul, the minorities in Peran were celebrating the victory. Before WWI had broken out, ethnic cleansing commenced against the Greeks. That is mentioned by the president of the Ottoman Parliament Halil Mentece in his memoirs, says Professor Berktay.’

‘Halil Mentece has also written in his memoirs that about 100000 Greeks fled to Greece ‘without a bleeding nose’. Similar events occurred in Izmir. Half-secret ethnic cleansing was being committed. These events were the weapon-free preparation for the elimination of the Armenians. Berktay does not think that this elimination had been planned at the time but eventually it did happen.

In 1912 it was possible that Istanbul would fall. Emver Pasha ordered the evacuation of the Ministry of War and its transfer to Anatolia (Ankara). At least Istanbul should be clear of any evidence that could betray Ottoman intensions. ‘The decision on deportations was made under those pressing psychological circumstances’ according to Professor Berktay.

When Berktay was asked whether the order for Armenian deportations was given by Talat or Emver Pasha, his answer was:

‘In my opinion Talat was more important that Emver. He was the brain behind the Unionists (i.e. of the organisation ‘Union and Progress’). During the era of Napoleon the Great the chief of secret police was Fouchet. Talat was like Fouchet. Talat convinced Emver and Jelal to turn against the Armenians. The latter made a big mistake in their calculations thinking that the Ottomans were bluffing and therefore did not take the threat seriously. The order had all Armenian subjects of the Empire as its target just because they were Armenian.

That is the deportation law did not say: We will just evacuate Eastern Anatolia. No. In 1915 Eastern Anatolia had no borders with the battleground areas. The law for deportation was clearly about Ethnic cleansing.
Professor Berktay mentioned that ‘the Deportation law was being applied directly after order was given by the Interior ministry and was not limited to the East of the Empire as it occurred in many most areas of the Empire. The fact that people were being deported just because they were Armenian corresponds to the definition of Genocide. Classified/secret orders were given by the paramilitary part of the ‘Union and Progress’ organisation in which Yakup, Cemil, Bahatin Sakir, Dr Recit etc took part’.

Professor Berktay believes that Kemal Ataturk was ‘clean’ because he was not involved in the deportation of Armenians as he was opposed to the ‘Union and Progress’ Organisation. Actually, he is said to have been hostile to Emver. Kemal Tahir (‘Union and Progress’) had even written that they had thought of eliminating Ataturk’. That’s why Professor Berktay thinks that the Republic of Turkey cannot be held responsible for the 1915 events. However, he says that the Prime minister or the Foreign Affairs minister could state that:
(1) there had been dark areas during the creation of the nation state,
(2) that the leadership of the ‘Union and Progress’ Organisation ordered the deportation of part of the Ottoman population resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and
(3) that they are sorry about this historical event.

Finally, Prof. Berktay believes that people who are proposing that this case must go to the UN because it will prove the non-existence of an (Armenian) Genocide, are just bluffing.

Prof. Berktay was born in 1947. He finished his Undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Yale University and his PhD in the University of Birmingham. He has taught in the University of Ankara, the University of the Middle East and the University of Bosphorus. He is now a Professor in the School of Political science in the University of Sabanci.