Interview of Professor Doctor Dmitry D. Vasilyev from Institute of RAS, Moscow, Russia.
Q: How do you assess Turkey-Armenia opening?
A: I am studying on Turkish history in Russia since long years, and i follow daily debates and developments in Turkey attentively. Protocols that were signed in Zurich on October 10 was a sign of a new period. A new period has started between Turkey and Armenia. Resolution of this dispute is important also for Russia. Russia supports the peace in Caucasus. Caucasus is very important for Russia, and it always has been important in the history of Russia.
Q: Turkey and Armenia agreed on establishment of a committee of historians and opening state archives for researches. Are there documents in Russian archives which may bear a torch on 1915 events?
A: Certainly. Russian archives on Ottoman Empire are richer than any other neighbour of Ottomans. And today Soviet archives are open, and there are 700 thousand documents on Ottoman Empire only in the archives in Moscow. There are documents on Ottoman Empire in Foreign Ministry Archives, Russian Tzardom Archives, Police Ministry Archives, Ministry of Internal Affairs Archives, Old Documents Archives. We are ready to support analysts who want to make researches in Russian archives. But there is not much demand. The content of Russian archives is not known well enough, there is much information both about Turks and Armenians.
Q: Would it operate successfully if Turks and Armenians establish a committee of historians?
A: We had established such a committee eight years ago. Turkish Historical Society and Russian Academy of Science were authorized. Turkish party was being represented by Historian Ilber Ortayli and I was representing Russia. This committee held several conferences and published new books. We were able to hold objective researches together. Such a committee may be established by Turkey and Armenia too.
Q: Are there Armenian historians who come for studying Russian archives?
A: Maybe they do but i did not see any.
Q: How do you assess deportation of Armenians in 1915?
A: Civil Wars leave serious marks in the countries that they emerge. There is nothing more tragic for a country when its citizens start war against each other. That had happened in Russia too. There are Russian officers who mentioned the clashes between Turkish and Armenian people in Eastern Anatolia. There are documents in our archives that tell there are Russian soldiers who defended Turkish families against Armenians. Turkish historians already wrote about these.
Q: How do Russian books tell 1915 events?
A: It is mentioned as a civil war.
Q: Which countries besides Russia have archives related to 1915 events in Ottoman Empire?
A: There was a rivalry between Russian and English agents in the region. A comparison between Russian and English archives may bring serious results. Other than that, we know several universities in United States have archives on 1915 events. These should be reviewed.
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