For Peace and Friendship

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My birthplace is Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia. I am sixty years old. When I was a child my grandma Nazire used to tell me and my sister tales and memories. Little has been left in my mind from her accounts today unfortunately. Apart from bits and pieces of tales with phoenix helping the hero of the tale, I remember two things from time to time she used to repeat with shades of fear still in her eyes: How Turkish people living in adjacent houses opened side doors to protect themselves against the attacks of Armenians who have come back with Russians, and how they fled to Istanbul leaving their houses, lands, goods and everything behind to save their lives. Grandma's family was relatively well off and could afford a horse-cart. But many others were on foot. Imagine children, women making 1224 kilometers in the war time in fear of an attack every second; with bandits, fugitive soldiers and Armenian militants around. The only difference between themselves and their Armenian neighbours who had to be relocated one year ago was that Turks were not attacked by local self-formed Turkish militia who attacked marching Armenians in revenge of the killing of their own families, relatives, and neighbours during uprisings since late 1890s, but on the other hand they lacked the protection of sentries and provision of food by government whether it was sufficient or not.
Late 19th century and early 20th century was a painful period for many countries because of the First World War. The Ottoman Empire was fighting on seven frontiers and for the purpose of rear area security on Eastern Front had to take the relocation decision as recommended by Germany, Ottoman Empire's ally in WWI.
There are always two sides of a story, one side's national heroes fighting for independence are killers of their neighbours on the other side.
Deportation is not a genocide. Turks have suffered as much as or may be more than the Armenians during the First World War. But our stories are not known. People living in hundreds of villages were completely massacred by Armenians during the uprisings.
Further detailed scholarly information can be obtained from the Armenian Studies pages at the Turkish Historical Society web site. Please click here for some photographs about Turkish people killed by Armenians  together with narratives.
There was a war and uprising people had to be sent away to be able to cope with the situation in the region as much as possible. If Armenians were successful and my grandma could not return home and I demanded her lands and goods or compensation for them today, would Armenian government assent? It has been almost hundred years and the Ottoman Empire is no longer in existence. Isn't attempts to endorse the events as a genocide rather nonsensical? Please stop this and let's understand each other and work together to build a new friendship for tomorrow.
I  invite people who have stories about the sufferings and losses of the Turks during this period to send to this blog and I invite those who can look at issues even-handedly and want peace and friendship to be established to share their views here.

For peace and friendship

Selma Aslan
06 March 2010
Revised on 5 May 2012

"Deportation" changed to "relocation" 07.04.2013
Photo shows a mansion house in Erzurum which was set on fire by Armenians with hundreds of people in it.


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