Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Yerevan to understand the historical events of 1915 with “reason and without hatred.”
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The twenty-fourth of April marks the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan previously stated the need to overcome the emotional shock from this tragedy.
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“Today I once again honor the memory of the Armenians, citizens of the Ottoman Empire, who died in the unfavorable conditions of the First World War, and express condolences to their descendants, and also ask God’s mercy for all members of the Ottoman society who died and were martyred as a result of conflicts, uprisings, and bandit movements and terrorist attacks,” Erdogan said in his message.
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“The safety, well-being, and happiness of our Armenian citizens, who have enriched the Anatolian lands with their cultural and humanitarian works, are assured today. We have not allowed and will not allow any citizen of Armenian origin to be marginalized, excluded, or feel like second class in their homeland. It is essential that we approach historical events with reason, conscience, and science, without succumbing to radical discourse, marginalization, and hate speech,” the Turkish leader stated in a release.
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In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Ottoman Empire systematically persecuted and mistreated Armenians. Specifically, in 1915, according to several historians, over 1.5 million Armenians were killed. The genocide of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire has been recognized by 23 states, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches. In 1995, the State Duma passed a resolution “On condemnation of the genocide of the Armenian people of 1915-1922 in their historical homeland – Western Armenia.”
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Turkey traditionally denies allegations of the Armenian genocide and reacts extremely sensitively to criticism on this issue. Ankara insists on the abandonment of the term “genocide” in connection with the events of 1915, asserting that both Armenians and Turks were victims. Turkey also calls for the establishment of an international commission of historians to examine the country’s archival documents to develop an objective approach to the events of the First World War.
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On Tuesday, Erdogan, addressing Armenia, mentioned that a new order is being established in Transcaucasia and the time has come to “discard unfounded memories.” According to him, “it is always better to act in accordance with the realities of the time, and now Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has understood this.” For his part, Pashinyan previously stated that the Armenian side is committed to the agenda for resolving relations with Turkey.
