Exaggerated Armenian claims fuel terrorism
Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
Re: An overlooked outrage, July 11.

The Citizen certainly has all the right to appreciate and praise a film by a distinguished and successful Canadian film director.
When it comes to passing judgment beyond the film, on the tragic events in history which are of a highly controversial nature, it should be the responsibility of the journalist to be objective and knowledgeable.
It is totally wrong to state that Armenian claims are neglected. On the contrary, they are grossly exaggerated and regrettably, constantly nourished with distortions and half truths so much so that the hatred they instilled in young minds led to the murdering of 42 innocent Turkish diplomats and officials as well as many others in 15 years by the Armenian terrorists some seven decades after the tragic events of the First World War.
Three of these terrorist attacks took place in Ottawa, killing a Turkish military attaché and a Canadian security official, paralyzing another Turkish diplomat for the rest of his life and seriously wounding a Turkish ambassador, between 1982 and 1985. One should talk of "an overlooked Armenian terrorism" nourished by stories based on misinformation and distortion of facts. Media should certainly approach this sensitive and delicate issue with more care.
The question is neither denial nor revisionism. It is the need to look at the historical facts objectively, without a bias, and make an honest and fair assessment. After all, what sort of genocide is this where the Turkish Muslim losses were more than two million, far more than the Armenian losses?
Turks and Armenians have to live side by side as geography dictates. They lived together peacefully for so many centuries. Reconciliation is a must and sooner or later it will be achieved. The way to that is not one-sided, unfair and unsubstantiated incriminations.
Armenians should also learn to come to terms with their history. Only then the way to reconciliation will be opened and the future can be built to the benefit of both nations.

Erhan Ogüt, Ottawa
Ambassador, Embassy of Turkey

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Dark times
Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, July 16, 2002

Your article does its job by advertising the movie Ararat, pulls the wool over readers' eyes who do not know the history of the Ottoman Empire, and offends the people who are Turkish and had nothing to do with these events. Atom Egoyan's film is most welcome as a movie. However, it would offend the majority of Turkish people if it por-trayed the only victims as being Armenians. No one denies the killings of Armenians during the last years of the Ottoman Empire; however, Turkish people were also murdered.
I am a Canadian citizen of Turkish descent and none of my ancestors were involved in these events. There are millions of Turkish people in Turkey and in the world who have nothing to do with these events.
So, how fair is it to state in your article that the killings and not accepting these killings "properly" is a stain on the Turkish nation? What is the definition of a proper acceptance of events?
I feel sorry for the people who suffered, and lost their lives and families during one of the dark times of humanity.

Mehmet Can Çiplak, Ottawa