Turkish professor: Armenians cannot rewrite history to conceal past atrocities

Armenians will not be able to change the course of historical truth by attributing the massacres they committed to Turks, the head of the Turkish Historical Society has claimed.

Speaking to local media following a panel discussion titled “Armenian Atrocities Against Turks in the South Caucasus and Anatolia” in Ankara, Professor Yüksel Özgen said Armenians have long sought to distort the historical record by shifting blame for mass killings and other crimes onto Turks, Caliber.Az reports.

“Every year, on April 24, Armenians make unfounded claims about the so-called genocide in an attempt to conceal the atrocities they committed throughout history,” Özgen said. “As the Turkish nation, we are not in a position to hide historical realities. Türkiye has consistently called for the formation of a joint commission and the opening of archives to uncover the truth, but the other side refuses to cooperate.”

The academic stressed that records from global archives, as well as those from the Ottoman era, contain extensive evidence of Armenian attacks on both Ottoman soldiers and civilians during the First World War.

“They massacred not only our troops, but also women, the elderly, and children, reducing Turkish villages in Erzurum, Kars, Van, Iğdır and surrounding regions to ruins,” he said. “Armenian armed groups committed similar atrocities against our Azerbaijani brothers in the Caucasus, aiming to 'Armenize' the region. While this stemmed from their dream of a 'Greater Armenia', the historical facts we have uncovered will prevent these fantasies from materialising.”

Özgen reiterated that Türkiye’s offer to establish a joint historical commission remains on the table, but has yet to be accepted by the Armenian side.

By Aghakazim Guliyev