But they felt that this was imposed upon them at the instigation of Armenian leaders. and therefore they felt they had to teach the Armenians a lesson. The First World War gave them the opportunity to do this. Soon after the outbreak of that war. the Turkish authorities proceeded to carry out their hideous plan of exterminating the Armenian population of Turkey through deportation. starvation. and wholesale massacres. In less than a year they succeeded in their ghastly task while European friends of the Armenian people were involved in the war and therefore unable to help. It is the 50th anniversary of that tragedy that is being observed this year. with sadness and solemnity. in all Armenian communities throughout the world. commemorating the martyrdom of more than 1 million Armenians.
Keywords matched
deportation