1915 events used for political considerations: Official

ANKARA

The “Armenian Genocide” is an allegation that has nothing to do with the facts and is based solely on political considerations, Turkey’s communications director said on April 20.

Speaking at a virtual conference on the 1915 events, Altun said that the common pains of Anatolian people have been distorted to be used as a political tool and reiterated Turkey’s call for historical facts to be revealed by historians.

Altun noted that the previous century was an exceptional historical period that witnessed many breaking points in human history such as world wars, collapsing empires, changing borders and developing democracies.

Stressing that three great empires dissolved at the end of WWI, Altun stated that the Turkish nation, who displayed heroism in many fronts, was also seriously affected by the war that cost millions of lives.

“During this, the Anatolian people, unfortunately, experienced some events that caused pain. While different nations in the Ottoman Empire were fighting against common enemies, some elements collaborated with the rival side,” Altun said.

He noted that Armenian groups that collaborated with the enemy against the Ottomans were deported to Syria, adding that some undesirable incidents took place during the implementation of this security measure amid the war, and both sides experienced death and sorrow.

“This has constituted the basis of the current slander. We feel the pain of what happened during the deportation in our hearts,” he said, expressing Ankara’s opposition of the narrative created by the distortion of the common history of the two nations who lived together in peace for centuries.

Turkey objects to presenting the 1915 events as a “genocide,” rather calling them a tragedy in which both Turks and Armenians suffered casualties in the heat of WWI.

Altun said that the 1915 events were brought to the political ground by some people and tried to be made useful for imperial purposes.

“The so-called Armenian Genocide claim is the precursor of the phenomenon known as the post-truth today. It is a claim that has nothing to do with the facts and is based solely on political considerations,” Altun noted.

He stressed that the best way to respect the victims is to look at history from a fair memory perspective.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia under the supervision of international experts to examine the issue.

Stating that the most comprehensive and sincere steps towards this goal were taken under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Altun pointed out that the condolences for the Armenians who lost their lives were expressed at the highest level since 2005.