Armenian leader criticizes Turkey's 'utter denial' of genocide
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 24 April 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Armenian leader criticizes Turkey's 'utter denial' of genocide, 24 April 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/53a137917.html [accessed 27 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated (GMT/UTC): 24.04.2014 11:34
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has criticized Turkey for failing to recognize the mass killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians during World War I by Ottoman forces as genocide.
In a statement on April 24 marking Remembrance Day, when Armenians around the world honor those who died, Sarkisian said Turkey "continues its policy of utter denial."
Sarkisian said Armenia remembers, however, "all those Turkish families who lent a helping hand to their Armenian neighbors" during the war.
Sarkisian's comments come a day after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences to descendants of the victims, saying in a statement that "the incidents of the First World War are our shared pain."
It is believed to be the first time a Turkish prime minister has offered such explicit condolences.
The U.S. State Department welcomed Erdogan's "historic public acknowledgement of the suffering that Armenians experienced in 1915."
Turkey rejects the term genocide, saying thousands of Turks also were killed in fighting.
Based on reporting by AFP and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
