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ERDOGAN VOWS TO IGNORE EUROPEAN VOTE ON ARMENIAN KILLINGS
Voice of America
April 15 2015
Reuters
April 15, 2015 5:42 AM
ANKARA--President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would disregard
the European Parliament's vote later on Wednesday on the 1915 mass
killings of Armenians, which the pope this week described as genocide.
The European Parliament is due to debate a resolution to mark the
100th anniversary of the killing of as many as 1.5 million Armenians
under Turkish Ottoman rule.
"Whatever decision the European Parliament takes on Armenian genocide
claims, it would go in one ear and out the other," Erdogan told a
news conference at Ankara airport before departing on an official
visit to Kazakhstan.
"It is out of the question for there to a stain, a shadow called
'genocide' on Turkey," he said.
Pope Francis became the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to
publicly call the killing of Armenians "genocide" on Sunday, prompting
Turkey to summon the Vatican's ambassador to the Holy See and recall
its own.
Armenia, some Western historians and foreign parliaments refer to
the mass killings as genocide.
Muslim Turkey agrees Christian Armenians were killed in clashes
with Ottoman soldiers that began on April 15, 1915, when Armenians
lived in the empire ruled by Istanbul, but denies that this amounted
to genocide.
Around 100,000 Armenians still reside in Turkey including those who are
Turkish citizens and those who are not and they are never mistreated,
Erdogan said.
"Both citizens and non-citizen Armenians are enjoying the opportunities
of our country. We could have deported them, but we didn't,"
Erdogan said.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-erdogan-vows-to-ignore-european-vote-on-armenian-killings/2719664.html
Voice of America
April 15 2015
Reuters
April 15, 2015 5:42 AM
ANKARA--President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would disregard
the European Parliament's vote later on Wednesday on the 1915 mass
killings of Armenians, which the pope this week described as genocide.
The European Parliament is due to debate a resolution to mark the
100th anniversary of the killing of as many as 1.5 million Armenians
under Turkish Ottoman rule.
"Whatever decision the European Parliament takes on Armenian genocide
claims, it would go in one ear and out the other," Erdogan told a
news conference at Ankara airport before departing on an official
visit to Kazakhstan.
"It is out of the question for there to a stain, a shadow called
'genocide' on Turkey," he said.
Pope Francis became the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to
publicly call the killing of Armenians "genocide" on Sunday, prompting
Turkey to summon the Vatican's ambassador to the Holy See and recall
its own.
Armenia, some Western historians and foreign parliaments refer to
the mass killings as genocide.
Muslim Turkey agrees Christian Armenians were killed in clashes
with Ottoman soldiers that began on April 15, 1915, when Armenians
lived in the empire ruled by Istanbul, but denies that this amounted
to genocide.
Around 100,000 Armenians still reside in Turkey including those who are
Turkish citizens and those who are not and they are never mistreated,
Erdogan said.
"Both citizens and non-citizen Armenians are enjoying the opportunities
of our country. We could have deported them, but we didn't,"
Erdogan said.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-erdogan-vows-to-ignore-european-vote-on-armenian-killings/2719664.html