Apology campaign draws reaction, criticisms

A statement by more than 50 former Turkish ambassadors criticizing an initiative to apologize for the 1915 killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans is making for a "lively discussion," said President Abdullah Gul yesterday. "Turkey is a country where everyone can express their opinions," he added. "So various groups and persons can come together and express their opinions." Also criticizing the online apology initiative, started by a group of scholars, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "I don't accept this campaign, I don't support this campaign, I don't take part in it. We committed no crimes, so we don't need to apologize." He added that he had difficulty understanding the scholars because the campaign is being very disruptive. Asked about the initiative at a reception hosted by Kazakh Ambassador to Ankara Bagdad Amreyev, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that retired ambassadors had already made the proper response. In related news, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Burak Ozuergin said that all issues are open for discussion in Turkey and that foreign policy must take into account the public's views. Sayinig that both the campaign and the ambassadors' statement are private initiatives, he added that Turkey's stance on the incidents of 1915 is public and well known.