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] ] and ] ] at the ] monument in ]]]
{{Other uses}}
{{featured article}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name = ''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti''
|conventional_long_name = Republic of Turkey
|common_name = Turkey
|national_motto = ''Yurtta Barış, Dünyada Barış'' <br /> <small>''Peace at Home, Peace in the World''</small>
|national_anthem = '']''<br/><small>''The Anthem of Independence''</small>
|image_flag = Flag of Turkey.svg
|image_coat = Presidential_Seal_of_the_Republic_of_Turkey.png
|symbol_type = Presidential Seal
|image_map = Turkey (orthographic projection).svg
|map_caption = Location of '''Turkey'''
|capital = ]
|latd=39 |latm=55 |latNS=N |longd=32 |longm=50 |longEW=E
|largest_city = ]
<!--Currently only one set of coordinates implemented: |latd=41 |latm=1 |latNS=N |longd=28 |longm=57 |longEW=E-->
|official_languages = ]
|demonym = ]
|government_type = ]
|leader_title1 = ]
|leader_name1 = ]
|leader_title2 = ]
|leader_name2 = ]
|leader_title3 = ]
|leader_name3 = ]
|leader_title4 = ]
|leader_name4 = ]
|leader_title5 = ]
|leader_name5 = ]
|sovereignty_type = ]
|sovereignty_note = {{nowrap|to the ]²}}
|established_event1 = {{nowrap|]}}
|established_date1 = July 24, 1923
|established_event2 = {{nowrap|Declaration of Republic}}
|established_date2 = October 29, 1923
|area_km2 = 783562 <!--http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2003/Table03.pdf UN statistics, page 7 (PDF format) -->
|area_sq_mi = 302535 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
|area_rank = 37th
|area_magnitude = 1 E11
|percent_water = 1.3
|population_census = 72,561,312<ref></ref>
|population_census_year = 2009
|population_census_rank = 18th³
|population_density_km2 = 92.6
|population_density_sq_mi = 239.8
|population_density_rank = 108th³
|GDP_PPP_year = 2009
|GDP_PPP = $880.061 billion<ref name=imf>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=186&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=46&pr.y=10|title=Turkey|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank =
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $12,476<ref name=imf/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
|GDP_nominal = $615.329 billion<ref name=imf/>
|GDP_nominal_rank =
|GDP_nominal_year = 2009
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $8,723<ref name=imf/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =
|HDI_year = 2007
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.806<ref> Human Development Report 2009</ref>
|HDI_rank = 79th
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#090;">high</span>
|Gini = 38
|Gini_year = 2005
|Gini_category =
|currency = ]<sup>5</sup>
|currency_code = TRY
|time_zone = ]
|utc_offset = +2
|time_zone_DST = ]
|utc_offset_DST = +3
|drives_on = right
|cctld = ]
|calling_code = ]
|footnote1 =
|footnote2 = ] (1923).
|footnote3 = Population and population density rankings based on 2005 figures.
|footnote4 =
|footnote5 = The ] (''Türk Lirası'', TL) replaced the ] on January 1, 2009.
}}


To date, twenty six countries and 44 states of the USA have officially recognized the ] committed by the ] between 1915 and 1923 as '''genocide'''.
'''Turkey''' ({{lang-tr|Türkiye}}), known officially as the '''Republic of Turkey''' <span style="white-space:nowrap;"> ({{Audio|Tur-Türkiye_Cumhuriyeti.ogg|''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti''}})</span>, is a ]n ] situated in the ]n peninsula, located in Western ], and ], located in ]. Turkey is one of the six independent ]. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: ] to the northwest; ] to the west; ] to the northeast; ], ] (the ] of ]) and ] to the east; and ] and ] to the southeast. The ] and ] are to the south; the ] to the west; and the ] is to the north. The ], the ] and the ] (which together form the ]) demarcate the boundary between ] and ]; they also separate ] and ].<ref name="NatlGeoAtlas">{{cite book|title=National Geographic Atlas of the World|edition=7th|year=1999|location=Washington, DC|publisher=]|isbn=0-7922-7528-4}} "Europe" (pp. 68–9); "Asia" (pp. 90–1): "A commonly accepted division between Asia and Europe ... is formed by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, and the Black Sea with its outlets, the Bosporus and Dardanelles."</ref>


== International organizations ==
] began migrating into the area now called Turkey in the eleventh century. The process was greatly accelerated by the Seljuk victory over the ] at the ]. Several small ]liks and the ] ruled Anatolia until the ]'s invasion. Starting from the thirteenth century, the ] united Anatolia and created an empire encompassing much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. After the ] collapsed following its defeat in ], parts of it were occupied by the victorious ]. A cadre of young military officers, led by ], organized a successful resistance to the Allies; in 1923, they would establish the modern Republic of Turkey with Atatürk as its first president.


{{Armenian Genocide}}
Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance.<ref name="Atatürk">{{cite book|title=Ataturk|first=Andrew|last=Mango|publisher=Overlook|year=2000|isbn=1-5856-7011-1}}</ref><ref name="Ottoman_Turkey">{{cite book|title=History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey|first=Stanford Jay|last=Shaw|coauthors=Kural Shaw, Ezel|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1977|isbn=0-5212-9163-1}}</ref> Ethnic ] form the majority of the population, with a significant minority of ]. The predominant religion in Turkey is ], and the country's official language is ].
There is general agreement among ] that the events constituted ]. Several international Armenian organizations, conducting studies of the events, have determined that the term "genocide" aptly describes "the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915–1918."<ref name="ICTJ935">, '']'', May 8, 2006</ref>


In 1985 the now-defunct United Nations subsidiary body and ],<ref>, , 25 August 2006</ref> the ] took note and thanked the Special Rapporteur, Benjamin Whitaker, for producing his report called the ''Revised and Updated Report on the Question of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide'' (]). The report was controversial for several reasons including the contents of paragraph 24 which listed some genocides in the 20th Century. One of the genocides that the report listed was "the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915-1916", the earlier report in 1973 (which is the report being revised and updated by the Whitaker Report) to the Sub-Commission called ''The Study on the Question of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide'' (]) had contained a similar allegation which had been withdrawn in the final version under pressure from Turkey, and although the Whitaker Report mentioned some genocides in the 20th Century, due to disagreements over its content by the members of the Sub-Commission, unlike the Ruhashyankiko Report, it was not forwarded to the parent organisation, the ], for approval and wide dissemination.<ref>
Turkey is a ], ], ], ], with an ancient and historical cultural heritage. Turkey has become increasingly integrated with the ] through membership in organizations such as the ], ], ], ] and the ]. Turkey began ] with the ] in 2005, having been an ] of the ] since 1963 and having reached a ] in 1995. Turkey has also fostered close cultural, political, economic and industrial relations with the ], particularly with the ] and the ] of ], through membership in organizations such as the ] and ]. Given its strategic location, large economy and army, Turkey is classified as a ]<ref> March 17, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=293204 Stratfor: "The Geopolitics of Turkey"</ref>
Inazumi, Mitsue (2005). ''Universal jurisdiction in modern international law: expansion of national jurisdiction for prosecuting serious crimes under international law'', Intersentia nv, ISBN 9050953662, 9789050953665. pp. 72–75</ref><ref>
Schabas, William (2000). ''Genocide in international law: the crimes of crimes'', Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521787904, 9780521787901 465–468</ref>


In 1997 the ] (IAGS) passed a resolution unanimously recognizing the Ottoman massacres of Armenians as genocide.<ref>, The Armenian Genocide Resolution was unanimously passed at the Association of Genocide Scholars’ conference in Montreal on June 13, 1997.</ref><ref>, website of the IAGS, 7 March 2009. p. 2</ref>
==Etymology==
{{quotation|
{{Main|Names of Turkey}}
That this assembly of the Association of Genocide Scholars in its conference held in Montreal, June 11–13, 1997, reaffirms that the mass murder of over a million Armenians in Turkey in 1915 is a case of genocide which conforms to the statutes of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. It further condemns the denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish government and its official and unofficial agents and supporters.|Among the prominent scholars who supported the resolution were: Roger W. Smith (College of William & Mary; President of AGS); ] (Hebrew University, Jerusalem); ], Past President AGS); Frank Chalk (Concordia University, Montreal); ] (Yale University); Anthony Oberschall (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill); Mark Levene (Warwick University, UK); Rhoda Howard (McMaster University, Canada), Michael Freeman (Essex University, UK), ] (Bremen University, Germany)}}
Since that time the IAGS have repeatedly asserted that the Ottoman massacres of Armenians as genocide for example on 7 March 2009, in an open letter to President Obama, Gregory Stanton, President IAGS stated "we urge you to 'refer to the mass slaughter of Armenians as genocide in your commemorative statement,' as you urged President George W. Bush to do in a letter dated March 18, 2005."<ref>>, website of the IAGS, 7 March 2009. p. 1</ref>


In February 2002 an independent legal opinion commissioned by the ], concluded that the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915–1918 "include all of the elements of the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention, and legal scholars as well as historians, politicians, journalists and other people would be justified in continuing to so describe them".<ref name=ICTJ-memorandum>, , .<!-- Retrieved 2 September 2009-->
The ], ''Türkiye'' in the ], can be divided into two components: ''Türk'', which means "strong" or "mighty" in ]<ref name="Bartleby">{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/92/T0419200.html|title=Turk|author=American Heritage Dictionary|authorlink=American Heritage Dictionary|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|accessdate=2006-12-27|year=2000}}</ref> and usually signifying the inhabitants of Turkey or a member of the ] or ],<ref name="Bartleby" /> a later form of ''"Tu–kin"'', a name given by the Chinese to the people living south of the ] of ] as early as 177 BCE;<ref name="TurkEtymology">{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Turk|title=Turk|first=Douglas|last=Harper|publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary|accessdate=2006-12-27|year=2001}}</ref> and the abstract suffix ''–iye'' (derived from the ] ''–iyya'', but also associated with the ] suffix ''–ia'' in ''Turchia''.
*Page 2: "This memorandum was drafted by independent legal counsel based on a request made to the International Center for Transitional Justice ("ICTJ"), on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") entered into by The Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission ("TARC") on July 12, 2002 and presentations by members of TARC on September 10, 2002".
*Page 18: ''D. Conclusion'' "... Because the other three elements identified above have been definitively established, the Events, viewed collectively, can thus be said to include all of the elements of the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention, and legal scholars as well as historians, politicians, journalists and other people would be justified in continuing to so describe them."
</ref>


In 2007, the ] wrote a letter<!-- Dead link: ref>{{PDFlink|}} </ref --> signed by 53 ]s re-affirming the Genocide Scholars' conclusion that the 1915 killings of Armenians constituted genocide.<ref>, ], April 10, 2007</ref> ] organization also asserted that Turkish acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide would create no legal "basis for reparations or territorial claims", anticipating Turkish anxieties that it could prompt financial or territorial claims.<ref>{{cite web
The first recorded use of the term "Türk" or "Türük" as an ] is contained in the ] of the ] (''Celestial Turks'') of Central Asia (c. 8th century CE). The English word "Turkey" is derived from the ] ''Turchia'' (c. 1369).<ref name="TurkEtymology" />
|author=David L. Phillips
|title=Nobel Laureates Call for Turkish–Armenian Reconciliation
|url=http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/PressReleases/TA_Press_Release.pdf
|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070709173707/http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/PressReleases/TA_Press_Release.pdf
|format=PDF
|archivedate=2007-07-09
|date=2007-04-09
|publisher=The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity }}</ref>


Other international organizations officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include:
==History==
* ] (1987,<ref>, </ref> 2000,<ref>, </ref> 2002,<ref>, </ref> 2005<ref>, </ref>)
{{Main|History of Turkey}}
* ] <ref></ref>
* ] <ref>, </ref>
* ] <ref>, </ref>
* ] <ref>, </ref>
* ] <ref>, </ref>
* ] <ref></ref>


== Parliaments and governments ==
===Antiquity===
Although there has been much academic recognition of the Armenian Genocide, this has not always been followed by governmental and media recognition. Many governments, including the governments of ] and ], do not officially use the word "genocide" to describe these events.<ref>, </ref>
{{Main|History of Anatolia}}


On May 24, 1915, during World War I, the Allied Powers (Britain, France, and Russia) jointly issued a statement in which they said that for about a month the Kurd and Turkish populations of Armenia has been massacring Armenians with the connivance and often assistance of Ottoman authorities and that the Allied Powers would hold personally responsible for crimes against humanity all members of the Ottoman Government, implicated in such crimes.<ref name="CAH1915">1915 declaration
], identified as the site of the ] (ca. 1200 BCE)]]
* 106th Congress,,2nd Session, House of Representatives
* 109th Congress, 1st Session, , June 14, 2005. 15 September 2005 House Committee/Subcommittee:International Relations actions. Status: Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 40 - 7.
* </ref>


First, in 2001, the Canadian province of ] independently of its federal government, then, in 2004, the government of ] itself recognized the Armenian Genocide.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sen.parl.gc.ca/sjoyal/e/debates/un_decleration_of_human_rights.html | title=Recognition and Commemoration of Armenian Genocide | author=] ], ], ], ] | date=June 7, 2001 }}</ref><ref name="CANADA_RECOGNITION">{{cite news | work=] | url=http://www.cbc.ca/Canada/story/2004/04/21/armenia040421.html | title=Canadian Parliament recognizes Armenian Genocide | date=April 25, 2004 }}</ref> In 2007 the Parliament of the State of ] passed a motion condemning the genocide and called on the Australian Federal Government to do the same,<ref>, </ref> and in March 2009 the Parliament of South Australia passed a similar motion.<ref> , 25 March 2009. Also </ref>
The ], comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited regions in the world. The earliest ] settlements such as ] (Pottery Neolithic), ] (] to Pottery Neolithic), ] (]), ] (Pottery Neolithic), ] (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) and ] are considered to be among the earliest human settlements in the world.<ref name="AnatoliaNeolithic">{{cite paper|url=http://www.canew.org/files/Thissen%20lecture.pdf|title=Time trajectories for the Neolithic of Central Anatolia|author=Thissen, Laurens|publisher=CANeW – Central Anatolian Neolithic e-Workshop|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-12-21|date=2001-11-23|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070605005726/http://www.canew.org/files/Thissen%20lecture.pdf |archivedate = June 05, 2007|deadurl=yes}}</ref>


In recent years, parliaments of several countries, including ] and ], have formally recognized the event as genocide. ] were met with a number of calls to consider the event as ],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/Europe/4092933.stm | title=Turkey 'must admit Armenia dead' | work=] | date=December 13, 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043730.stm | title=French in Armenia 'genocide' row | work=] | date=12 October 2006 | accessdate=January 4, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.financialmirror.com/more_news.php?id=6728&nt=Politics | title=Cyprus government condemns Armenian genocide | work=Financial Mirror | date=24 April 2007 }}</ref> though it never became a precondition.
The settlement of ] starts in the Neolithic and continued into the ]. Through recorded history, Anatolians have spoken ], ] and ] languages, as well as many languages of uncertain affiliation. In fact, given the antiquity of the Indo-European ] and ] languages, some scholars have proposed Anatolia as the hypothetical center from which the Indo-European languages have radiated.<ref name="AnatoliaIndoEuropean">{{cite journal|last=Balter|first=Michael|title=Search for the Indo-Europeans: Were Kurgan horsemen or Anatolian farmers responsible for creating and spreading the world's most far-flung language family?|journal=]|volume=303|issue=5662|page=1323|date=2004-02-27|doi=10.1126/science.303.5662.1323|pmid=14988549}}</ref>


]
] in ], dating from 135 AD.]]
Sovereign states officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include:
<div style="-moz-column-count: 2; -webkit-column-count: 2; column-count: 2;">


* {{flag|Argentina}} (2 laws,<ref>, </ref><ref></ref> 3 Resolutions<ref>, </ref><ref>, </ref><ref>, </ref>)
The first major empire in the area was that of the ], from the eighteenth through the thirteenth century BC. The ]ns colonized parts of southeastern Turkey as far back as 1950 BC until the year 612 BC, when the Assyrian Empire was conquered by the ] in ].<ref>http://www3.uakron.edu/ziyaret/timeline_3period.html</ref><ref>http://www.aina.org/articles/assyrianidentity.pdf</ref> Following the Hittie collapse, the ]ns, an Indo-European people, achieved ascendancy until their kingdom was destroyed by the ] in the 7th century BCE.<ref name="TroyHittiteEmpirePhrygians">{{cite web|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/03/waa/ht03waa.htm|title=Anatolia and the Caucasus, 2000–1000 B.C. in ''Timeline of Art History.''|author=The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York|authorlink=Metropolitan Museum of Art|publisher=New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art|accessdate=2006-12-21|month=October|year=2000}}</ref> The most powerful of Phrygia's successor states were ], ] and ]. The Lydians and Lycians spoke languages that were fundamentally Indo-European, but both languages had acquired non-Indo-European elements prior to the Hittite and ] periods.
* {{flag|Armenia}}<ref></ref>
* {{flag|Australia}} Australian State Parliaments of ] and ] recognized the Armenian Genocide.
* {{flag|Belgium}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Brazil}} Brazilian State Parliaments of ] and ] recognized the Armenian Genocide.
* {{flag|Canada}} (1996,<ref>, </ref> 2002,<ref>, </ref> 2004<ref></ref>)
* {{flag|Chile}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Cyprus}} <ref></ref>
* {{flag|France}} (2001 Act of Parliament<ref>, </ref><ref>, </ref><ref>French , relating to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, </ref><ref>{{fr icon}} , ]</ref><ref>, ]</ref><ref>{{fr icon}} of Law no. 2001-70 of January 29, 2001</ref>)
* {{flag|Germany}} <ref name="genocide.am"></ref>
* {{flag|Greece}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Iran}} <ref>Iran recognized the Armenian Genocide in September 2004 during a visit by the Iranian President., </ref>
* {{flag|Lithuania}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Lebanon}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Netherlands}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Poland}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Russia}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Slovakia}} <ref></ref>
* {{flag|Spain}} ] and ] Parliaments recognized the Armenian Genocide.
* {{flag|Sweden}} <ref name="genocide.am"/>
* {{flag|Switzerland}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Ukraine}} The ] recognized the Armenian Genocide.<ref>, ] (June 25, 2005)</ref>
* {{flag|United Kingdom}} The regional assemblies in ], ] and ] recognized the Armenian Genocide.
* {{flag|United States}} 44 of 50 states of the USA that recognize the Armenian Genocide<ref name="regnum.ru"></ref>
* {{flag|Uruguay}} (1965,<ref>, </ref> 2004<ref>, </ref>)
* {{flag|Vatican City}} <ref>, </ref>
* {{flag|Venezuela}} <ref>, </ref>
</div>


]' several official documents are describing the events as ''genocide'' (1975,<ref>, </ref> 1984,<ref>, </ref> 1996<ref></ref>), President ] also described the events as ''genocide'' in his speech on April 22, 1981.<ref></ref> Also, 44{{Which?|date=June 2010}} of the 50 ] have made individual proclamations recognizing the events of 1915 to 1923 as genocide.<ref>The 42 states of the United States recognizing the Armenian Genocide. , </ref> As of March 4, 2010, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs has recognized the massacres of 1915 as 'genocide.'<ref>http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-03/05/c_13197636.htm</ref> The ] (AAA) and the ] (ANCA) have as their main lobbying agenda the pressing of Congress and the President of the United States for an increase of economic aid to Armenia (already the second largest per capita after Israel) and the reduction of economic and military assistance to Turkey. The efforts also include reaffirmation of a genocide by Ottoman Turkey in 1915.<ref>Cameron, Fraser ''United States foreign policy after the Cold War'' The Armenian-American´lobby, Routledge 2002 pp.91</ref>
Starting around 1200 BC, the coast of ] was heavily settled by ] and ] ]. Numerous important cities were founded by these colonists, such as ], ], ] (modern ]), and ] (later ] and ]). Anatolia was conquered by the Persian ] during the sixth and fifth centuries BC and later fell to ] in 334 BC.<ref name="PersiansInAsiaMinor">{{cite web|url=http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/PERSIAN.HTM|title=Ancient Greece: The Persian Wars|author=Hooker, Richard|publisher=Washington State University, WA, United States|accessdate=2006-12-22|date=1999-06-06}}</ref> Anatolia was subsequently divided into a number of small ] (including ], ], ], and ]), all of which had succumbed to the ] by the mid-1st century BC.<ref name="AlexanderToRome">{{cite web|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/04/waa/ht04waa.htm|title=Anatolia and the Caucasus (Asia Minor), 1000 B.C. – 1 A.D. in ''Timeline of Art History.''|author=The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York|authorlink=Metropolitan Museum of Art|publisher=New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art|accessdate=2006-12-21|month=October|year=2000}}</ref>


Despite his previous public recognition and support of Genocide bills, as well as the election campaign promises to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide <ref>{{cite news |title=Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations|url= http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/19/barack_obama_on_the_importance.php|accessdate=2010-04-26}}</ref>, the U.S. President, Barrack Obama, although repeating that his views on the issue have not changed, has thus far abstained from using the term 'genocide'.<ref>{{cite news|title=Barack Obama Campaign Promise No. 511|url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/511/recognize-armenian-genocide|accessdate=2010-04-26}}</ref>. In April 24 commemoration speeches President Obama has yet referred to the Armenian Genocide only by the Armenian synonym Metz Eghern ("Mec Eġeṙn"). On 24/04/2010 President Obama stated:
In 324, the Roman emperor ] chose ] to be the new capital of the ], renaming it ] (later ] and ]). After the fall of the ], it became the capital of the ] (Eastern Roman Empire).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/cities/turkey/istanbul/istanbul.html|title=Constantinople/Istanbul|author=Daniel C. Waugh|publisher=University of Washington, Seattle, WA|accessdate=2006-12-26|year=2004}}</ref>


{{cquote2|On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that ninety-five years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.
===Turks and the Ottoman Empire===
Today is a day to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible events. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. It is in all of our interest to see the achievement a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts. The Meds Yeghern is a devastating chapter in the history of the Armenian people, and we must keep its memory alive in honor of those who were murdered and so that we do not repeat the grave mistakes of the past.}}<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>
{{Main|Turkic migration|History of the Turkish people|Seljuk Empire|Ottoman Empire}}


A major obstacle for wider recognition of the genocide in the world is the position of ], which states there was no will to exterminate population and the 1915 massacres were the consequences of war. ], being in deep strategic alliance with Turkey and in a state of war against ], shares the position of Turkey. Azeri and Turkish relationships are often described by the leaders of those as "1 nation, 2 states". ], ] and ] believe that the genocide recognition should be discussed by historians not politicians.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200005/04/eng20000504_40179.html | title=No Policy Change over "Armenian Genocide": Israel | date=May 02, 2000 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.haaba.com/tags/turkey?q=node/73680 | title=(AFP)Denmark does not recognize Armenian genocide: minister | date=January 10, 2008 }}</ref> There was a move by activists in ] to acknowledge the genocide, but it was voted down.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=17162 | title=Bulgarian Parliament Rejected Armenian Genocide Recognition Bill | date=January 10, 2008 }}</ref> Shortly after the decision of the parliament several of the biggest municipalities in Bulgaria accepted a resolution for recognizing the genocide.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=92690 | title=Bulgaria's Dobrich Recognizes Armenian Genocide | date=May 27, 2009 }}</ref> The resolution was first passed in ] followed by ], ], ], ] and others. Position of the ] is that it condemns the massacres, but did not find them qualified enough under ] to call them '']'' and did not believe the UN Convention rules could be applied retroactively.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page13999.asp | title=Armeniangenocide - epetition Government's response; | date=December 07, 2007 }}</ref> In 2000 an Early Day Motion recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the UK Parliament was signed by 185 MP's.<ref></ref><ref>[http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=23853 Over 200 British MPs recognize Armenian Genocide
]
25.10.2007, PanARMENIAN.Net]</ref>. There is also a movement of Kurdish recognition of the killings as genocide. Kurds played a major role in the Armenian Genocide, as they were the primary tool used by the Ottoman authorities to carry out the killings. Many modern Kurds acknowledge the killings and apologize in the name of their ancestors who committed atrocities to Armenians and ] in the name of the Ottoman Empire.<ref>http://www.huliq.com/1/76745/important-kurdish-leader-turkey-apologizes-arameans</ref><ref>http://www.a1plus.am/en/society/2005/05/13/14512</ref> ''See ].''


The ] town ] recognized the killings as genocide on ] 2009 but after lobbying by the ] ] their City Council canceled that decision on April 1, 2010. This is the first case in the world when the decision on a recognition was cancelled.<ref>, ] (April 1, 2010)</ref>
] is one of the most famous ] of the Ottoman Empire]]


== Media ==
The ''House of Seljuk'' was a branch of the ''Kınık'' ] who in the 10th century resided on the periphery of the ], north of the ] and ]s in the Yabghu ]ate of the Oğuz confederacy.<ref>{{cite book|title=Al Hind: The Making of the Indo Islamic World, Vol. 1, Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam, 7th–11th Centuries|first=Andre|last=Wink|publisher=Brill Academic Publishers|year=1990|isbn=90-04-09249-8}}</ref> In the 11th century, the Seljuks started migrating from their ancestral homelands towards the eastern regions of Anatolia, which eventually became the new homeland of Oğuz Turkic tribes following the ] (]) in 1071.
Media officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include:


* '']'' <ref></ref>
The victory of the Seljuks gave rise to the ]; which developed as a separate branch of the larger ] that covered parts of Central Asia, Iran, Anatolia and ].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford History of Byzantium|first=Cyril|last=Mango|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|year=2002|isbn=0-1981-4098-3}}</ref>
* ] <ref></ref>
* ''] ''<ref></ref>
* '']''<ref></ref>
* '']''<ref></ref>
* '']''<ref></ref>
* '']''<ref></ref>
* '']'',<ref>,</ref> and others.


== Recent developments ==
In 1243, the Seljuk armies were defeated by the ] and the power of the empire slowly disintegrated. In its wake, one of the Turkish principalities governed by ] was to evolve over the next 200 years into the ], expanding throughout ], the ] and the ].<ref name="Ottomans">{{cite book|title=The Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire|first=Patrick|last=Kinross|publisher=Morrow|year=1977|isbn=0-6880-3093-9}}</ref> In 1453, the city of ] was conquered by the Ottoman armies of ], marking the abolition of the Byzantine Empire.
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ], ]{{deletable image-caption}}]] -->
On 9 September 2004, ] ] of ] visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial at ] in Yerevan.<ref>, ''OurArarat.com'', April 2005</ref>


On June 15, 2005 the German ] passed a resolution that "honors and commemorates the victims of violence, murder and expulsion among the Armenian people before and during the First World War". The also states: "The German parliament deplores the acts of the Government of the Ottoman Empire regarding the almost complete destruction of Armenians in Anatolia and also the inglorious role of the German Reich in the face of the organized expulsion and extermination of Armenians which it did not try to stop. Women, children and elderly were from February 1915 sent on death marches towards the Syrian desert."
In the 16th and 17th centuries and particularly during the reign of ], the Ottoman Empire was among the world's most powerful political entities, controlling territories on three continents. It was often at odds with the ] in its steady advance towards ] through the Balkans and the southern part of the ].<ref name="Ottoman_Turkey">{{cite book|title=History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey|first=Stanford|last=Jay Shaw|coauthors=Kural Shaw, Ezel|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1977|isbn=0-5212-9163-1}}</ref> At sea the empire contended with the combined forces (Holy Leagues) of ], the ] and the ] for the control of the ] basin. In the ] it frequently confronted ] fleets for defending its monopoly over the ancient maritime trade routes between ] and ], which had become increasingly compromised since the discovery of the ] in 1488.


The expressions 'organized expulsion and extermination' resulting in the 'almost complete destruction of Armenians' is sufficient in any language to amount to formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide, although of course the crime of 'genocide' had not been legally defined in 1915. The Resolution also contains an apology for German responsibility.<ref name="bundestag">, , June 15, 2005</ref>
After nearly a ], the Ottoman Empire entered ] on the side of the ] and was ultimately defeated. During the war, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were deported and exterminated in the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/armenian/facts/genocide.html|title=FACT SHEET: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE|publisher=]|accessdate=2010-07-15}}</ref><ref>Totten, Samuel, Paul Robert Bartrop, Steven L. Jacobs (eds.) ''Dictionary of Genocide''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008, p. 19. ISBN 0-313-34642-9.</ref> Following the ] on October 30, 1918, the victorious ] ] through the 1920 ].<ref name="Ottomans" />


In 2006, the French parliament submitted a bill to create a law that would punish any person denying the Armenian genocide with up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of ]45,000.<ref name="France">{{fr icon}} , ], 12 April 2006: bill proposing that denying the Armenian genocide shall be punished likewise to ]</ref> Despite Turkish protests, the ] adopted a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.<ref>{{fr icon}} of the ]; </ref> The bill has been criticized as an attempt to garner votes from among the 500,000 ethnic Armenians of France.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/Europe/6045838.stm | title=Accusation of an attempt to garner votes | work=] | accessdate=2007-02-07 }}</ref> This criticism has come not only from within Turkey,<ref name="CBCFRENCHBILL">{{cite news | work=] | url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/10/12/french-bill.html | title=French politicians pass Armenian genocide bill | date=October 12, 2006 }}</ref> but also from independent sources, such as ], ], former French President ] and U.S. diplomat ].<ref>{{tr icon}} , ''Internet Haber'', 13 October 2006</ref><!-- Dead link: ref>http://www.zaman.com/?bl=international&trh=20041219&alt=&syf=butun</ref -->{{Dubious|date=March 2008}}
===Republic era===
{{Main|History of the Republic of Turkey|Atatürk's reforms}}


On 10 May 2006, the Bulgarian Government rejected a bill on recognition of the Armenian Genocide.<ref>, ''Pan-Armenian Network'', 1 April 2006</ref> This came after ], the Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria and one of the leaders of the ], the main Turkish party in Bulgaria, declared that her party would walk out of the coalition government if the bill was passed. The bill itself was brought forward by the nationalist ] party.
], founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey]]


International bodies that recognise the Armenian genocide include the ], the ], the ], the ] and the ]. The ] (IAGS), has recognised the 1915 genocide in three different resolutions, the latest (October 5, 2007) extending the recognition to, in addition to Armenians, also include the Assyrians/Syrians and Anatolian and Pontic Greeks among the affected minorities:
The ] and ] by the Allies in the aftermath of World War I prompted the ].<ref name="Ottoman_Turkey" /> Under the leadership of ] ], a military commander who had distinguished himself during the ], the ] was waged with the aim of revoking the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres.<ref name="Atatürk"/>


{{quote|'''WHEREAS''' the denial of genocide is widely recognized as the final stage of genocide, enshrining impunity for the perpetrators of genocide, and demonstrably paving the way for future genocides;
By September 18, 1922, the occupying armies were expelled, and the new Turkish state was established. On November 1, the ] formally abolished the ]ate, thus ending 623 years of Ottoman rule. The ] of July 24, 1923, led to the international recognition of the sovereignty of the newly formed "Republic of Turkey" as the ] of the Ottoman Empire, and the republic was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923, in the new capital of ].<ref name="Ottoman_Turkey" />


'''WHEREAS''' the Ottoman genocide against minority populations during and following the First World War is usually depicted as a genocide against Armenians alone, with little recognition of the qualitatively similar genocides against other Christian minorities of the Ottoman Empire;
Mustafa Kemal became the republic's first ] and subsequently introduced ] with the aim of founding a new secular republic from the remnants of its Ottoman past.<ref name="Ottoman_Turkey" /> According to the Law on Family Names, the Turkish parliament presented Mustafa Kemal with the honorific surname "Atatürk" (''Father Turk'') in 1934.<ref name="Atatürk" />


'''BE IT RESOLVED''' that it is the conviction of the International Association of Genocide Scholars that the Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities of the Empire between 1914 and 1923 constituted a genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Pontian and Anatolian Greeks.
], ] and ] at the ] which was held between December 4–6, 1943]]


'''BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED''' that the Association calls upon the government of Turkey to acknowledge the genocides against these populations, to issue a formal apology, and to take prompt and meaningful steps toward restitution.<ref></ref>}}
Turkey remained neutral during most of ] but entered on the side of the ] on February 23, 1945, as a ceremonial gesture and in 1945 became a charter member of the United Nations.<ref name="Turkey_UN">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/Overview/growth.htm|title=Growth in United Nations membership (1945–2005)|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=2006-10-30|date=2006-07-03}}</ref> Difficulties faced by ] after the war in quelling a ], along with demands by the ] for military bases in the ], prompted the ] to declare the ] in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece, and resulted in large-scale ].<ref name="Truman Doctrine">{{cite book|title=Outposts and Allies: U.S. Army Logistics in the Cold War, 1945–1953|first=James A.|last=Huston|publisher=Susquehanna University Press|year=1988|isbn=0-9416-6484-8|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0941664848&id=ID4E3Lm8TsgC&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&ots=Yg9KqG871J&dq=turkey+cold+war&sig=d5Xry3n-9lmlUZTnM6tpFBBtxOQ#PPA177,M1}}</ref>


On 4 September 2006, ] voted for the inclusion of a clause prompting Turkey "to recognise the Armenian genocide as a condition for its EU accession" in a highly critical report, which was adopted by a broad majority in the foreign relations committee of the ].<ref>, Lucia Kubosova, '']'', 5 September 2006</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/parliament-faces-crucial-enlargement-decisions/article-158105 | title=Parliament faces crucial enlargement decisions | work=EurActiv}}</ref> This requirement was later dropped on 27 September 2006 by the general assembly of the ] by 429 votes in favor to 71 against, with 125 abstentions.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?language=EN&type=IM-PRESS&reference=20060922IPR10896
After participating with the United Nations forces in the ], Turkey joined ] in 1952, becoming a bulwark against Soviet expansion into the ]. Following a decade of ] on the island of ] and the ], overthrowing President ] and installing ] as dictator, Turkey ] in 1974. Nine years later the ] (TRNC) was established. Turkey is the only country to recognise the TRNC <ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1021835.stm|title=Timeline: Cyprus|work=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=2006-12-25|date=2006-12-12}}</ref>
|accessdate=2008-12-16
|title=European Parliament critical of slowdown in Turkey's reform process
|date=2006-09-27
|publisher=]
}}</ref>
In dropping the pre-condition of acceptance of the Armenian genocide, (which could not be legally demanded of Turkey), The European Parliament said: “MEPs nevertheless stress that, although the recognition of the Armenian genocide as such is formally not one of the Copenhagen criteria, it is indispensable for a country on the road to membership to come to terms with and recognise its past.”


On September 26, 2006, the two largest political parties in ], ] (CDA) and the ] (PvdA), removed three Turkish-Dutch candidates for the ], because they either denied or refused to publicly declare that the Armenian Genocide had happened. The magazine '']'' reported that the number 2 of the PvdA list of candidates, ] (who was born in Turkey and is of Turkish descent) had acknowledged that the term "genocide" was appropriate to describe the events. Albayrak denied having said this and accused the press of putting words in her mouth, saying that "I'm not a politician that will trample my identity. I've always defended the same views everywhere with regard to the 'genocide'".<ref>, '']'', October 9, 2006</ref> It was reported that a large section of the Turkish minority were considering boycotting the elections.<ref>{{cite news | title=Turkish to boycott election over Armenian 'genocide' | url=http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=33549 | work=Expatica News | date=October 5, 2006 }}</ref> Netherlands' Turkish minority numbers 365,000 people, out of which 235,000 are eligible to vote.
The ] ended in 1945. It was preceded by a tumultuous transition to ] over the next few decades, which was interrupted by military ] in ], ], ] and ].<ref name="TRPoliticsandMilitary">{{cite book|title=Turkish Politics and the Military|first=William Mathew|last=Hale|publisher=Routledge, UK|year=1994|isbn=0-4150-2455-2}}</ref> In 1984, the ] began an insurgency against the Turkish government; the conflict, which has claimed over 40,000 lives, continues today.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8352934.stm|title=Turkey's PKK peace plan delayed|work=BBC|accessdate=2010-02-06|date=2009-11-10}}</ref> Since the liberalization of the Turkish economy during the 1980s, the country has enjoyed stronger economic growth and greater political stability.<ref name="80sLiberalization" />


On November 29, 2006, the lower house of Argentina's parliament adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The bill was overwhelmingly adopted by the assembly and declared April 24, the international day of remembrance for the Armenian genocide as an official "day of mutual tolerance and respect" among peoples around the world.
==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Turkey|Constitution of Turkey|Elections in Turkey}}


On July 17, 2006, the ]ian state of ] became the second state after ] to ratify a bill recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
] in ]]]


On March 8, 2007, Turkish nationalist ] became the first person convicted by a court of law for denying the Armenian Genocide, found guilty by a Swiss district court in ]. Perinçek appealed the verdict.<ref>{{cite news | title=Turkish politician fined over genocide denial | date=March 9, 2007 | work=] with agencies | url=http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Turkish_politician_fined_over_genocide_denial.html?siteSect=105&sid=7603245 }}</ref> The conviction was upheld by the ] on December 12, 2007.<ref>Decision no. {{Fr icon}}</ref>
Turkey is a ] ]. Since its foundation as a republic in 1923, Turkey has developed a strong tradition of ].<ref name="TR_Secularism">{{cite book|title=Religion and Politics in Turkey|first=Ali|last=Çarkoğlu|publisher=Routledge, UK|year=2004|isbn=0-4153-4831-5|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0415348315&id=t5G_zw9exMQC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=nBltWxHPjd&dq=Religion+in+Turkey&sig=gLF9WOvOo0qZO5iwyUQSUc26Ya0#PPA28,M1 }}</ref> ] governs the legal framework of the country. It sets out the main principles of government and establishes Turkey as a unitary centralized state.


On April 20, 2007, the ] approved an institutional declaration recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The Basque Parliament included six articles where it affirms the authenticity of the Armenian Genocide and declares sympathy to the Armenians, while at the same time denouncing Turkey's negation of the genocide and its economic blockade imposed on Armenia.<ref>{{es icon}} {{cite web | title=En el 90.º aniversario del genocidio armenio | date=2007-04-27 | publisher=] | url=http://www.parlamento.euskadi.net/BASIS/izaro/webx/cm_bopvc/DDW?W=boc_clave='08110500003320070427016312'&R=N | accessdate=2007-05-12 }}</ref>
The ] is the ] and has a largely ceremonial role. The president is elected for a five-year term by direct elections. ] was elected as president on August 28, 2007, by a popular parliament round of votes, succeeding ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6966216.stm|title=Turks elect ex-Islamist president|work=BBC|accessdate=2007-08-28|date=2007-11-02}}</ref>


On June 5, 2007, the ] uninanimously adopted a legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide and urging its government to support a key 1985 United Nations Subcommission report properly describing this crime against humanity as a clear instance of genocide.<ref></ref>
] is exercised by the ] and the ] which make up the government, while the ] power is vested in the unicameral parliament, the ]. The ] is independent of the executive and the legislature, and the Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of ] with the constitution. The ] is the tribunal of last resort for administrative cases, and the ] for all others.<ref name="TR_Constit">{{cite web|url=http://www.byegm.gov.tr/mevzuat/anayasa/anayasa-ing.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070203170110/http://www.byegm.gov.tr/mevzuat/anayasa/anayasa-ing.htm|archivedate=2007-02-03|title=Turkish Constitution|author=Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information|publisher=Turkish Prime Minister's Office|accessdate=2006-12-16|date=2001-10-17}}</ref>


] of the ] has been criticized by ] for not acknowledging the Armenian genocide due to fear of worsening relations between ] and the republic of Turkey.<ref name="Robert Spencer ADL">{{cite news | author=] | title=Abe Foxman’s Fear | url=http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=681E5075-B42C-4501-94EF-A38915A3DA04 | work=] | date=2007-09-04 | accessdate=2007-09-05 }}</ref> On August 21, 2007, the Anti-Defamation League recognized the Armenian Genocide as "tantamount to genocide," following their controversial refusal to support the proposed recognition by Representative ].<ref name="adl">, ], ], August 21, 2007.</ref><ref>, Shmuel Rosner, '']'', August 22, 2007</ref>
] has twice been elected Prime Minister since 2002, and his party won 47% of the votes in the 2007 general elections]]


The ] approved ], a bill that categorised and condemned the Ottoman Empire for the Genocide, on October 10, 2007, by a 27-21 vote. However, some of the support for the bill from both Democrats and Republicans eroded after the ] warned against the possibility of Turkey restricting ] as well as ground-route access for US military and humanitarian efforts in ] in response to the bill.<ref>, Desmond Butler, '']'', October 10, 2007</ref> Passage of the bill is currently in doubt.
The prime minister is elected by the parliament through a vote of confidence in the government and is most often the head of the ] having the most seats in parliament. The current prime minister is the former mayor of İstanbul, ], whose conservative ] won an absolute majority of parliamentary seats in the ], organized in the aftermath of the economic crisis of 2001, with 34% of the suffrage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2392717.stm|title=Turkey's old guard routed in elections|work=BBC|accessdate=2006-12-14|date=2002-11-04}}</ref>


In response to the House Foreign Affairs Committee's decision on the bill, Turkey ordered their ambassador to the United States to return to Turkey for "consultations."<ref>, '']'', October 11, 2007.</ref>
In the ], the AKP received 46.6% of the votes and could defend its majority in parliament.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6910444.stm|title=Turkey re-elects governing party|work=BBC|accessdate=2007-11-02|date=2007-07-22}}</ref> Although the ministers do not have to be members of the parliament, ministers with parliament membership are common in Turkish politics.
In 2007, a series of events regarding state secularism and the role of the judiciary in the ] has occurred. These included the controversial ] of Abdullah Gül, who in the past had been involved with ] parties;<ref> BBC. (2007-08-28). Retrieved on 2009-09-22.</ref> and the government's proposal to lift the ] in universities, which was annulled by the Constitutional Court, leading to a fine and a near ban of the ruling party.<ref> BBC. (2007-06-05). Retrieved on 2009-09-22.</ref>


On November 23, 2007, the ] parliament adopted a resolution recognizing the “Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, which took 1.5 million lives from 1915 to 1923.” The Mercosur resolution also expressed its support for the Armenian Cause and called on all countries to recognize the Genocide.<ref></ref>
] for both sexes has been applied throughout Turkey since 1933, and every Turkish citizen who has turned 18 years of age has the right to vote. As of 2004, there were 50 registered ].<ref name="BYEGM_TrPolSys">{{cite web|url=http://www.byegm.gov.tr/REFERENCES/Structure.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070203025134/http://www.byegm.gov.tr/REFERENCES/Structure.htm|archivedate=2007-02-03 |title=Political Structure of Turkey|author=Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information|publisher=Turkish Prime Minister's Office|accessdate=2006-12-14|date=2004-08-24}}</ref> The Constitutional Court can strip the public financing of political parties that it deems anti-secular or ], or ban their existence altogether.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1466160.stm|title=Euro court backs Turkey Islamist ban|work=BBC|accessdate=2006-12-14|date=2001-07-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2850601.stm|title=Turkey's Kurd party ban criticised|work=BBC|accessdate=2006-12-14|date=2003-03-14}}</ref>


On January 19, 2008 then U.S. Senator, now U.S. President ] released a statement: "Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, ], after he properly used the term "genocide" to describe Turkey's slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. I shared with Secretary Rice my firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence. The facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an untenable policy. As a senator, I strongly support passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide."<ref>{{cite web
There are 550 members of parliament who are elected for a four-year term by a ] system from 85 electoral districts which represent the 81 administrative ] (İstanbul is divided into three electoral districts, whereas Ankara and ] are divided into two each because of their large populations). To avoid a ] and its excessive political fragmentation, only parties winning at least ] cast in a national parliamentary election gain the right to representation in the parliament.<ref name="BYEGM_TrPolSys" />
| url = http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/19/barack_obama_on_the_importance.php
| date = January 19, 2008
| accessdate = February 16, 2009
| title = Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations
| publisher = barackobama.com
}}</ref> He has since backed off of those statements, stating only that his opinion hasn't changed and refusing to use the word genocide. On April 24, 2009, the President of U.S. Barack Obama stated:
<blockquote>"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts."<ref></ref></blockquote>


To date, 44 U.S. states have officially recognized the ].<ref name="regnum.ru"/>
As a result of this threshold, in the 2007 elections three parties formally entered the parliament (compared to two in 2002).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2399665.stm|title=Turkey leaps into the unknown|first=Roger|last=Hardy|work=BBC|accessdate=2006-12-14|date=2002-11-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6912052.stm |title=Turkey awaits AKP's next step |first=Sarah|last=Rainsford|work=BBC|accessdate=2007-07-23|date=2007-11-02}}</ref> However, because of a system of alliances and independent candidatures, seven parties are currently represented in the parliament. Independent candidates may run; to be elected, however, they also must win at least 10% of the vote in their circonscription.<ref name="BYEGM_TrPolSys" />


On March 29, 2000 the ] approved a report, recognizing the Armenian Genocide and calling for Turkey's greater openness and an "unbiased independent and international research on the genocide committed against the Armenian people".<ref></ref> On June 12, 2008, the ], with a vote 245 to 37 (1 abstain, 66 absent), rejected a call for recognition of the 1915 genocide in the Ottoman Empire. On June 11, a long debate took place in the Swedish Parliament in regard to the Foreign Committee report on Human Rights, including five motions calling upon the Swedish Government and Parliament to officially recognize the genocide.<ref name="armtown">{{cite news | url=http://www.armtown.com/news/en/pan/20080612/26307/ | title= PanArmenian.net - Swedish Parliament Refuses to Recognize Armenian Genocide | date=June 12, 2008 }}</ref> The MPs adhered to the recommendation by the Swedish Foreign Ministry and Foreign Committee, arguing that there are "disagreements among scholars" in regard to the nature of the WWI events in Turkey, the non-retroactive nature of the UN Genocide Convention, and that the issue "should be left to historian". However, the Foreign Committee report stated that "The Committee understands that what happened to Armenians, Assyrians/Syrians and Chaldeans during the Ottoman Empire's reign would probably be regarded as genocide according to the 1948 convention, if it had been in power at the time of the event."<ref></ref> Three days prior to the debate in the Parliament, a petition, signed by over 60 renowned genocide scholars was published, calling on politicians in general, and the Swedish parliamentarians in specific, not to abuse the name of science in denying a historic fact.<ref>http://itwasgenocide.armenica.org Petition signed by over 60 gencide scholars urging to recognise the 1915 genocide for what it is</ref> On March 11, 2010, the ] finally recognized the 1915 genocide.<ref>http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE62A2IJ.htm</ref>
==Foreign relations==
{{Main|Foreign relations of Turkey|Accession of Turkey to the European Union}}


In December 2008, a group of Turkish intellectuals launched an online petition for people who want to apologize in a personal capacity. The writers of the petition used the word "the Great Catastrophe" regarding the events. The petition, hosted at http://www.ozurdiliyoruz.com/ (Turkish for "We apologize"), gained upwards of 10,000 signatures in a matter of days. In the face of a backlash,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://zaman.com.tr/haber.do?haberno=771729&title=ermenilerden-ozur-dileyenler-tarih%EE-gercekleri-saptiriyor
] with the ] in 2005]]
|accessdate=2008-12-19
|title='Ermenilerden özür dileyenler tarihî gerçekleri saptırıyor'
|work=Zaman
|language=Turkish
}}</ref> the Turkish president defended the petition, citing freedom of speech.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/10582943.asp
|accessdate=2008-12-16
|title=Turkish pres defends apology campaign to Armenians
|date=2008-12-16
|work=Hurriyet English
}}</ref> An opposition group soon launched a Web site called http://www.ozurbekliyorum.com/ (Turkish for "I expect an apology"), raising an even higher number of signatures. The Prime Minister sided with the opposition, and a national debate ensued.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7788486.stm
|accessdate=2008-12-18
|title=Turkish PM scorns Armenia apology
|section=Europe
|work=]
|date=2008-12-17
}}</ref> Turkish citizens of Armenian descent watch from the sidelines.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.milliyet.com.tr/Guncel/HaberDetay.aspx?aType=HaberDetay&Kategori=guncel&KategoriID=&ArticleID=1031045&Date=22.12.2008&b=Ermeni%20vatandasin%20yorumu&ver=41
|accessdate=2008-12-22
|title=Bu kampanya hem geç, hem çok erken...
|section=Güncel
|first=Devrim
|last=Sevimay
|work=]
|language=Turkish
|date=2008-12-22
}}</ref>


On 9 October 2009, former UN Judge ] QC released a lengthy report that found that there was an ]. The report noted that recent British governments have said there is not enough evidence. He found that the British government’s Foreign Office was well aware of the unethical nature of the statements and had described Turkey as “neuralgic” on the issue. He concluded that “the advice provided by the to , and reproduced by ministers in parliamentary answers... reflects neither the law of genocide nor the demonstrable facts of the massacres in 1915 – 16.”<ref name=Geoffrey Robertson QC (2009-10-09). "Was there an Armenian Genocide?" (PDF) Doughty Street Chambers.>{{cite news| url=http://www.doughtystreet.co.uk/files/Armenian%20genocide1.pdf}}</ref>
] and the ]]]


On January 27, 2010 First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones recognized the Armenian Genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day.<ref>http://eafjd.eu/spip.php?breve2353</ref>
Turkey is a founding member of the ] (1945), the ] (1961), the ] (1969), the ] (1973), the ] (1985), the ] (1992) and the ] (1999). On October 17, 2008, Turkey was ] of the ].<ref name="Hürriyet UN Security"></ref> Turkey's membership of the council effectively began on January 1, 2009.<ref name="Hürriyet UN Security"/> Turkey had previously been a member of the U.N. Security Council in 1951–1952, 1954–1955 and 1961.<ref name="Hürriyet UN Security"/>


On March 4, 2010 the House Foreign Affairs Committee (]) passed a non-binding resolution describing the killing of Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I as genocide.<ref name="US vote attacks Turkey 'genocide'">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8550765.stm | work=BBC News | title=US vote attacks Turkey 'genocide' | date=March 4, 2010 | accessdate=May 22, 2010}}</ref> The resolution was approved by 23 votes to 22 by the committee and "calls on President Barack Obama to ensure that US foreign policy reflects an understanding of the 'genocide' and to label the World War I killings as such in his annual statement on the issue." <ref name="US vote attacks Turkey 'genocide'"/>
In line with its traditional Western orientation, relations with ] have always been a central part of Turkish foreign policy. Turkey became a founding member of the ] in 1949, applied for associate membership of the ] (predecessor of the ]) in 1959 and became an ] in 1963. After decades of political negotiations, Turkey applied for full membership of the EEC in 1987, became an associate member of the ] in 1992, reached a ] with the EU in 1995 and has officially begun ] with the EU since October 3, 2005.<ref name="TR_EUChrono">{{cite web|url=http://www.abgs.gov.tr/en/tur-eu_relations_dosyalar/chronology.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070515022203/http://www.abgs.gov.tr/en/tur-eu_relations_dosyalar/chronology.htm|archivedate=2007-05-15|title=Chronology of Turkey-EU relations|publisher=Turkish Secretariat of European Union Affairs|accessdate=2006-10-30}}</ref>


On March 5, 2010, the ]n Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide on the initiative of the members of ]’s Friendship Union with Armenia.<ref></ref>
Since 1974, Turkey does not recognize the essentially Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus as the sole authority on the island, but instead supports the Turkish Cypriot community in the form of the de facto ] which is recognized only by Turkey.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6170749.stm |title=Turkey's EU membership bid stalls|first=Mark|last=Mardell|authorlink=Mark Mardell|work=BBC|accessdate=2006-12-17|date=2006-12-11}}</ref>


On March 11, 2010 the Swedish Parliament voted to describe the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Empire in 1915 as Genocide. The resolution was adopted with 131 deputies voting in favour of the resolution and 130 voting against it.
The other defining aspect of Turkey's foreign relations has been its ties with the United States. Based on the common threat posed by the ], Turkey joined NATO in 1952, ensuring close bilateral relations with Washington throughout the ]. In the post-Cold War environment, Turkey's geostrategic importance shifted towards its proximity to the ], the ] and the Balkans. In return, Turkey has benefited from the United States' political, economic and diplomatic support, including in key issues such as the country's bid to join the European Union.


On March 25, 2010 the ] submitted a draft resolution to the Serbian parliament condemning the genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey against Armenians from 1915 to 1923. SRS submitted the draft so that Serbia can join the countries which have condemned the genocide.
The independence of the Turkic states of the Soviet Union in 1991, with whom Turkey shares a common cultural and linguistic heritage, allowed Turkey to extend its economic and political relations deep into ].<ref>{{cite book|title=Turkish Foreign Policy In Post Cold War Era|first=Idris|last=Bal|publisher=Universal Publishers|location= |year=2004|isbn=1-5811-2423-6|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1581124236&id=vDzjkrTDKjYC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=5PdqmRoyEn&dq=turkey+cold+war&sig=XoCrRT0pN70sZn6zvtnpdBF0HWw#PRA1-PA291,M1 }}</ref> The most salient of these relations saw the completion of a multi billion dollar oil and natural gas pipeline from ] in ] to the port of ] in Turkey. The ], as it is called, has formed part of Turkey's foreign policy strategy to become an energy conduit to the West. However, Turkey's border with Armenia, a state in the Caucasus, remains closed following its occupation of Azeri territory during the ].<ref></ref>

==Military==
] of the ] ] ]-built ] fighter jets]]

The ] consists of the ], the ] and the ]. The ] and the ] operate as parts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in peacetime, although they are subordinated to the Army and Navy Commands respectively in wartime, during which they have both internal law enforcement and military functions.<ref name="TSK_Organisation">{{cite web|url=http://www.tsk.mil.tr/eng/genel_konular/savunmaorganizasyonu.htm|title=Turkish Armed Forces Defense Organization|author=Turkish General Staff|authorlink=Turkish Armed Forces|publisher=Turkish Armed Forces|accessdate=2006-12-15|year=2006}}</ref>

The Turkish Armed Forces is the second largest standing ] in NATO, after the ], with a combined strength of 1,043,550 uniformed personnel serving in its five branches.<ref name="Economist">Economist Intelligence Unit:Turkey, p.23 (2005)</ref> ] otherwise not barred is required to serve in the military for a time period ranging from three weeks to fifteen months, dependent on education and job location.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/home/RSDCOI/3c1622484.pdf|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061122042609/http://www.unhcr.org/home/RSDCOI/3c1622484.pdf|archivedate=2006-11-22|title=Turkey/Military service|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Directorate for Movements of Persons, Migration and Consular Affairs – Asylum and Migration Division|authorlink=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|publisher=UNHCR|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-12-27|month=July|year=2001}}</ref> Turkey does not recognise conscientious objection and does not offer a civilian alternative to military service.<ref>http://www.ebco-beoc.eu/</ref>

Turkey is one of five NATO member states which are part of the ] policy of the alliance, together with ], ], ], and the ].<ref></ref> A total of 90 ]s are hosted at the ], 40 of which are allocated for use by the ].<ref></ref>

] type frigates of the ] in formation]]

In 1998, Turkey announced a program of modernization worth ]160 billion over a twenty year period in various projects including ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s and ]s.<ref>Economist Intelligence Unit:Turkey, p.22 (2005)</ref> Turkey is a Level 3 contributor to the ] (JSF) program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=3417|title=DoD, Turkey sign Joint Strike Fighter Agreement|author=US Department of Defense|authorlink=US Department of Defense|publisher=US Department of Defense|accessdate=2006-12-27|date=2002-07-11}}</ref>

Turkey has maintained forces in international missions under the United Nations and NATO since 1950, including ] missions in ] and former ], and support to coalition forces in the ]. Turkey maintains 36,000 troops in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and has had troops deployed in ] as part of the ] and the UN-authorized, NATO-commanded ] (ISAF) since 2001.<ref name="Economist"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tsk.mil.tr/eng/uluslararasi/isaf_int/tarihce.htm|title=Brief History of ISAF|author=Turkish General Staff|authorlink=Turkish Armed Forces|publisher=Turkish Armed Forces|accessdate=2006-12-16|year=2006}}</ref> In 2006, the Turkish parliament deployed a peacekeeping force of Navy patrol vessels and around 700 ground troops as part of an expanded ] (UNIFIL) in the wake of the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6069126.stm|title=Turkish troops arrive in Lebanon|work=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=2006-12-14|date=2006-10-20}}</ref>

The ] is appointed by the president and is responsible to the prime minister. The Council of Ministers is responsible to the parliament for matters of national security and the adequate preparation of the armed forces to defend the country. However, the authority to declare war and to deploy the Turkish Armed Forces to foreign countries or to allow foreign armed forces to be stationed in Turkey rests solely with the parliament.<ref name="TSK_Organisation" /> The actual commander of the armed forces is the Chief of the General Staff ] since August 30, 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=111807|title=Introducing General İlker Başbuğ|work=Turkish Daily News|accessdate=2008-08-15|date=2008-08-06}}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
{{Main|List of regions of Turkey|Provinces of Turkey|Districts of Turkey|List of cities in Turkey}}
{{Turkey Labelled Map|float=right}}
]

The ] of Turkey is ]. The territory of Turkey is subdivided into 81 provinces for administrative purposes. The provinces are organized into 7 ] for ] purposes; however, they do not represent an administrative structure. Each province is divided into districts, for a total of 923 districts.

Provinces usually bear the same name as their provincial capitals, also called the central district; exceptions to this custom are the provinces of ] (capital: ]), ] (capital: ]) and ] (capital: ]). Provinces with the largest populations are ] (+12.9 million), ] (+4.6 million), ] (+3.8 million), ] (+2.5 million) and ] (+2.0 million).

The biggest city and the pre-Republican capital ] is the financial, economic and cultural heart of the country.<ref name="USLC_TRGeo" /> An estimated 75.5% of Turkey's population live in urban centers.<ref>{{cite web|author=Turkish Statistical Institute|authorlink=Turkish Statistical Institute|publisher=Turkish Statistical Institute|url=http://www.turkstat.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id=6178|title=2009 Census, population living in cities |accessdate=2010-01-25|year=2010}}</ref> In all, 19 provinces have populations that exceed 1 million inhabitants, and 20 provinces have populations between 1 million and 500,000 inhabitants. Only two provinces have populations less than 100,000.

==Geography and climate==
{{Main|Geography of Turkey|Environmental issues in Turkey}}

] in Istanbul, connecting Europe (left) and Asia (right)]]

Turkey is a ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sabanciuniv.edu/socrates/ects/go.php?page=turkey_geography|title=Geography of Turkey|author=Sabancı University|publisher=Sabancı University|accessdate=2006-12-13|year=2005}}</ref> Eurasian country. Asian Turkey (made up largely of Anatolia), which includes 97% of the country, is separated from European Turkey by the ], the ], and the ] (which together form a water link between the ] and the ]). ] (eastern ] or ] in the ] peninsula) comprises 3% of the country.<ref></ref>

The territory of Turkey is more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000&nbsp;mi) long and 800&nbsp;km (500&nbsp;mi) wide, with a roughly rectangular shape.<ref name="USLC_TRGeo">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/turkey/18.htm|title=Geography of Turkey|author=US Library of Congress|authorlink=US Library of Congress|publisher=US Library of Congress|accessdate=2006-12-13|date=}}</ref> Turkey's area, including lakes, occupies 783,562<ref></ref> ]s (300,948 sq mi), of which 755,688 square kilometres (291,773 sq mi) are in ] and 23,764 square kilometres (9,174 sq mi) in ].<ref name="USLC_TRGeo" /> Turkey is the world's ] country in terms of area. The country is encircled by seas on three sides: the ] to the west, the ] to the north and the ] to the south. Turkey also contains the ] in the northwest.<ref name="TRGeo_TRMinistryTourism" />

] near ] on the ]]]

The European section of Turkey, ], forms the borders of Turkey with Greece and Bulgaria. The Asian part of the country, ], consists of a high central plateau with narrow coastal plains, between the Köroğlu and ] mountain ranges to the north and the ] to the south. Eastern Turkey has a more mountainous landscape and is home to the sources of rivers such as the ], ] and ], and contains ] and ], Turkey's highest point at 5,165 metres (16,946&nbsp;ft).<ref name="TRGeo_TRMinistryTourism" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=4996|title=Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı), Turkey|author=NASA – Earth Observatory|authorlink=NASA|publisher=NASA|accessdate=2006-12-27|year=2001}}</ref>

Turkey is divided into seven census regions: ], ], ], ], ], ] and the ]. The uneven north Anatolian terrain running along the Black Sea resembles a long, narrow belt. This region comprises approximately one-sixth of Turkey's total land area. As a general trend, the inland Anatolian plateau becomes increasingly rugged as it progresses eastward.<ref name="TRGeo_TRMinistryTourism">{{cite web|url=http://www.turizm.net/turkey/info/geography.html|title=Geography of Turkey|author=Turkish Ministry of Tourism|publisher=Turkish Ministry of Tourism|accessdate=2006-12-13|year=2005}}</ref>

] is the highest peak in Turkey at 5,165 m (16,946 ft)]]

Turkey's varied landscapes are the product of complex earth movements that have shaped the region over thousands of years and still manifest themselves in fairly frequent ]s and occasional ] eruptions. The ] and the ] owe their existence to the ] running through Turkey that led to the creation of the Black Sea. There is an earthquake fault line across the north of the country from west to east, which caused ] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/civil_eng/structural_lab/eq-rp/seismicity.html|title=Brief Seismic History of Turkey|publisher=University of South California, Department of Civil Engineering|accessdate=2006-12-26|date=}}</ref>

The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have a ] ], with hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Black Sea have a temperate ] with warm, wet summers and cool to cold, wet winters. The Turkish Black Sea coast receives the greatest amount of precipitation and is the only region of Turkey that receives high precipitation throughout the year. The eastern part of that coast averages 2,500 millimeters annually which is the highest precipitation in the country.

The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Sea of Marmara including Istanbul, which connects the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea have a transitional climate between a temperate Mediterranean climate and a temperate Oceanic climate with warm to hot, moderately dry summers and cool to cold, wet winters. Snow does occur on the coastal areas of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea almost every winter, but it usually lies no more than a few days. Snow on the other hand is rare in the coastal areas of the Aegean Sea and very rare in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea.

Conditions can be much harsher in the more arid interior. Mountains close to the coast prevent Mediterranean influences from extending inland, giving the central Anatolian plateau of the interior of Turkey a ] with sharply contrasting ]s.

Winters on the plateau are especially severe. Temperatures of −30 ] to −40 °C (−22 °] to −40 °F) can occur in eastern Anatolia, and snow may lie on the ground at least 120 days of the year. In the west, winter temperatures average below 1 °C (34 °F). Summers are hot and dry, with temperatures generally above 30 °C (86 °F) in the day. Annual ] averages about 400 millimetres (15 ]), with actual amounts determined by elevation. The driest regions are the Konya plain and the Malatya plain, where annual rainfall frequently is less than 300 millimetres (12&nbsp;in). May is generally the wettest month, whereas July and August are the driest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meteor.gov.tr/2006/english/eng-climateofturkey.aspx|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070110140758/http://www.meteor.gov.tr/2006/english/eng-climateofturkey.aspx|archivedate=2007-01-10|title=Climate of Turkey|author=Turkish State Meteorological Service|authorlink=Turkish State Meteorological Service|publisher=Turkish State Meteorological Service|accessdate=2006-12-27|year=2006}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Turkey|Economic history of Turkey}}

] financial district in ]]]

Turkey has the world's ]<ref name=WB-GDP-PPP> Data for the year 2008. Last revised on July 1, 2009.</ref> and ].<ref name=WB-GDP-Nominal> Data for the year 2008. Last revised on July 1, 2009.</ref> The country is a founding member of the ] and the ]. During the first six decades of the republic, between 1923 and 1983, Turkey has mostly adhered to a quasi-] approach with strict government planning of the budget and government-imposed limitations over private sector participation, foreign trade, flow of foreign currency, and ]. However, starting from 1983, Turkey began a series of reforms that were initiated by Prime Minister ] and designed to shift the economy from a statist, insulated system to a more private-sector, ]-based model.<ref name="80sLiberalization">{{cite book|title=Economics and Politics of Turkish Liberalization|first=Tevfik F.|last=Nas|publisher=Lehigh University Press|year=1992|isbn=0-9342-2319-X}}</ref>

The reforms spurred rapid growth, but this growth was punctuated by sharp ]s and financial crises in 1994, 1999 (following the earthquake of that year),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/422653.stm|title=Turkish quake hits shaky economy|work=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=2006-12-12|date=1999-08-17}}</ref> and 2001,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1800869.stm|title='Worst over' for Turkey|work=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=2006-12-12|date=2002-02-04}}</ref> resulting in an average of 4% ] growth per annum between 1981 and 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTTURKEY/Resources/361616-1144320150009/Labor_C2.pdf|title=Turkey Labor Market Study|author=World Bank|authorlink=World Bank|publisher=World Bank|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-12-10|year=2005}}</ref> Lack of additional fiscal reforms, combined with large and growing ] ]s and widespread ], resulted in high ], a weak ] sector and increased ] volatility.<ref>{{cite book|title=OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform – Turkey: crucial support for economic recovery : 2002|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|year=2002|isbn=92-64-19808-3|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9264198083&id=ufYU_fR7mLgC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=xxhe4iYB7B&dq=Turkey&sig=5WqjRxHbjn4ObFDJc_sQKuIB2sg#PPP1,M1}}</ref>

Since the economic crisis of 2001 and the reforms initiated by the finance minister of the time, ], inflation has fallen to single-digit numbers, investor confidence and foreign investment have soared, and unemployment has fallen. The ] forecasts a 6% inflation rate for Turkey in 2008.<ref> Inflation, end of period consumer prices. Data for 2006, 2007 and 2008.</ref> Turkey has gradually opened up its markets through economic reforms by reducing government controls on foreign trade and investment and the ] of publicly owned industries, and the liberalisation of many sectors to private and foreign participation has continued amid political debate.<ref name="TR_Eco">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6103008.stm|title=Robust economy raises Turkey's hopes|author=Jorn Madslien|work=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=2006-12-12|date=2006-11-02}}</ref>

]]]

The GDP growth rate from 2002 to 2007 averaged 7.4%,<ref>Dilenschneider Group and Pangaeia Group, "", ''Foreign Affairs'', January/February 2008</ref> which made Turkey one of the fastest growing economies in the world during that period. However, GDP growth slowed down to 4.5% in 2008,<ref name=CIA-Turkey/> and in early 2009 the Turkish economy was affected by the ], with the IMF forecasting an overall recession of 5.1% for the year, compared to the Turkish government estimate of 3.6%.<ref></ref>

Turkey's economy is becoming more dependent on industry in major cities, mostly concentrated in the western provinces of the country, and less on agriculture, however traditional agriculture is still a major pillar to the Turkish economy. In 2007, the agricultural sector accounted for 8.9% of the GDP, while the industrial sector accounted for 30.8% and the services sector accounted for 59.3%.<ref name=CIA-Turkey>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/tu.html|title=Turkey|publisher=CIA World Factbook|accessdate=2009-05-15}}</ref> However, agriculture still accounted for 27.3% of employment.<ref>http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/enlargement/countries/turkey/profile_en.pdf</ref>

According to ] data, Turkish PPS GDP per capita stood at 45 per cent of the EU average in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/2-25062009-BP/EN/2-25062009-BP-EN.PDF|title=GDP per capita in PPS|publisher=Eurostat|accessdate=2009-06-25}}</ref>

The tourism sector has experienced rapid growth in the last twenty years, and constitutes an important part of the economy. In 2008, there were 30,929,192 ] to the country, who contributed $21.9 billion to Turkey's revenues.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.turkstat.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id=3993|title=Tourism Statistics in 2008|work=]|accessdate=2009-01-29|date=2009-01-29}}</ref>

] and ] are among the largest producers of consumer electronics and home appliances in ]]]

Other key sectors of the Turkish economy are banking, construction, home appliances, electronics, textiles, oil refining, petrochemical products, food, mining, iron and steel, machine industry and automotive. Turkey has a large and growing ], which produced 1,147,110 motor vehicles in 2008, ranking as the 6th largest producer in Europe (behind the United Kingdom and above Italy) and the 15th largest producer in the world.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ulasimonline.com/news_detail.php?id=8052&uniq_id=1246562801|title=Türkiye otomotiv sektöründe büyüyor|publisher=Ulaşım Online|date=2009-06-29|accessdate=2009-07-06}}</ref><ref></ref> Turkey is also one of the leading ] nations; in 2007 the country ranked 4th in the world (behind China, South Korea and Japan) in terms of the number of ordered ]s, and also 4th in the world (behind Italy, USA and Canada) in terms of the number of ordered ].<ref></ref>

In recent years, the chronically high inflation has been brought under control and this has led to the launch of a new currency, the ], on January 1, 2005, to cement the acquisition of the economic reforms and erase the vestiges of an unstable economy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4137469.stm |title=Turkey knocks six zeros off lira|work=]|accessdate=2008-07-20|date=2004-12-31}}</ref> On January 1, 2009, the New Turkish Lira was renamed once again as the ], with the introduction of ] and ]. As a result of continuing economic reforms, inflation has dropped to 8.2% in 2005, and the unemployment rate to 10.3%.<ref name="WorldBank_TRStat">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org.tr/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/TURKEYEXTN/0,,menuPK:361738~pagePK:141132~piPK:141109~theSitePK:361712,00.html |title=Data and Statistics for Turkey|author=World Bank|authorlink=World Bank|publisher=World Bank|accessdate=2006-12-10|year=2005}}</ref> In 2004, it was estimated that 46.2% of total disposable income was received by the top 20% income earners, while the lowest 20% received 6%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.die.gov.tr/ENGLISH/SONIST/GELIR/k_270206.xls|title=The result of Income Distribution|author=Turkish Statistical Institute|authorlink=Turkish Statistical Institute|publisher=Turkish Statistical Institute|accessdate=2006-12-11|date=2006-02-27}}</ref>

] in ]]]

Turkey has taken advantage of a ], signed in 1995, to increase its industrial production destined for exports, while at the same time benefiting from EU-origin foreign investment into the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2006/05/03/000016406_20060503112446/Rendered/PDF/wps3908.pdf |format=PDF|title=Turkey's evolving trade integration into Pan-European markets|author=Bartolomiej Kaminski|coauthors=Francis Ng|publisher=World Bank|accessdate=2006-12-27|date=2006-05-01}}</ref> In 2007 the exports reached $115.3 billion<ref name=CIA-Turkey/> (main export partners: Germany 11.2%, UK 8%, Italy 6.95%, France 5.6%, Spain 4.3%, USA 3.88%; total EU exports 56.5%.) However, larger imports which amounted to $162.1 billion in 2007<ref name=CIA-Turkey/> threatened the balance of trade (main import partners: Russia 13.8%, Germany 10.3%, China 7.8%, Italy 6%, USA 4.8%, France 4.6%, Iran 3.9%, UK 3.2%; total EU imports 40.4%; total Asia imports 27%).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gumrukler.gov.tr/ww3/?cid=400000|title="2006–2007 Seçilmiş Ülkeler İstatistikleri"|author=Gümrükler Genel Müdürlüğü|accessdate=2008-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90778/90858/90863/6331298.html|title=Turkey puts 2008 export target at 125 bln dollars|publisher=Xinhua|accessdate=2008-01-02|date=2008-01-02}}</ref> Turkey's exports amounted to $141.8 billion in 2008, while imports amounted to $204.8 billion.<ref name=CIA-Turkey/>

After years of low levels of ] (FDI), Turkey succeeded in attracting $21.9 billion in FDI in 2007 and is expected to attract a higher figure in following years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ekonomi/8280578.asp?gid=196&sz=40655|title=Yabancı sermayede rekor|work=]|accessdate=2008-02-21|year=2008}}</ref> A series of large privatizations, the stability fostered by the start of ], strong and stable growth, and structural changes in the banking, retail, and telecommunications sectors have all contributed to a rise in foreign investment.<ref name="TR_Eco" />

==Demographics==
{{Main|Turkish people|Demographics of Turkey|Immigration to Turkey|Languages of Turkey|Education in Turkey|Religion in Turkey|Secularism in Turkey|Islam in Turkey|Christianity in Turkey|History of the Jews in Turkey}}

] in ]'s cosmopolitan ] district]]

The population of Turkey stood at 72.5 million with a growth rate of 1.45% per annum, based on the 2009 ]. It has an average ] of 92 persons per km². The proportion of the population residing in ]s is 75.5%. People within the 15–64 ] constitute 67% of the total population, the 0–14 age group corresponds 26% of the population, while 65 years and higher of age correspond to 7% of the total population.<ref>{{cite web|author=Turkish Statistical Institute|authorlink=Turkish Statistical Institute|publisher=Turkish Statistical Institute|url=http://www.turkstat.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id=6178|title=2009 Census, population statistics in 2009|accessdate=2010-01-28|year=2010}}</ref>

] stands at 71.1 years for men and 75.3 years for women, with an overall average of 73.2 years for the populace as a whole.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nkg.die.gov.tr/en/goster.asp?aile=1|title=Population and Development Indicators – Population and Demography|author=Turkish Statistical Institute|authorlink=Turkish Statistical Institute|publisher=Turkish Statistical Institute|accessdate=2010-01-28|date=2004-10-18}}</ref> ] is compulsory and free from ages 6 to 15. The literacy rate is 96% for men and 80.4% for women, with an overall average of 88.1%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nkg.die.gov.tr/en/goster.asp?aile=3|title=Population and Development Indicators – Population and Education|author=Turkish Statistical Institute|authorlink=Turkish Statistical Institute|publisher=Turkish Statistical Institute|accessdate=2010-01-28|date=2004-10-18}}</ref> The low figures for women are mainly due to the traditional customs of the ] and ] who live in the southeastern provinces of the country.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3753582.stm|title=Turkish girls in literacy battle|author=Jonny Dymond|work=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=2006-12-11|date=2004-10-18}}</ref>

Article 66 of the ] defines a "Turk" as "anyone who is bound to the Turkish state through the bond of citizenship"; therefore, the legal use of the term "Turkish" as a citizen of Turkey is different from the ethnic definition. However, the majority of the Turkish population are of ].

Other major ethnic groups (large portions of whom have been extensively Turkicized since the ] and ] periods) include the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and the three officially recognized minorities (per the ]), i.e. the ], ] and ]. Signed on January 30, 1923, a bilateral accord of ] took effect in the 1920s, with close to 1.5 million Greeks moving from Turkey and some 500,000 Turks coming from Greece.<ref>. Spiegel Online. November 28, 2006.</ref>

Minorities of ] origin include the ] (or '']'', mostly of ], ] and ] descent) who have been present in the country (particularly in ]<ref></ref> and ]<ref></ref>) since the ].

The ], a distinct ethnic group concentrated mainly in the southeastern provinces of the country, are the largest non-Turkic ethnicity, estimated at about 18% of the population according to the ].<ref name=CIA-Appendix></ref> Minorities other than the three officially recognized ones do not have any special group privileges, while the term "]" itself remains a sensitive issue in Turkey. Reliable data on the exact ethnic repartition of the population is not available since the Turkish census figures do not include statistics on ethnicity.<ref name="Turkey_Ethnic_groups">{{cite book|title=The other languages of Europe: Demographic, Sociolinguistic and Educational Perspectives|first=Guus|last=Extra|coauthors=Gorter, Durk|publisher=Multilingual Matters|year=2001|isbn=1-8535-9509-8|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1853595098&id=hvmy_skUPNYC&pg=RA1-PA422&lpg=RA1-PA422&ots=2bxjbJbuzM&dq=%22ethnic+groups+in+turkey%22&sig=gsODCAuvT1TRupKgZBsVDZf-oDE#PRA1-PA421,M1}}</ref>

] in Istanbul]]

===Language===
] is the sole ] throughout Turkey. Reliable figures for the linguistic repartition of the populace are not available for reasons similar to those cited above.<ref name="Turkey_Ethnic_groups" /> Nevertheless, the public broadcaster ] broadcasts programmes in local languages and dialects of ], ], ] and ] a few hours a week.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.byegm.gov.tr/REFERENCES/radyo-tv2002.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060830170539/http://www.byegm.gov.tr/REFERENCES/radyo-tv2002.htm|archivedate=2006-08-30|title=Historical background of radio and television broadcasting in Turkey|author=Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information|publisher=Turkish Prime Minister's Office|accessdate=2006-08-10|year=2003}}</ref> A fully fledged Kurdish language television channel, ], was opened in early 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=162643|title=Kurdish TRT|author=Nasuhi Güngör|publisher=Zaman|accessdate=2009-02-25|year=2009}}</ref>

===Religion===
Turkey is a ] with no official ]; the ] provides for ] and conscience.<ref></ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hsfk.de/downloads/prif78.pdf|format=PDF|title=Turkey: Islam and Laicism Between the Interests of State, Politics, and Society|publisher=Peace Research Institute Frankfurt|accessdate=2008-10-19}}</ref> About 99 percent of the population is registered as ], mostly ];<ref name="LoC-profile-TR">, January 2006, ], 2008-01</ref><ref name="world-factbook-tr">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html|title=Turkey|work=World Factbook|year=2007|publisher=]}}</ref> however, a 2007 survey found that about 3% of adults define their relation with religion as "having no religious conviction" or "not believing in religious obligations".<ref name="KONDA"></ref> The majority of the Muslims are Sunni (85–90%) and a large minority are ] (10–15%), a community within ] ], numbering from 7–11 million.<ref name="mgmpPRC">{{Citation|editor-last=Miller|editor-first=Tracy|month=October|year=2009|publisher=]|title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population|format=PDF|url=http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf|accessdate=2009-10-08}}</ref> There are also some ] practitioners.<ref></ref> The highest Islamic religious authority is the ] ({{lang-tr|Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı}}), it interprets the ] school of law, and is responsible for regulating the operation of the country's 75,000 registered mosques and employing local and provincial imams.<ref name=religiousfreedomreport></ref> Based on a nationwide ] in 2007 however, it showed 96.8% of Turkish citizens have a ], while 3.2% are ] and ].<ref></ref>

There are less than 100,000 minorities which follow other religions,<ref> Today's Zaman (2008-12-15). Retrieved on 2009-08-23.</ref> mainly ], mostly ], ] and ] (64,000 people) and ], mainly ] (26,000 people).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americansephardifederation.org/PDF/exhibitions/Jewish_Costumes_Early_History_Jews_in_Turkey.pdf |format=PDF|title=An Overview of the History of the Jews in Turkey|publisher=American Sephardi Federation|accessdate=2008-10-19|year=2006}}</ref><ref></ref> According to a ] report in 2002, 65% of the people believe religion is very important,<ref name="Pew Research Center">{{cite web|url=http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167|title=Pew Global Attitudes Project: Religion is very important|accessdate=2002-12-19}}</ref> while according to a ] poll in 2005, 95% of citizens responded that they believe there is a ].<ref></ref>

The ] has been headquartered in Istanbul since the fourth century AD. However, the Turkish government does not recognize the ] status of Patriarch ], who is the ] in the traditional hierarchy of Orthodox Christianity, and forces the Church to operate under significant restrictions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6001717n|title=The Patriarch Bartholomew|date=20 December 2009|work=60 Minutes|publisher=CBS News|accessdate=11 January 2010}}</ref> A number of the Church's properties and schools, such as the Greek Orthodox orphanage in ] or the ] in ], have been expropriated or closed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles5/HelsinkiGreece.php|title=The Greek Orthodox Church In Turkey: A Victim Of Systematic Expropriation|date=16 March 2005|publisher=United States Commission On Security And Cooperation In Europe|accessdate=10 May 2010}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Turkey|Turkish architecture|Turkish art|Turkish cuisine}}

] is one of the leading contemporary Turkish novelists and the winner of the 2006 ]]]
] in Istanbul]]

Turkey has a very diverse culture that is a blend of various elements of the ], ]n, ] (which was itself a continuation of both ] and ] cultures) and ] and traditions, which started with the ] and still continues today. This mix originally began as a result of the encounter of Turks and their culture with those of the peoples who were in their path during ] from Central Asia to the West.<ref name="TR_culture" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turks.org.uk/index.php?pid=8|title=Turks – A Journey of a Thousand Years: 600–1600|author=Royal Academy of Arts|authorlink=Royal Academy of Arts|publisher=Royal Academy of Arts|accessdate=2006-12-12|year=2005}}</ref>

As Turkey successfully transformed from the religion-based former Ottoman Empire into a modern nation-state with a very strong separation of state and religion, an increase in the methods of artistic expression followed. During the first years of the republic, the government invested a large amount of resources into fine arts; such as museums, theatres, opera houses and architecture. Diverse historical factors play important roles in defining the modern Turkish identity. Turkish culture is a product of efforts to be a "modern" Western state, while maintaining traditional religious and historical values.<ref name="TR_culture">{{cite book|title=Social Theory and Later Modernities: The Turkish Experience|first=İbrahim|last=Kaya|publisher=Liverpool University Press|year=2003|isbn=0-8532-3898-7|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0853238987&id=0Iy7pJBRgjYC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=Turkish+culture&sig=vfMN32AjbkM6idjKsbT7JR4zfWg#PPA49,M1}}</ref>

] and ] form great examples of such a mix of cultural influences, which were a result of the interaction between the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic world along with Europe, thus contributing to a blend of Turkic, Islamic and European traditions in modern-day Turkish music and literary arts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turkmusikisi.com/osmanli_musikisi/the_ottoman_music.htm|title=The Ottoman music|author=Cinuçen Tanrıkorur|authorlink=Cinuçen Tanrıkorur|publisher=www.turkmusikisi.com|accessdate=2006-12-12|date=}}</ref> Turkish literature was heavily influenced by ] and ] during most of the Ottoman era, though towards the end of the Ottoman Empire, particularly after the ] period, the effect of both Turkish folk and European literary traditions became increasingly felt. The mix of cultural influences is dramatized, for example, in the form of the "new symbols the clash and interlacing of cultures" enacted in the works of ], winner of the 2006 ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6044192.stm|title=Pamuk wins Nobel Literature prize|work=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=2006-12-12|date=2006-10-12}}</ref>

Architectural elements found in Turkey are also testaments to the unique mix of traditions that have influenced the region over the centuries. In addition to the traditional ] present in numerous parts of Turkey, many artifacts of the later ], with its exquisite blend of local and Islamic traditions, are to be found throughout the country, as well as in many former territories of the Ottoman Empire. ] is widely regarded as the greatest architect of the classical period in Ottoman architecture. Since the 18th century, Turkish architecture has been increasingly influenced by Western styles, and this can be particularly seen in Istanbul where buildings like ] and ]s are juxtaposed next to numerous modern skyscrapers, all of them representing different traditions.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Ottoman Architecture|first=Godfrey|last=Goodwin|publisher=Thames & Hudson|year=2003|isbn=0-5002-7429-0|url=}}</ref>

==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in Turkey}}

] in ] hosted the ]]]

The most popular sport in Turkey is ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutturkey.com/sports.htm|title=Sports in Turkey|author=Burak Sansal|publisher=allaboutturkey.com|accessdate=2006-12-13|year=2006}}</ref> Turkey's top teams include ], ] and ]. In 2000, Galatasaray cemented its role as a major European club by winning the ] and ]. Two years later the Turkish national team finished third in the ] Finals in Japan and South Korea, while in 2008 the national team reached the semi-finals of the ] competition. The ] in Istanbul hosted the ], while the ] in Istanbul hosted the ].

Other mainstream sports such as ] and ] are also popular. Turkey hosted the finals of ] and will also host the finals of the ]. The men's national basketball team finished second in EuroBasket 2001 and reached the quarter-finals of the ]; while ] won the ] in 1996, finished second in the ] of 1993, and made it to the Final Four of ] and ] in 2000 and 2001.<ref></ref> Turkish basketball players such as ] and ] have also been successful in the ]. Women's volleyball teams, namely ], ] and ], have won numerous European championship titles and medals.

The traditional Turkish national sport has been the ] (''oiled wrestling'') since Ottoman times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutturkey.com/yagligures.htm|title=Oiled Wrestling|author=Burak Sansal|publisher=allaboutturkey.com|accessdate=2006-12-13|year=2006}}</ref> ] has hosted the annual ] oiled wrestling tournament since 1361.<ref></ref> International wrestling styles governed by ] such as ] and ] are also popular, with many European, World and Olympic championship titles won by Turkish wrestlers both individually and as a national team.<ref></ref>

] has been a successful Turkish sport. Turkish weightlifters, both male and female, have broken numerous world records and won several European,<ref></ref> World and Olympic<ref></ref> championship titles. ] and ] have achieved legendary status as one of the few weightlifters to have won three gold medals in three Olympics.

] racing circuit a few hours before the ] ]]]

] have become popular recently, especially following the inclusion of the ] to the ] ] calendar in 2003,<ref></ref> and the inclusion of the ] to the ] racing calendar in 2005.<ref></ref> Other important annual motorsports events which are held at the ] racing circuit include the ], the ] ], the ] and the ]. From time to time ] and ] also host the Turkish leg of the ] championship; while the Turkish leg of the ], an ] competition, takes place above the ] in Istanbul. Surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, paragliding and other extreme sports are becoming more popular every year.


==See also== ==See also==
*]
{{Portal|Turkey}}
{{Main|Outline of Turkey}}
*]
{{Clear}}


==Notes== ==External links==
*
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==References== ==References==
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{{Foreign relations of Armenia}}
;History
* {{cite book|title=The Turks in World History|first=Carter Vaughn|last=Findley|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|year=2004|isbn=0195177266}}

* {{cite book|title=The Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire|first=Patrick|last=Kinross|publisher=Morrow|year=1977|isbn=0688030939}}

* {{cite book|title=Ataturk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey|first=Andrew|last=Mango|publisher=Overlook|year=2000|isbn=1585670111}}

* {{cite book|title=The Oxford History of Byzantium|first=Cyril|last=Mango|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|year=2002|isbn=0198140983}}

* {{cite book|title=History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey|first=Stanford Jay|last=Shaw|coauthors=Kural Shaw, Ezel|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1977|isbn=0521291631}}

* {{cite book|title=Al Hind: The Making of the Indo Islamic World, Vol. 1, Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam, 7th–11th Centuries|first=André|last=Wink|publisher=Brill Academic Publishers|year=1990|isbn=9004092498}}

;Politics
* {{cite web|title=Upsurge amidst Political Uncertainty. Nationalism in post-2004 Turkey. SWP Research Paper 2006/RP 11, October 2006|first=Ioannis N.|last=Grigoriadis|publisher=Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (German Institute for International and Security Affairs)|location=Berlin|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-07-31|year=2006|url=http://www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=3380}}

* {{cite book|title = Turkish Politics and the Military|first=William Mathew|last=Hale|publisher=Routledge (UK)|year=1994|isbn=0415024552|url=http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=50O5kEzZ1JQC&oi=fnd&pg=RA1-PA1&sig=OjT1iSBlPON-NQRoo_tc37Wa_34&dq=Turkish+Armed+Forces#PRA1-PA154,M1}}

* {{cite book|title=Political Parties in Turkey|first=Barry M.|last=Rubin|coauthors=Heper, Metin|publisher=Routledge (UK)|year=2002|isbn=0714652741}}

;Foreign relations and military
* {{cite book|title=Turkish Foreign Policy In Post Cold War Era|first=İdris|last=Bal|publisher=Universal Publishers|year=2004|isbn=1581124236|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1581124236&id=vDzjkrTDKjYC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=5PdqmRoyEn&dq=turkey+cold+war&sig=XoCrRT0pN70sZn6zvtnpdBF0HWw#PRA1-PA291,M1}}

* {{cite web|title=Generating Momentum for a New Era in U.S.-Turkey Relations|first=Steven A.|last=Cook|coauthors=Sherwood-Randall, Elizabeth|publisher=Council on Foreign Relations|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-12-17|date=2006-06-15|url=http://www.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/TurkeyCSR.pdf}}

* {{cite book|title=Outposts and Allies: U.S. Army Logistics in the Cold War, 1945–1953|first=James A.|last=Huston|publisher=Susquehanna University Press|year=1988|isbn=0941664848|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0941664848&id=ID4E3Lm8TsgC&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&ots=Yg9KqG871J&dq=turkey+cold+war&sig=d5Xry3n-9lmlUZTnM6tpFBBtxOQ#PPA177,M1}}

* {{cite book|title=Turkey and the European Union: Domestic Politics, Economic Integration, and International Dynamics|first=Barry M.|last=Rubin|coauthors=Çarkoǧlu, Ali|publisher=Routledge (UK)|year=2003|isbn=0714654027|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0714654027&id=1Nxy_E8Gds4C&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=_frveF1zQH&dq=Turkey+European+Union&sig=f3oKd0w9QWKju2W47R33TMMdz3w#PPP1,M1}}

* {{cite paper|title=Turkey/Military service|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Directorate for Movements of Persons, Migration and Consular Affairs – Asylum and Migration Division|publisher=UNHCR|format=PDF|date=July 2001|url=http://www.unhcr.org/home/RSDCOI/3c1622484.pdf}}

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;Geography and climate
* {{cite web|title=Climate of Turkey|author=Turkish State Meteorological Service|publisher=Turkish State Meteorological Service|accessdate=2006-12-27|year=2006|url=http://www.meteor.gov.tr/2006/english/eng-climateofturkey.aspx}}

;Economy
* {{cite web|title=Turkey's evolving trade integration into Pan-European markets|first=Bartolomiej|last=Kaminski|coauthors=Ng, Francis|publisher=World Bank|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-12-27|date=2006-05-01|url=http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2006/05/03/000016406_20060503112446/Rendered/PDF/wps3908.pdf}}

* {{cite book|title=Economics and Politics of Turkish Liberalization|first=Tevfik F.|last=Nas|publisher=Lehigh University Press|year=1992|isbn=093422319X}}

* {{cite book|title=OECD Reviews of Regulatory Refom – Turkey: crucial support for economic recovery : 2002|author=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|year=2002|isbn=9264198083|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9264198083&id=ufYU_fR7mLgC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=xxhe4iYB7B&dq=Turkey&sig=5WqjRxHbjn4ObFDJc_sQKuIB2sg#PPP1,M1}}

* {{cite web|title=Turkey Labor Market Study|author=World Bank|publisher=World Bank|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-12-27|year=2005|url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTTURKEY/Resources/361616-1144320150009/Labor_C2.pdf}}

;Demographics
* {{cite book|title=Religion and Politics in Turkey|first=Ali|last=Çarkoǧlu|publisher=Routledge (UK)|year=2004|isbn=0415348315|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0415348315&id=t5G_zw9exMQC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=nBltWxHPjd&dq=Religion+in+Turkey&sig=gLF9WOvOo0qZO5iwyUQSUc26Ya0#PPA28,M1}}

* {{cite book|title=The other languages of Europe: Demographic, Sociolinguistic and Educational Perspectives|first=Guus|last=Extra|coauthors=Gorter, Durk|publisher=Multilingual Matters|year=2001|isbn=1853595098|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1853595098&id=hvmy_skUPNYC&pg=RA1-PA422&lpg=RA1-PA422&ots=2bxjbJbuzM&dq=%22ethnic+groups+in+turkey%22&sig=gsODCAuvT1TRupKgZBsVDZf-oDE#PRA1-PA421,M1}}

* {{cite book|title=The Alevis in Turkey: The Emergence of a Secular Islamic Tradition|first=David|last=Shankland|publisher=Routledge (UK)|year=2003|isbn=0700716068|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0700716068&id=lFFRzTqLp6AC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&dq=Religion+in+Turkey&sig=qrG576JrBxJ4LIBqD-41ALytcAI#PPP1,M1}}

* {{cite news|title=Türkiyedeki Kürtlerin Sayısı! (Number of Kurds in Turkey!)|publisher=]|date=2008-06-06|accessdate=2008-06-07|language=Turkish|url=http://www.milliyet.com.tr/default.aspx?aType=SonDakika&Kategori=yasam&ArticleID=873452&Date=07.06.2008&ver=16}}

* {{cite web|title=2000 Census, population by provinces and districts|author=Turkish Statistical Institute|publisher=Turkish Statistical Institute|format=XLS|accessdate=2006-12-11|year=2000|url=http://www.die.gov.tr/nufus_sayimi/2000tablo5.xls}}

;Culture
* {{cite book|title=A History of Ottoman Architecture|first=Godfrey|last=Goodwin|publisher=Thames & Hudson|year=2003|isbn=0500274290}}

* {{cite book|title=Social Theory and Later Modernities: The Turkish Experience|first=İbrahim|last=Kaya|publisher=Liverpool University Press|year=2003|isbn=0853238987|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0853238987&id=0Iy7pJBRgjYC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=Turkish+culture&sig=vfMN32AjbkM6idjKsbT7JR4zfWg#PPA49,M1}}
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</div>

==Further reading==
<div class="references-small">
* {{cite book|title=The Turks Today|first=Andrew|last=Mango|publisher=Overlook|year=2004|isbn=1585676152}}

* {{cite book|title=Turkey Unveiled|first=Hugh|last=Pope|coauthors=Pope, Nicole|publisher=Overlook|year=2004|isbn=1585675814}}

* {{cite book|title=The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American Teacher in Turkey|first=Kevin|last=Revolinski|publisher=Citlembik|year=2006|isbn=9944424013}}

* Roxburgh, David J. (ed.) (2005). ''Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600.'' Royal Academy of Arts. ISBN 1-903973-56-2.

* ''Turkey: A Country Study'' (1996). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. ISBN 0-8444-0864-6.

* {{citation|volume=5|title=“Turkey, Asia and the Iranian Nuclear Crisis”|editor=M. Nicolas J. Firzli|location=Vienna, Austria|publisher=]|year=2010|series=Commentary|pages=1–4|url=http://canadianeuropean.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Turkey_Asia__Iranian_Nuclear_Crisis_Vienna_Review__May_2010.11575525.pdf}}
</div>

==External links==
{{Sisterlinks|Turkey}}

===Government===
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===Public institutions===
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===General information===
* {{CIA_World_Factbook_link|tu|Turkey}}
* from the ]
* from ]
* from the ] including Background Notes and major reports
* at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{dmoz|Regional/Middle_East/Turkey}}
* {{wikiatlas|Turkey}}

===Other===
* {{wikitravel}}
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{{Turkey topics}}

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Revision as of 05:14, 23 July 2010

Catholicos Karekin II and Archbishop Rowan Williams at the Armenian Genocide monument in Yerevan

To date, twenty six countries and 44 states of the USA have officially recognized the massacres of Armenians committed by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923 as genocide.

International organizations

Armenian genocide
Background
Genocide
By region
Demography
Resistance
Perpetrators
International response
Prosecution
Cultural depictions
Aftermath
Related

There is general agreement among genocide scholars that the events constituted genocide. Several international Armenian organizations, conducting studies of the events, have determined that the term "genocide" aptly describes "the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915–1918."

In 1985 the now-defunct United Nations subsidiary body and think tank, the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities took note and thanked the Special Rapporteur, Benjamin Whitaker, for producing his report called the Revised and Updated Report on the Question of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Whitaker Report). The report was controversial for several reasons including the contents of paragraph 24 which listed some genocides in the 20th Century. One of the genocides that the report listed was "the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915-1916", the earlier report in 1973 (which is the report being revised and updated by the Whitaker Report) to the Sub-Commission called The Study on the Question of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ruhashyankiko Report) had contained a similar allegation which had been withdrawn in the final version under pressure from Turkey, and although the Whitaker Report mentioned some genocides in the 20th Century, due to disagreements over its content by the members of the Sub-Commission, unlike the Ruhashyankiko Report, it was not forwarded to the parent organisation, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, for approval and wide dissemination.

In 1997 the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a resolution unanimously recognizing the Ottoman massacres of Armenians as genocide.

That this assembly of the Association of Genocide Scholars in its conference held in Montreal, June 11–13, 1997, reaffirms that the mass murder of over a million Armenians in Turkey in 1915 is a case of genocide which conforms to the statutes of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. It further condemns the denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish government and its official and unofficial agents and supporters.

— Among the prominent scholars who supported the resolution were: Roger W. Smith (College of William & Mary; President of AGS); Israel Charny (Hebrew University, Jerusalem); Helen Fein, Past President AGS); Frank Chalk (Concordia University, Montreal); Ben Kiernan (Yale University); Anthony Oberschall (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill); Mark Levene (Warwick University, UK); Rhoda Howard (McMaster University, Canada), Michael Freeman (Essex University, UK), Gunnar Heinsohn (Bremen University, Germany)

Since that time the IAGS have repeatedly asserted that the Ottoman massacres of Armenians as genocide for example on 7 March 2009, in an open letter to President Obama, Gregory Stanton, President IAGS stated "we urge you to 'refer to the mass slaughter of Armenians as genocide in your commemorative statement,' as you urged President George W. Bush to do in a letter dated March 18, 2005."

In February 2002 an independent legal opinion commissioned by the International Center for Transitional Justice, concluded that the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915–1918 "include all of the elements of the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention, and legal scholars as well as historians, politicians, journalists and other people would be justified in continuing to so describe them".

In 2007, the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity wrote a letter signed by 53 Nobel Laureates re-affirming the Genocide Scholars' conclusion that the 1915 killings of Armenians constituted genocide. Wiesel's organization also asserted that Turkish acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide would create no legal "basis for reparations or territorial claims", anticipating Turkish anxieties that it could prompt financial or territorial claims.

Other international organizations officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include:

Parliaments and governments

Although there has been much academic recognition of the Armenian Genocide, this has not always been followed by governmental and media recognition. Many governments, including the governments of Israel and United Kingdom, do not officially use the word "genocide" to describe these events.

On May 24, 1915, during World War I, the Allied Powers (Britain, France, and Russia) jointly issued a statement in which they said that for about a month the Kurd and Turkish populations of Armenia has been massacring Armenians with the connivance and often assistance of Ottoman authorities and that the Allied Powers would hold personally responsible for crimes against humanity all members of the Ottoman Government, implicated in such crimes.

First, in 2001, the Canadian province of Quebec independently of its federal government, then, in 2004, the government of Canada itself recognized the Armenian Genocide. In 2007 the Parliament of the State of New South Wales passed a motion condemning the genocide and called on the Australian Federal Government to do the same, and in March 2009 the Parliament of South Australia passed a similar motion.

In recent years, parliaments of several countries, including France and Switzerland, have formally recognized the event as genocide. Turkish entry talks with the European Union were met with a number of calls to consider the event as genocide, though it never became a precondition.

Political map showing countries which officially recognize the events as genocide. Areas in light green represent countries where certain political parties, provinces and/or municipalities have recognized the events as genocide, independently from the government as a whole.

Sovereign states officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include:

United States' several official documents are describing the events as genocide (1975, 1984, 1996), President Ronald Reagan also described the events as genocide in his speech on April 22, 1981. Also, 44 of the 50 U.S. states have made individual proclamations recognizing the events of 1915 to 1923 as genocide. As of March 4, 2010, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs has recognized the massacres of 1915 as 'genocide.' The Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) have as their main lobbying agenda the pressing of Congress and the President of the United States for an increase of economic aid to Armenia (already the second largest per capita after Israel) and the reduction of economic and military assistance to Turkey. The efforts also include reaffirmation of a genocide by Ottoman Turkey in 1915.

Despite his previous public recognition and support of Genocide bills, as well as the election campaign promises to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide , the U.S. President, Barrack Obama, although repeating that his views on the issue have not changed, has thus far abstained from using the term 'genocide'.. In April 24 commemoration speeches President Obama has yet referred to the Armenian Genocide only by the Armenian synonym Metz Eghern ("Mec Eġeṙn"). On 24/04/2010 President Obama stated:

On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that ninety-five years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. Today is a day to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible events. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. It is in all of our interest to see the achievement a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts. The Meds Yeghern is a devastating chapter in the history of the Armenian people, and we must keep its memory alive in honor of those who were murdered and so that we do not repeat the grave mistakes of the past.

A major obstacle for wider recognition of the genocide in the world is the position of Turkey, which states there was no will to exterminate population and the 1915 massacres were the consequences of war. Azerbaijan, being in deep strategic alliance with Turkey and in a state of war against Armenia, shares the position of Turkey. Azeri and Turkish relationships are often described by the leaders of those as "1 nation, 2 states". Israel, Denmark and United Kingdom believe that the genocide recognition should be discussed by historians not politicians. There was a move by activists in Bulgaria to acknowledge the genocide, but it was voted down. Shortly after the decision of the parliament several of the biggest municipalities in Bulgaria accepted a resolution for recognizing the genocide. The resolution was first passed in Plovdiv followed by Burgas, Ruse, Stara Zagora, Pazardzhik and others. Position of the UK is that it condemns the massacres, but did not find them qualified enough under 1948 UN Convention on Genocide to call them genocide and did not believe the UN Convention rules could be applied retroactively. In 2000 an Early Day Motion recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the UK Parliament was signed by 185 MP's.. There is also a movement of Kurdish recognition of the killings as genocide. Kurds played a major role in the Armenian Genocide, as they were the primary tool used by the Ottoman authorities to carry out the killings. Many modern Kurds acknowledge the killings and apologize in the name of their ancestors who committed atrocities to Armenians and Assyrians in the name of the Ottoman Empire. See Kurdish recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The Ukrainian town Izyum recognized the killings as genocide on New Year's Eve 2009 but after lobbying by the Crimea Azerbaijanis community their City Council canceled that decision on April 1, 2010. This is the first case in the world when the decision on a recognition was cancelled.

Media

Media officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include:

Recent developments

On 9 September 2004, President Mohammad Khatami of Iran visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Tsitsernakaberd in Yerevan.

On June 15, 2005 the German Bundestag passed a resolution that "honors and commemorates the victims of violence, murder and expulsion among the Armenian people before and during the First World War". The German resolution also states: "The German parliament deplores the acts of the Government of the Ottoman Empire regarding the almost complete destruction of Armenians in Anatolia and also the inglorious role of the German Reich in the face of the organized expulsion and extermination of Armenians which it did not try to stop. Women, children and elderly were from February 1915 sent on death marches towards the Syrian desert."

The expressions 'organized expulsion and extermination' resulting in the 'almost complete destruction of Armenians' is sufficient in any language to amount to formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide, although of course the crime of 'genocide' had not been legally defined in 1915. The Resolution also contains an apology for German responsibility.

In 2006, the French parliament submitted a bill to create a law that would punish any person denying the Armenian genocide with up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of €45,000. Despite Turkish protests, the French National Assembly adopted a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The bill has been criticized as an attempt to garner votes from among the 500,000 ethnic Armenians of France. This criticism has come not only from within Turkey, but also from independent sources, such as Orhan Pamuk, Hrant Dink, former French President Jacques Chirac and U.S. diplomat Daniel Fried.

On 10 May 2006, the Bulgarian Government rejected a bill on recognition of the Armenian Genocide. This came after Emel Etem Toshkova, the Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria and one of the leaders of the MRF, the main Turkish party in Bulgaria, declared that her party would walk out of the coalition government if the bill was passed. The bill itself was brought forward by the nationalist Ataka party.

International bodies that recognise the Armenian genocide include the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the World Council of Churches and the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal. The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), has recognised the 1915 genocide in three different resolutions, the latest (October 5, 2007) extending the recognition to, in addition to Armenians, also include the Assyrians/Syrians and Anatolian and Pontic Greeks among the affected minorities:

WHEREAS the denial of genocide is widely recognized as the final stage of genocide, enshrining impunity for the perpetrators of genocide, and demonstrably paving the way for future genocides;

WHEREAS the Ottoman genocide against minority populations during and following the First World War is usually depicted as a genocide against Armenians alone, with little recognition of the qualitatively similar genocides against other Christian minorities of the Ottoman Empire;

BE IT RESOLVED that it is the conviction of the International Association of Genocide Scholars that the Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities of the Empire between 1914 and 1923 constituted a genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Pontian and Anatolian Greeks.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Association calls upon the government of Turkey to acknowledge the genocides against these populations, to issue a formal apology, and to take prompt and meaningful steps toward restitution.

On 4 September 2006, Members of the European Parliament voted for the inclusion of a clause prompting Turkey "to recognise the Armenian genocide as a condition for its EU accession" in a highly critical report, which was adopted by a broad majority in the foreign relations committee of the European Parliament. This requirement was later dropped on 27 September 2006 by the general assembly of the European Parliament by 429 votes in favor to 71 against, with 125 abstentions. In dropping the pre-condition of acceptance of the Armenian genocide, (which could not be legally demanded of Turkey), The European Parliament said: “MEPs nevertheless stress that, although the recognition of the Armenian genocide as such is formally not one of the Copenhagen criteria, it is indispensable for a country on the road to membership to come to terms with and recognise its past.”

On September 26, 2006, the two largest political parties in the Netherlands, Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the Labour Party (PvdA), removed three Turkish-Dutch candidates for the 2006 general election, because they either denied or refused to publicly declare that the Armenian Genocide had happened. The magazine HP/De Tijd reported that the number 2 of the PvdA list of candidates, Nebahat Albayrak (who was born in Turkey and is of Turkish descent) had acknowledged that the term "genocide" was appropriate to describe the events. Albayrak denied having said this and accused the press of putting words in her mouth, saying that "I'm not a politician that will trample my identity. I've always defended the same views everywhere with regard to the 'genocide'". It was reported that a large section of the Turkish minority were considering boycotting the elections. Netherlands' Turkish minority numbers 365,000 people, out of which 235,000 are eligible to vote.

On November 29, 2006, the lower house of Argentina's parliament adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The bill was overwhelmingly adopted by the assembly and declared April 24, the international day of remembrance for the Armenian genocide as an official "day of mutual tolerance and respect" among peoples around the world.

On July 17, 2006, the Brazilian state of Ceará became the second state after São Paulo to ratify a bill recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

On March 8, 2007, Turkish nationalist Doğu Perinçek became the first person convicted by a court of law for denying the Armenian Genocide, found guilty by a Swiss district court in Lausanne. Perinçek appealed the verdict. The conviction was upheld by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court on December 12, 2007.

On April 20, 2007, the Basque Parliament approved an institutional declaration recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The Basque Parliament included six articles where it affirms the authenticity of the Armenian Genocide and declares sympathy to the Armenians, while at the same time denouncing Turkey's negation of the genocide and its economic blockade imposed on Armenia.

On June 5, 2007, the Chilean Senate uninanimously adopted a legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide and urging its government to support a key 1985 United Nations Subcommission report properly describing this crime against humanity as a clear instance of genocide.

Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League has been criticized by Robert Spencer for not acknowledging the Armenian genocide due to fear of worsening relations between Israel and the republic of Turkey. On August 21, 2007, the Anti-Defamation League recognized the Armenian Genocide as "tantamount to genocide," following their controversial refusal to support the proposed recognition by Representative Adam Schiff.

The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved HR 106, a bill that categorised and condemned the Ottoman Empire for the Genocide, on October 10, 2007, by a 27-21 vote. However, some of the support for the bill from both Democrats and Republicans eroded after the White House warned against the possibility of Turkey restricting airspace as well as ground-route access for US military and humanitarian efforts in Iraq in response to the bill. Passage of the bill is currently in doubt.

In response to the House Foreign Affairs Committee's decision on the bill, Turkey ordered their ambassador to the United States to return to Turkey for "consultations."

On November 23, 2007, the Mercosur parliament adopted a resolution recognizing the “Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, which took 1.5 million lives from 1915 to 1923.” The Mercosur resolution also expressed its support for the Armenian Cause and called on all countries to recognize the Genocide.

On January 19, 2008 then U.S. Senator, now U.S. President Barack Obama released a statement: "Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term "genocide" to describe Turkey's slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. I shared with Secretary Rice my firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence. The facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an untenable policy. As a senator, I strongly support passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide." He has since backed off of those statements, stating only that his opinion hasn't changed and refusing to use the word genocide. On April 24, 2009, the President of U.S. Barack Obama stated:

"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts."

To date, 44 U.S. states have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide.

On March 29, 2000 the Swedish parliament approved a report, recognizing the Armenian Genocide and calling for Turkey's greater openness and an "unbiased independent and international research on the genocide committed against the Armenian people". On June 12, 2008, the Swedish parliament, with a vote 245 to 37 (1 abstain, 66 absent), rejected a call for recognition of the 1915 genocide in the Ottoman Empire. On June 11, a long debate took place in the Swedish Parliament in regard to the Foreign Committee report on Human Rights, including five motions calling upon the Swedish Government and Parliament to officially recognize the genocide. The MPs adhered to the recommendation by the Swedish Foreign Ministry and Foreign Committee, arguing that there are "disagreements among scholars" in regard to the nature of the WWI events in Turkey, the non-retroactive nature of the UN Genocide Convention, and that the issue "should be left to historian". However, the Foreign Committee report stated that "The Committee understands that what happened to Armenians, Assyrians/Syrians and Chaldeans during the Ottoman Empire's reign would probably be regarded as genocide according to the 1948 convention, if it had been in power at the time of the event." Three days prior to the debate in the Parliament, a petition, signed by over 60 renowned genocide scholars was published, calling on politicians in general, and the Swedish parliamentarians in specific, not to abuse the name of science in denying a historic fact. On March 11, 2010, the Swedish parliament finally recognized the 1915 genocide.

In December 2008, a group of Turkish intellectuals launched an online petition for people who want to apologize in a personal capacity. The writers of the petition used the word "the Great Catastrophe" regarding the events. The petition, hosted at http://www.ozurdiliyoruz.com/ (Turkish for "We apologize"), gained upwards of 10,000 signatures in a matter of days. In the face of a backlash, the Turkish president defended the petition, citing freedom of speech. An opposition group soon launched a Web site called http://www.ozurbekliyorum.com/ (Turkish for "I expect an apology"), raising an even higher number of signatures. The Prime Minister sided with the opposition, and a national debate ensued. Turkish citizens of Armenian descent watch from the sidelines.

On 9 October 2009, former UN Judge Geoffrey Robertson QC released a lengthy report that found that there was an Armenian genocide. The report noted that recent British governments have said there is not enough evidence. He found that the British government’s Foreign Office was well aware of the unethical nature of the statements and had described Turkey as “neuralgic” on the issue. He concluded that “the advice provided by the to , and reproduced by ministers in parliamentary answers... reflects neither the law of genocide nor the demonstrable facts of the massacres in 1915 – 16.”Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

On January 27, 2010 First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones recognized the Armenian Genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day.

On March 4, 2010 the House Foreign Affairs Committee (USA) passed a non-binding resolution describing the killing of Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I as genocide. The resolution was approved by 23 votes to 22 by the committee and "calls on President Barack Obama to ensure that US foreign policy reflects an understanding of the 'genocide' and to label the World War I killings as such in his annual statement on the issue."

On March 5, 2010, the Catalonian Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide on the initiative of the members of Barcelona’s Friendship Union with Armenia.

On March 11, 2010 the Swedish Parliament voted to describe the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Empire in 1915 as Genocide. The resolution was adopted with 131 deputies voting in favour of the resolution and 130 voting against it.

On March 25, 2010 the Serbian Radical Party submitted a draft resolution to the Serbian parliament condemning the genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey against Armenians from 1915 to 1923. SRS submitted the draft so that Serbia can join the countries which have condemned the genocide.

See also

External links

References

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  124. http://itwasgenocide.armenica.org Petition signed by over 60 gencide scholars urging to recognise the 1915 genocide for what it is
  125. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE62A2IJ.htm
  126. "'Ermenilerden özür dileyenler tarihî gerçekleri saptırıyor'". Zaman (in Turkish). Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  127. "Turkish pres defends apology campaign to Armenians". Hurriyet English. 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
  128. "Turkish PM scorns Armenia apology". BBC News. 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-12-18. {{cite news}}: |section= ignored (help)
  129. Sevimay, Devrim (2008-12-22). "Bu kampanya hem geç, hem çok erken..." Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2008-12-22. {{cite news}}: |section= ignored (help)
  130. http://eafjd.eu/spip.php?breve2353
  131. ^ "US vote attacks Turkey 'genocide'". BBC News. March 4, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  132. Catalonia Parliament recognizes the Armenian Genocide
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