Turkey has to confront the Armenian Genocide, and the Kurds have to speak out about that tragedy. The Kurdish delegation led by Kurdish public figure Ismayil Beshikchi is in Yerevan, reports armnewstv.am.

Beshikchi has been involved with the Kurdish issue and has been speaking out about Turkey’s policy against the Kurds for several years. He has stated several times that the state of the Kurds in Republican Turkey is similar to the state of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire a century ago. According to him, for the most part, the international community didn’t give an adequate response, just like it didn’t give an adequate response in the 1890s when the Armenians were being massacred by the Kurdish Ashirets.

One of the people in the audience said unlike the Jews, the Armenians were massacred in their homeland and deprived of it. In his speech, the Kurdish figure always used the term “Kurdistan” and said he preferred to use the older and more acceptable terms “Armenia” or “Western Armenia” and mainly agreed with the comment.

The delegation also includes famous Kurdish political figure, former mayor of Diyarbekir Osman Baydemir. It was during Baydemir’s term in office when the small number of Armenians and incognito Armenians of Diyarbekir spoke out about their Armenian identity. It was during his term in office when the Saint Kirakos Armenian Church of Diyarbekir was rebuilt with the support of the municipality and through funding provided by the local Armenians. The Kurdish figures recognize the Armenian Genocide. Generally speaking, Turkey’s circles of Kurdish political figures have announced several times that they recognize the existence of the Armenian Cause alongside the Kurdish issue, but there is a clash of interests in regard to many issues, particularly territorial issues.