Acknowledgement of Armenian Genocide in Interests of Turkey, Armenia -
US Ambassador
RIA Novosti
November 14, 2014 Friday
MOSCOW, November 14 (RIA Novosti) - The acknowledgment of the facts
behind the Armenian genocide are in the interests of both Turkey and
Armenia, the United States' newly appointed ambassador to Turkey said
Friday.
"We continue to believe that a full and frank acknowledgment of the
facts behind those horrible events and this terrible set of massacres
and tragedies that occurred is in the interest of both Turkey and
Armenia," John Bass said in an interview with the Hurriyet newspaper.
According to the ambassador, this acknowledgment is "important to
building the kind of the relationship going forward between the two
countries that we believe is in the interest of both countries and in
the end, our shared interest with Turkey and building and
strengthening stability in this region".
There are currently no diplomatic relations between Turkey and
Armenia, and the border between the two countries has been closed
since 1993.
The strained relations between the countries are largely due to
Turkey's open support for Azerbaijan's position in the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, as well as its unwillingness to recognize
the killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
An estimated 1.5 million people were killed as the Ottoman government
massacred the Armenian male population and sent Armenian women,
children and elderly on so-called death marches during the First World
War.
US Ambassador
RIA Novosti
November 14, 2014 Friday
MOSCOW, November 14 (RIA Novosti) - The acknowledgment of the facts
behind the Armenian genocide are in the interests of both Turkey and
Armenia, the United States' newly appointed ambassador to Turkey said
Friday.
"We continue to believe that a full and frank acknowledgment of the
facts behind those horrible events and this terrible set of massacres
and tragedies that occurred is in the interest of both Turkey and
Armenia," John Bass said in an interview with the Hurriyet newspaper.
According to the ambassador, this acknowledgment is "important to
building the kind of the relationship going forward between the two
countries that we believe is in the interest of both countries and in
the end, our shared interest with Turkey and building and
strengthening stability in this region".
There are currently no diplomatic relations between Turkey and
Armenia, and the border between the two countries has been closed
since 1993.
The strained relations between the countries are largely due to
Turkey's open support for Azerbaijan's position in the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, as well as its unwillingness to recognize
the killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
An estimated 1.5 million people were killed as the Ottoman government
massacred the Armenian male population and sent Armenian women,
children and elderly on so-called death marches during the First World
War.