Turkey slams France decision on 1915 events

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

Turkey has strongly condemned French President Emmanuel Macron's declaration of April 24 as day commemorating the 1915 events between Turkey and Armenia.        

In a written statement on April 11, Turkey's Foreign Ministry warned that France's decision will inevitably damage relations with Turkey.       

"Turks and Muslims all over France and the world will not forget this disrespect towards the memory of more than 500,000 Ottoman citizens killed by Armenian insurgents," said the statement. 

Separately, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that French President Emmanuel Macron’s declaration of April 24 as a day to commemorate the so-called genocide “openly violated” both decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and Constitutional Council of France.

“Macron is making populist rhetoric by trying to fulfill the promises he made to the Armenians in his election campaign,” Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter on April 11.

 Turkey's Foreign Ministry also on April 11 strongly condemned the passing of a motion by Italy's parliament to recognize the 1915 events in Armenia as “genocide.”

“The motion of the Italian House of Representatives dated April 10, 2019 is a new example of the use of Armenian claims as a tool for domestic political interest,” the ministry said in a statement.      

“We strongly condemn this move.”      

The ministry noted that the proposal was prepared by Italy's far-right Lega party.      

“Essentially known, the Armenian allegations being brought up before the elections or in the context of opposition to Turkey clearly reveals the political nature of these allegations and that they are inconsistent with the historical facts.      

“These efforts are not only beneficial to no side but also stonewall the way for good-faith initiatives,” the statement added.     

Ömer Çelik, the spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, also condemned the motion, saying Italy is being tricked by the Armenian diaspora, which in no way wants normal relations between Turkey and Armenia.      

The proposal was voted on Wednesday and the motion was approved by 382 votes with none against and 43 abstentions.    

Ankara does not accept the alleged genocide but acknowledges that there were casualties on both sides during the events of World War I.

Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as “genocide” but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy for both sides.

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