Rash measures over "Gallipoli initiative" and its cancellation have unveiled Turkey leadership's panic ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial, Ruben Safrastyan, Director of the Oriental Studies Institute, National Academy of Science of Armenia, told ArmInfo.
According to Today's Zaman the centennial commemorations of the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I initiated by the Turkish government and to be celebrated on April 24 of this year -- the same date as the centennial commemorations of the "Armenian genocide" -- have been cancelled due to the unwillingness of international leaders to visit Ankara and overshadow the genocide ceremonies in Yerevan.
"If confirmed, Zaman's reports will become a shame to the Turkish authorities, given that the Gallipoli commemorations were cancelled for lack of international interest in Ankara's initiative," the Turkologist said. Safrastyan believes that the world community has adequately responded to the cynical and immoral idea of Ankara, and the leaders of most of the invited countries refused to participate in the Gallipoli comedy. The reports disseminated by Zaman, inherently, belong to Fethullah Gulen and shows how deep are the discrepancies in the Turkish elite. On the other hand, Gulen and his movement still remain part of that elite. "I think, we should not disregard that the United States might stand behind that story," the Turkologist said.
The Gallipoli celebrations have been cancelled. All preparations have been suspended as the number of RSVPs to the invitation is not positive. Only five countries have accepted the invitation and they will not be represented by high-level officials, Ankara has not made any official statement on the cancellation of the Gallipoli event yet.