Erdogan's message on the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide: We sympathize with the Ottoman Armenians, victims of the war
On the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message of sympathy to the survivors of the event to the Armenian Church in Istanbul.
According to the Hurriyet news website, on Sunday, April 24, Pastor Aram Atasyan read the message of the Turkish President in memory of the Armenians who died in the 1915 massacre. In this message, Erdogan referred to the Armenians killed in this massacre as "Ottoman Armenians Victims of World War I."
Erdogan wrote in his message: "We will never stop striving for friendship and peace against those who try to politicize history by spreading enmity and hatred between the two nations."
Continuing his message, the Turkish President emphasized the "thousand-year coexistence of Armenians and Turks," calling the Armenians who died in the 1915 massacre victims of World War I and saying that he sympathized with the survivors of "all Ottomans, regardless of their ethnicity or religion."
The Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocide, known as the Sifu, was carried out by the "Young Turks" between 1915 and 1924. In this massacre, which took place from the northern regions of Anatolia to Adana in the southwest and Hakkari in the southeast, nearly 1.5 million Armenians, 750,000 Assyrians, and 300,000 Greeks were killed.
So far, 29 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Parliament, have recognized the massacre as "genocide." Turkey considers the massacre to be part of the battles of World War I and denies responsibility.
The United States is also among the countries that, despite recognizing this massacre, has not yet accepted it as "genocide."
US President Barack Obama today, on the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, known in the United States as "Armenian Remembrance Day," referred to the event as "the first genocide of the 20th century" and "an unrepeatable tragedy."
American actor, director, and political activist George Clooney attended a ceremony on April 24 in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and lit the Armenian Genocide Memorial Torch.
Every year, representatives of countries that recognize this genocide gather in Yerevan and hold a rally to demand that the Turkish government recognize this event as genocide.
Source: Radio Zamaneh
