Turkish not contrite over Armenian genocide

I agree with Mr Edward Horgan’s letter regarding the Armenian Genocide (Irish Examiner, April 28) in which he writes: “The failure to acknowledge genocide ensures other evil states and dictators will be encouraged to commit similar crimes knowing the Armenian genocide was such a dreadful “success” ... Hitler learned these lessons and went on to commit the Holocaust against the Jewish people.”

I was privileged to hear an acknowledged expert on the topic Dr Margaret Brearley speak in Dublin some years ago under the aegis of the Holocaust Educational Trust.

She mentioned in her lecture the considerable German army involvement during WW1— when German and Turkey were allies — in the deportation and murder of the Armenians.

Hitler is indeed reputed to have said in the 1930s when planning the destruction of the Jews of Europe, “who now remembers what happened to the Armenians ?”

We can now see this and what happened in German South West Africa were indeed templates for what occurred later on in the 20th Century.

The Germans of today are contrite — the Turkish Government is still not.

FR Baigel

Ravensway

Bury

Lancs

UK