US welcomes Turkish PM's 'historic' condolences to Armenians

WASHINGTON - Anadolu Agency

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. AA Photo

Washington has welcomed a statement released by the Turkish prime minister on April 23 in which he offered condolences to the descendants of Armenians killed during World War I.
   
"We welcome Prime Minister Erdoğan's historic public acknowledgement of the suffering that Armenians experienced in 1915," said Jen Psaki, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman.

"We believe this is a positive indication that there can be a full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts, which we hope will advance the cause of reconciliation between Turks and Armenians," she said.

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle also hailed the statement issued by the Turkish Prime Minister's Office.

"Welcome statement of PM Erdoğan on Armenians, reconciliation is key EU value. Hope steps in this spirit will follow," Füle said via Twitter.
  
Earlier April 23, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, issued a statement in nine languages, including Armenian, in which he offered condolences to Armenians highlighting the "shared pain."

"We wish that the Armenians who lost their lives in the context of the early 20th century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to their grandchildren," said the landmark statement, which can be a milestone for Turkey's confrontation with its past.

“The incidents of World War I are our shared pain. To evaluate this painful period of history through a perspective of just memory is a humane and scholarly responsibility," the statement also said.