Turkey criticizes Trump over statement on 1915 killings of Armenians

ANKARA

Turkey has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump over his statement to commemorate the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915, voicing expectations that the new administration will not lend credence to “a one-sided historical narrative.” 

Trump, in a traditional presidential statement issued every April 24, used the term “Meds Yeghern,” an Armenian term meaning “great calamity,” avoiding the use of the word “genocide,” just like his predecessor, Barack Obama.

“We consider that the misinformation and false definitions contained in U.S. President Trump’s written statement on April 24, 2017, regarding the 1915 events are derived from the information pollution created over the years by some Armenian circles in the U.S. by means of propaganda methods,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on April 24. 

“We expect that the new U.S. administration will not lend credence to the one-sided historical narrative of these circles, which are known for their tendency to violence and hate speech, and to adopt an approach which will take into consideration the sufferings of all sides,” it added. 

Trump, in his first April 24 statement, preferred to follow the line of Obama, who also used the Armenian term “Meds Yeghern” and not “genocide” while president, despite promising to label the killings as “genocide” while on the campaign trail in 2008.


Turkey slams Armenia

In a separate statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also excoriated Armenia over reports that a Turkish flag was burned in Yerevan during a ceremony for the victims of the mass killings.

“A flag symbolizes all the fundamental values, beliefs and the freedom of a nation. The attack against our flag, which is considered to be synonymous with the existence of the Turkish nation, has given rise to strong resentment and reaction among our people,” it said. 

“In respect for the importance attributed by the Turkish nation to these values and to the Turkish flag, we strongly condemn this action and its perpetrators,” it said.