Turkish scholar claims Armenians’ disloyalty to Ottoman Empire

Professor of the Turkish Gazi University Nejla Günay has sparked debate by asserting that Armenians historically never demonstrated genuine loyalty to the Ottoman Empire.  

This viewpoint was expressed during a conference on the history of the Türkiye-Armenia relations held at the Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM) in Ankara, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

Günay said that various states have long used Armenians as a geopolitical bargaining chip. As a result, modern Armenia remains impoverished and continues suffering from population decline. The only path to salvation for Yerevan lies in sustainable peace and normalisation of relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye. This viewpoint was expressed during a conference on the history of the Türkiye-Armenia relations held at the Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM) in Ankara.

The professor emphasized that at no point in Ottoman history was there a state policy of oppression or denial of rights against Armenians.

“Evidence of this includes the appointment of ethnic Armenians to high government positions, including ministerial roles,” she noted. However, she pointed out that Armenians historically did not demonstrate loyalty to the Ottoman state, and any reference to them as millet-i sadıka (“the loyal nation”) is fundamentally inaccurate. Günay described the Ottoman government’s decision to relocate Armenians within the empire as a consequence, not the cause, of the crisis in the Türkiye-Armenia relations. The professor reminded about the early 19th-century efforts when Armenians began promoting the idea of a “United Armenia,” covering Eastern Anatolia and parts of the Caucasus, including Karabakh and Nakhchivan.

“The Armenian Church actively supported this separatism. One major obstacle was that Armenians never constituted a majority in any Ottoman region,” she explained. “For instance, the 1829 Treaty of Edirne [Adrianople] included an amnesty clause for Ottoman citizens who fought alongside Russia — essentially referring to ethnic Armenians who betrayed the empire,” the professor said. She also noted that the Armenian parties Hnchak and Dashnaktsutyun originated among Armenians from the Russian Empire.

Günay recounted numerous Armenian uprisings, citing the 1895 Zeitun rebellion in Kahramanmaraş, where many Ottoman soldiers were killed by Armenian insurgents. After failing to gain support from Ottoman opposition groups like the Committee of Union and Progress (İttihat ve Terakki), Armenians attempted an unsuccessful assassination of Sultan Abdulhamid II in 1905. The expert further mentioned the Yeniköy Agreement signed on February 8, 1914, between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, which effectively catalyzed Armenian separatism. 

“Taking advantage of the fact that many Turkish men were at the frontlines, leaving behind the elderly, women, and children, Armenians carried out mass killings of civilians during World War I and forced many to flee their homes,” Günay said. The professor also discussed France’s hostile policy toward the Ottoman Empire, especially in southern Anatolia, where Paris actively used Armenians to further its own interests. 

“When French forces withdrew from Adana and other parts of Türkiye, Armenians fled as well, fully aware they could not live in Anatolia after the bloody crimes they had committed against Muslims,” she said. During the conference, Professor Günay also presented her book titled the Türkiye-Armenia Relations: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. The author paid special attention to the causes behind the deterioration of Turkish-Armenian ties, including the events of 1915. 

She shared that while writing the book, she faced numerous provocations. “At one international event, for example, Armenians disabled my computer using a virus program originating from France,” Günay added.

By Naila Huseynova