100,000 Illegal Armenians in Turkey? Not True, Says Abdullah Gül

The number of illegal Armenians in Turkey as stated by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is not accurate, said President of Turkey Abdullah Gül, reports Turkish daily Hürriyet, commenting on Erdoğan’s recent statement that he would deport all illegal Armenians living in Turkey should the Armenian Diaspora make efforts to have more parliaments adopt resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

“The prime minister just wanted to present, on that issue, Turkey’s positive approach. The real number is not 100,000. It’s less than that. The prime minister, in an effort to explain that there is no hatred towards those who work in such a way in Turkey, used that example,” said the Turkish president.

Asked whether he would speak to US President Barack Obama because, following the US congressional panel approving H.Res.252 recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the crisis between the US and Turkey continues, Gül replied: “I’m no longer going to speak to Obama on that issue. There’s nothing left to say. We’ve said everything... We’ve spoken about everything... We’ve presented our opinions and our good intentions.”

In his words, decisions such as the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution complicate the normalization procces between Turkey and Armenia.

“In any case, problems in the Caucasus are our problems. The current situation benefits neither Turkey nor Armenia nor Azeribajan. We’ll do everything possible for the establishment of peace in the Caucasus...,” said Gül.