Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in 2005 proposed to his counterpart in the Republic of Armenia to establish a joint commission of historians to investigate these incidents by an extensive archival research on both sides of the border. However, the repeated calls of the Turkish government and historians for cooperation and dialogue have been ignored by Yerevan and Armenian diaspora. Recent rapprochement between Ankara and Yerevan and Turkiye’s attempt to mediate the talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia didn’t stop the activities of the Armenian lobby in the United States. The Armenian lobby groups have maintained their politicized discourse and anti-Turkish campaigns and avoided a fair and productive exchange of opinions and information with Turkish historians.

Turkiye and the United States have been close friends and allies since the 1940s. Turkiye has stood on the side of the US during the Cold War against communist threat of the Soviet bloc; in post-Cold War against ethnic cleansing in Balkans, against unlawful territorial invasion in the Middle East, against warlords and for humanitarian missions in Africa; and in post-September 11 world against terrorism in different parts of the world. The United States also reciprocated by supporting Turkiye financially during economic crises, militarily against the PKK terror in the Southeastern part of Turkiye, and politically during its bid on the European Union membership. This special relationship has been one of its kind with consistent and mutual understanding, consultation and cooperation on both sides for more than fifty years now.

The current debates about the resolution concerning the Armenian allegations of 1915 incidents not only constitute a threat for the stability and strength of the historical relationship between the US and Turkiye but also jeopardize the attainment of shared goals and objectives by creating disagreements and misunderstandings. In such a critical juncture of the history, Turkish-American cooperation is extremely essential for struggling threats that peril safety, security and well-being of both countries in the Middle East and Central Asia.

On behalf of the Turkish community at the University of Delaware, we sincerely support the continuation of Turkish-American friendship and alliance, and oppose the politicization of the Armenian allegations which also endangers the emerging reconciliation between Turkiye and Armenia; by asking politicians to leave historical matters for historians and experts; by encouraging the Armenian side to cooperate with Turkiye to form a Turkish-Armenian historical commission; and finally resist the Armenian lobby’s attempts to destroy the image of Turkiye in the United States, which in the long run may damage the relations between two historic partners.

Turkish American Student Association is ready to make its modest contribution in every possible way to overcome this issue without crisis; help to the development of Turkish-American and Turkish-Armenian cooperation; and educate the public about 1915 incidents.

For more information about the Armenian Issue, click here.

Also, you can reach to the Ottoman Archives from here. However, the documents are originally in Ottoman Language but Turkish transcripts are provided.