Özet

The relocation of the Ottoman Armenians in 1915 is one of the most significant and controversial issues of Turkish-Armenian relations, producing two alternative and opposing narratives. While the Ottoman-Turkish narrative of these years attracts attention to the suffering of these two nations and focuses on the mutuality of grievances, the Armenian narrative insists on the recognition of 1915 relocation by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide. This study tries to answer the question whether the 1915 relocation fits into the genocide definition of the Genocide Convention. In doing that, it intends to remain within the confines of the Convention, while it compares Turkish and Armenian narratives on this legal basis. It argues that while the Armenian relocation had unintended tragic consequences for the Ottoman Armenians, legally, the genocidal intent argument is subject to legitimate debate.