|
Every Country Needs a Hero? |
|
|
|
|
Written by berridge
|
|
Saturday, 27 September 2008 |
|
So far, neither the German Parliament nor the German Government has recognised the crimes committed by the Turkish Ottoman Empire against the Armenians as Genocide.However, on the 21st April 2005 the German Parliament paid its respects to the victims of the crimes committed by the Ottoman Empire. The main opposition party at the time, the Christian Democrats, had moved a motion to pay respects to the victims of the Turkish atrocities, mainly Armenians but also Greeks and Albanians. The Parliamentary factions even agreed upon a common resolution and this resolution was unanimously passed in June 2005; strangely the word Genocide was conveniently avoided.The main concern for the German parliamentarians was again not the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but the reconciliation of Turks and Armenians. Already in the second paragraph Johannes Lepsius was explicitly praised for his engagement for the Armenians. The plan of turning Lepsius´s house in Potsdam into a memorial to his work was hinted at, in this passage of the resolution: “Especially the work of Dr Johanes Lepsius who energetically and effectively campaigned for the survival of the Armenians should not be forgotten and with the aim of improving the relationship between Armenians, Germans and Turks should be maintained and tended to.” At the same, it has been proven that Germany indeed carries a considerable burden of guilt for the Armenian Genocide. Moreover, it is also well-known that Johannes Lepsius, the Evangelical theologian and apparent friend of the Armenians, was a German Nationalist and supporter of the German Kaiser’s expansionist policy. He despised the Turks and was like many Germans of the time an anti –Semitic. In July 2008 the Parliamentary faction of the German Socialist Die Linke, asked for more information in the form of a Parliamentary question regarding the founding of the Memorial House in Potsdam: 35 kilometres from the German Reichstags building in Berlin. Die Linke expressed doubts concerning the suitability of the Lepsius House as a place where “the relationship between Armenians, Germans and Turks could be improved”. Die Linke reminded the Parliament that the collection of official documents published by Johannes Lepsius in 1919 in connection with the Armenian Genocide contained openly manipulated documents. It can be assumed that not only was Lepsius involved but also the Foreign Office. As at the end of the war Germany was concerned about being appropriate blame for the Armenian Genocide. Therefore in 1919, in order to diffuse the criticism before the Peace negotiations, the German Foreign Office gave Lepsius the task of publishing the German documents related to the Armenian Genocide.Lepsius was seen as a staunch friend of the Armenians and also enjoyed good standing abroad, therefore his work came under less public scrutiny and was accepted if not entirely believed. Unfortunately, the true reason behind Lepsius publishing his collection of documents was simply to deflect blame for the Genocide away from the German military and Emperor Williams Government. As a German Nationalist Lipsius certainly did not want Germany’s participation to become known, his task was to select documents in such a way as to prove that onlythe Turkish Government carried out the deportations and the annihilation of the Armenians. Today the Foreign Office still refuses to accept responsibility for the manipulations, but does not deny that documents in Lepsius´s publication were manipulated. This dual position is a common acrobatic feat of diplomatic departments worldwide and therefore the following statement should come as no surprise. “Lepsius´s publication, “Germany and Armenia 1914-1918” is considered to be manipulated”. With this statement the German government has for the first time admitted what journalist and publisher Wolfgang Gust had discovered many years before.Moreover, the Government officially declared that the collection of documents published in 2005 by Wolfgang Gust was based on documents which had been kept undisclosed in the political archive of the Foreign Office. This official statement is especially important as Wolfgang Gust in contrast to Johannes Lepsius examined the role of Germany in the Armenian Genocide with an open and critical eye. This made him very few new friends in certain circles which preferred not to have Germany involved in another Genocide. Three years after the German parliaments resolution the German Government still avoids using the word Genocide in any of its statements, preferring formulations such as “tragic event”or “historical tradegy”.The position of the Foreign Office was made clear in the last paragraph of the statement in answer to the Links Parliamentary question. “The German Government believes that the historical confrontation with the events from 1915 to 1917 is the primary concern of the countries involved; Turkey and Armenia.” (This is an indirect denial of Germany’s role in the atrocities, despite evidence found in the Foreign Office archives to the contrary.) In the USA and France such a statement from a leading Parliamentarian or Government Minister would more likely have led to strong protests and letters to the editor from the organized Armenian community. Armenian Organisations are working all over the world to ensure the official recognition of the Armenian Genocide delivering facts to those Governments which still are hesitant in recognising the brutal events as Genocide. In view of this, the reaction of the Armenian organisation in Germany, where after France the most Armenians live within the EU, is unexplainable.The “Central Council of Armenians in Germany” in its wisdom did not criticise the scandalous statement of the German government but criticised the Linken for posing the question.For the “Central Council” it was of little consequence that the German government used words gleaned from Turkish propaganda material, such as “tragic event” or that “the evaluation of the events should be left to historians”.Moreover, they raised no voice of criticism that the word “Genocide” was again left unmentioned in an official government statement dealing with the annihilation of Armenians within the Ottoman Empire.One really has to question their priorities and indeed their loyalities.
|
