Sir, - In "Armenia : Factfile" (The Irish Times, October 28th), Patrick Comerford comes close to the historical truth concerning Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the first World War, but then inexplicably lapses into the well-worn "genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans" routine. Sadly his statements are neither factually nor historically correct.
Although Mr Comerford informs us that Armenians identified with Russians, he conveniently omits to mention the extent to which Armenians - who co-existed peacefully and shared the same geography with Turks for nearly a millennium - began to act in treacherous complicity with the Russians at the turn of the century, as the Ottoman Empire was beginning its slow disintegration.
Indeed, during the first World War, as citizens of the empire, they did the unthinkable: they formed bands of militias and fought alongside the Czar's army against the Ottoman Empire. Not only that; their roving bands ventured into Turkish villages killing women, children and new-born babies with impunity. These bands were the forerunners of the Armenian terrorist organisation, the Dashnaksutyan, apparently the very group that stormed the Armenian Parliament last week, killing, among others, the Armenian Prime Minister and Speaker of the Parliament. I should perhaps remind your readers that the Dashnaksutyan was also directly involved in the slaying of Turkish diplomats in the 1970s and early 1980s. Close to 60 Turkish diplomats lost their lives in terrorist attacks.
Armenian atrocities backed by the Russian army are amply documented. I find it hard to believe that Mr Comerford has not come across them. His claim that the Turks massacred in cold blood 2 million Armenians is also misleading. The Ottoman authorities, faced with Armenian atrocities, decided on deportation in order to put a stop to the killings. It is true that a number of Armenians perished in the process. But the figures are nowhere near 2 million. A look at the population estimates and demographics of the time would be enough to see that this is a gross exaggeration. One last historical reminder for Mr Comerford: Ottoman authorities of the time who gave the order to deport were tried by the Allies (who occupied Istanbul briefly after the first World War) and were all acquitted. - Yours, etc.,
Engin Asula, First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, Dublin.