Turkish PM Does Not Acknowledge Armenian Genocide, But Sends Condolences to Families

http://www.armradio.am – 24/4/14

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has highlighted the “shared pain” endured during the 1915 events in an unexpected statement April 23 on the Armenian issue, expressing condolences on behalf of the Turkish state to the grandchildren of Armenians who lost their lives “in the context of the early twentieth century,” the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Erdogan said April 24 carries “particular significance for our Armenian citizens and for all Armenians around the world.”

Arguing that all ethnicities in the late years of the Ottoman Empire lived a hard time full of pains, Erdogan called for a just, humane and conscientious standing to commemorate all pains experienced in that era.

“The incidents of the First World War are our shared pain. To evaluate this painful period of history through a perspective of just memory is a humane and scholarly responsibility.”

Erdogan’s statement also stressed the importance of freedom of expression and respect of plurality regarding history.

“In Turkey, expressing different opinions and thoughts freely on the events of 1915 is the requirement of a pluralistic perspective as well as of a culture of democracy and modernity,” the statement said.

“It is with this hope and belief that we wish that the Armenians who lost their lives in the context of the early twentieth century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to their grandchildren,” it said.

The statement has been issued in eight languages, including Eastern and Western Armenian.

© 2014 Assyrian International News Agency.

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