Turkologist: Such a statement may damage authority of Russian Patriarch

Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute (AGMI) Hayk Demoyan declined to comment on the statement of Russian Patriarch Kirill regarding the annihilation of Christians in the Ottoman Empire. He said he would prefer not to discuss with reporters the reason for his decision.

“It is not to be made public,” he told Panorama.am.

Director of the Institute of History of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences Ashot Melkonyan told Panorama.am that the perception of the Ottoman Empire in the world differs from its perception in scientific circles.

“One proof of this is the celebration of the 700th anniversary of the Ottoman Empire by UNESCO in 1999 as a civil manifestation. It is a disgrace that because the Ottoman Empire was an enemy of civilization and it came to destroy the Byzantine civilization. It did not introduce any innovations in the global civilization, quite the opposite, it destroyed many values of indigenous peoples,” Melkonyan said.

Turkologist Levon Hovsepyan said in an interview with Panorama.am that Russian Patriarch’s statements have some political overtones. Yet he believes that Patriarch Kirill’s remarks did not contain any messages.

“Patriarch’s incorrect wordings are leading to the distortion of historical reality, which may actually damage authority of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church,” he said.  

According to Hovespyan, Patriarch’s opinions about the Ottoman Empire, particularly the one that people lived in harmony in the Ottoman Empire - even if it was a wrong formulation – are unbecoming for a religious leader.

“Drawing such a parallel may undermine authority of the Russian Patriarch.  Realizing that the statement would draw heated response and opposition, the spokesman edited it,” Hovespyan said, adding that Patriarch’s words about the peoples living in harmony and his misconceptions are typical of some Russian academic circles.