“The 2^nd of April is officially the day of the liberation of Van. However, a person considering himself a human being with remorse views that day as the day of assaults and massacres against the Armenians and their deportations,” writes correspondent for the Turkish Radikal Rdvan Shahin, as ermenihaber.am reports.

In his article “Even If The Armenians Forgive, God Won’t”, the author reflects on Turkey’s initiative to celebrate “the 97^th anniversary of the liberation of Van”.

“This period 97 years ago was the period when the person having killed 7 Armenians was promised to be in heaven. In 1918, the Turks expelled the Armenians of Van. They brutally executed the rest and discussed how they could kill a couple of people at once. They were subject to incredible tortures.”

Rdvan Shahin cites the words from a Turkish poet who said: “I am from Van, I am famous, my sword is bloody”.

“I am from Van, I killed many Armenians, my sword is bloody, that’s why I am famous”-this is how the author of the article interprets the words.

The Radikal’s columnist also reflects on the myths about Van in Turkey, the aim of which is to forget the Armenian origin of Van and create new history. One of the myths is about the origin of the Akhtamar island of Van. According to the Turkish version, the island was named in honor of Georgian Queen Tamar, and the church on the island was built in her honor.

“The Turks made up stories to eliminate traces of Armenians and further deepen assimilation. We were tricked into believing those stories and spread the word for years,” writes Shahin.

Not ruling out the official version that Turkey often cites, saying that the Armenians were traitors and teamed up with the enemy and were deported because of that, the journalist expresses certainty that in such case the government had to punish the specific traitors, not kill innocent women, children and the elderly.

The columnist ends his article with the following: “Today, it is our duty to examine the reality and listen to the voice of our remorse to tell the truth and state the facts. Forgive us…Our ancestors weren’t able to protect your ancestors. We ask for your forgiveness”.