110 years ago an Armenian was sitting in you chair, Paylan tells Cavusoglu

Garo Paylan, Turkish lawmaker of Armenian descent from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), has reminded Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that 110 years ago an Armenian was sitting in his place, urging him to renounce nationalism and discrimination, ermenihaber reported.

Addressing the parliament on Monday, Paylan pointed out that somehow, for centuries, in the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman Empires, different peoples were able to live together in the region. He added: “But for 150 years, the disease of nationalism has penetrated this region together with the disease of privilege. At that time they said: ‘We are Turks.’ Were there people before the Turks came? We lived together, and together we founded a civilization. They take pride in the creations of the architect Sinan, but Sinan was an Armenian from Kayseri. Whatever we did, we did it together. Then came the disease of nationalism and privilege”.

Paylan recalled that Armenian MP Krikor Zohrab, who raised equal rights and coexistence in the Ottoman Parliament more than a hundred years ago, was brutally murdered during the Genocide. According to the Armenian deputy, the Armenian and Greek peoples were betrayed.

Paylan emphasized that the history of the Turks cannot be told without the Armenians and Kurds and vice versa. He then turned to Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, who was sitting in the hall, reminding him that for years he had been urging him to use the words compatriots or fellow citizens instead of nationals in his speeches in Parliament.

“110 years ago an Armenian was sitting where you are now and, theoretically, I too could sit there one day too. Would you like me to address the rest of those present calling them fellow nationals or say that I am doing this or that for my blood relatives? Surely you would not like that. This country does not have nationals, it has citizens,” Paylan told the Turkish minister.