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TURKEY PM OFFERS UNPRECEDENTED CONDOLENCES TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS' FAMILIES
Al-Bawaba
April 23 2014
2.5 5
Published April 23rd, 2014 - 13:56 GMT via SyndiGate.info
Turkey's Erdogan released his statement in solidarity with the Armenian
people on the eve of the anniversary of the 1915 mass deportations
of Armenians from present-day Turkey (Adem Altan/AFP) More > Create
alert for Recep Tayyip ErdoganRecep Tayyip Erdogan
Agence France Presse reported Wednesday that Turkey's Prime Minister
offered condolences to descendants of the victims from the Armenian
genocide during World War I, representing the first such overt comment
ever publicly stated by a Turkish leader in reference to the killings.
In his statement released a day ahead of the 99th anniversary of the
mass deportations of Armenians in 1915, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said, "The incidents of the First World War are our shared
pain. It is our hope and belief that the peoples of an ancient and
unique geography, who share similar customs and manners will be able
to talk to each other about the past with maturity and to remember
together their losses in a decent manner....And it is with this hope
and belief that 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."
The 1915 massacre is considered by many as the first genocide of
the 20th century, but Turkey has refused to label it as such, saying
that 500,000 of the 1.5 million killed under Ottoman rule was due to
"fighting and starvation," not genocide.
Al-Bawaba
April 23 2014
2.5 5
Published April 23rd, 2014 - 13:56 GMT via SyndiGate.info
Turkey's Erdogan released his statement in solidarity with the Armenian
people on the eve of the anniversary of the 1915 mass deportations
of Armenians from present-day Turkey (Adem Altan/AFP) More > Create
alert for Recep Tayyip ErdoganRecep Tayyip Erdogan
Agence France Presse reported Wednesday that Turkey's Prime Minister
offered condolences to descendants of the victims from the Armenian
genocide during World War I, representing the first such overt comment
ever publicly stated by a Turkish leader in reference to the killings.
In his statement released a day ahead of the 99th anniversary of the
mass deportations of Armenians in 1915, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said, "The incidents of the First World War are our shared
pain. It is our hope and belief that the peoples of an ancient and
unique geography, who share similar customs and manners will be able
to talk to each other about the past with maturity and to remember
together their losses in a decent manner....And it is with this hope
and belief that 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."
The 1915 massacre is considered by many as the first genocide of
the 20th century, but Turkey has refused to label it as such, saying
that 500,000 of the 1.5 million killed under Ottoman rule was due to
"fighting and starvation," not genocide.