The decision of “Dispatch and Settlement Law”, which was passed by Ottoman Government on 27 May 1915, has turned a new page in the memories of the Turks and Armenian societies. As is known, the advance of the Russian in Eastern Anatolia during the First World War force the Ottoman Government to take measures about it. The essence of “Dispatch and Settlement Law” to enable the emigration of the Ottoman Armenians to the other Ottoman provinces where it safer and where there was basically of “cooperation with the enemy and providing logistical support to the enemy”. But it was not easy to enforce of this law although measures and cares were taken. The matter was carried to the phase that it has been discussed for the past 100 years and ignored 1000 years of relationships between two societies. The future of these two countries, which are expected to become neighbours, has been condemned to this story.
As Marmara University, we put a project, which aims to be a device in order that two societies should face the history and show all part of the picture to the world opinion, into effect . We intend to tell the relationships of Turks- Armenian, which altough most of people are interested in it but also without knowledge and opinion, through our web site that services in the languages of Turkish, English and French, which is under construction. Prof. Dr. Zekeriya Kurşun, Lecturer in Marmara University, carried out and coordinated the given project in which the Turks and Armenians relationships was approached at ten category and with more than 100 articles. 29 Professor, 17 Associate Professor and 22 Assistant Professor and researchers from various universities and interpretes contributed to this project in which the history knowledge of Turkey in this field is reflected.
As Marmara University, we are aware of the results of the events that had happened 100 year ago and so we invite two societies to face the realities of their history and make the fair trial in their past. The big picture in the thousand year old Turkish-Armenian relations, which had been in memories for centuries, got lost in recent years by the discourses developed as unilateral. This was replaced by the events of 1915 and the consequences of the Dispatch and Settlement Law in relation to that. We accept with sorrow the pains of the armenians who are one of the most significiant colours of Anatolia. But it needs to look at history in coherence and we aim at revealing the big picture of Turks and Armenians relationships throughout the history. Our goal is to appeal to the witnessing of history and reconstitute the future of these two societies by mentioning the memories of them with at least a hundred articles after the events taking place 100 years ago. Click here for our web site.
Prof.M.Emin ARAT
Rector of Marmara University
