Facts About the Armenian Mass Relocation

The basic goal of the –largely socialist– Hunchak and Dashnak resistance movements founded around 1890 was to gain independence for Armenians through revolution. When the Ottoman Empire decided to enter WWI alongside Germany in 1914, some Armenians under the influence of these movements, allied with the Russians, British and French. As a result, these Armenians started riots in thirty-three different regions, during which thousands of Turks, Kurds and Assyrians lost their lives. These riots plunged the empire into an atmosphere of complete disorder and turmoil.

Having just lost the Balkans in 1912, the Ottoman Empire during those days was facing numerous problems at different fronts: massacres and mass deportations were underway in Bulgaria and Caucasus and only in 1914, more than one million Turks were forced to leave Yerevan and Tiflisi. Only 702,000 would return.

On April 24, 1915, the Sublime Porte ordered the arrest of 253 leaders of the Armenian gangs who were responsible for the riots. 180 of them were sent to various jails. The Ottoman administration decided that the Armenian population should be relocated to various distant areas that were not connected to conflicts. While the rationality of the decision to relocate the Armenian population revealed questionable judgment in the way national security was handled, it is quite clear that the decision was based on a desire to ensure the safety of the innocent Armenian civilians that had already suffered due to the situation. Many women, children and elderly living in conflict zones had trouble accessing food, clean water or medical assistance due to the riots, while many others lost their lives in gang attacks. For this reason, Armenians living close to the conflict zones were relocated to Syria, a southern Ottoman territory.

The Ottoman Council of Ministers' decision of May 30, 1915 is a testament to the Ottoman administration's just approach to the issue. So much so, the decision introduced strict measures to help the relocated citizens, including careful protection of their lives and properties, allocations from the refugee fund for their needs, granting of property and lands depending on their circumstances, government-built homes, supply of humanitarian aid including food, equipment, medical supplies, daily medical checks, transportation by train for women, children and sick individuals, among others. Furthermore, it was declared that any attempt to attack the Armenians on their way would be punished in the most severe manner in court martial.

The Armenian issue was manufactured as a British deep state propaganda, which was at war with the Ottoman Empire at the time. Today, for similar political reasons, the lie is still being kept alive. Such propaganda and lies propagated by means of media and secret agents will be covered in more detail in the next chapter.

Armenians are our brothers, sisters, friends; they are our citizens. The British deep state played a very sinister game during wartime and pitted brother against brother, and tore them apart. We were never happy with the fact that Armenian people had to leave these lands even if was a requisite of the status quo. At this point, it is both important and desirable that the grandchildren of our brothers and sisters who had to leave during those days, return back to Turkey to once again live happily with their fraternal people, the Turks. We long to see the days when the Turkey-Armenia border is opened and our long-lost brothers and sisters come back to resume their lives in Turkey as their own country whenever they wish, and continue to display their excellence in arts and trade as before. When this happens, not only we will be reunited, but the ongoing nefarious games of the British deep state will be foiled.