Armenia denounces Turkey's Erdogan for his April 24 message
YEREVAN, April 25. /ARKA/. Armenia's foreign ministry denounced Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a message he issued on April 24 'to commemorate Armenians who died in 1915', without making any reference to the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians.
Deputy foriegn minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan said Erdogan's message is another manifestation of Turkey's denialist policy, an obvious attempt to place the responsibility for the deaths of Armenians carried out by the government of the Ottoman Empire, on Armenians themselves.
On April 24 Armenians all over the world marked the 101st anniversary of the Genocide. In Armenia they laid flowers at the eternal flame at the imposing Genocide Memorial in Yerevan as requiem services for the victims were held in churches across the country.
"Turkey continues its efforts to equate the victims of the war and those who fell victim to government-organized genocide", Kocharyan said in a statement.
In his words, Turkey's policy of the denial of of the genocide further exacerbates the existing gap between the Armenian and Turkish peoples.
"The best way to fix it is to stand face to face with history and repent," Kocharyan is quoted as sayingby by the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.
According to news reports from Turkey, Erdogan's statement was read during a ceremony at an Armenian church in Istanbul. Erdogan said he welcomed the commemoration “to share the grief endured by the Ottoman Armenians, as well as to honor their memories.” -0-
Deputy foriegn minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan said Erdogan's message is another manifestation of Turkey's denialist policy, an obvious attempt to place the responsibility for the deaths of Armenians carried out by the government of the Ottoman Empire, on Armenians themselves.
On April 24 Armenians all over the world marked the 101st anniversary of the Genocide. In Armenia they laid flowers at the eternal flame at the imposing Genocide Memorial in Yerevan as requiem services for the victims were held in churches across the country.
"Turkey continues its efforts to equate the victims of the war and those who fell victim to government-organized genocide", Kocharyan said in a statement.
In his words, Turkey's policy of the denial of of the genocide further exacerbates the existing gap between the Armenian and Turkish peoples.
"The best way to fix it is to stand face to face with history and repent," Kocharyan is quoted as sayingby by the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.
According to news reports from Turkey, Erdogan's statement was read during a ceremony at an Armenian church in Istanbul. Erdogan said he welcomed the commemoration “to share the grief endured by the Ottoman Armenians, as well as to honor their memories.” -0-