Malaysian NGO condemns Biden’s remarks on 1915 events

By Omer Faruk Yildiz

KUALA LUMPUR (AA) - A Malaysian non-governmental organization on Monday condemned US President Joe Biden's recent remarks on the events of 1915.

Azmi Abdul Hamid, the president of the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organization (MAPIM), told Anadolu Agency that he found it wrong for Biden to take sides with Armenian claims.

Last Saturday, President Joe Biden called the events of 1915 a "genocide," breaking with American presidents' long-held tradition of refraining from using the term.

“Western countries remain silent on the genocide that Israel continues to carry out in Palestine and India in Kashmir," Hamid said, adding the Indian army “has killed about 600,000 Kashmiris” since 1947 and Israel has “displaced millions of Palestinians.”

He dubbed Biden’s remarks as “interference in Turkey’s internal affairs.”

- Turkish stance on 1915 events

Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey objects to the presentation of these incidents as "genocide," describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia as well as international experts to tackle the issue.

In 2014, Recep Tayyip Erdogan – Turkey’s then-prime minister and now president – expressed his condolences to the descendants of Armenians who lost their lives in the events of 1915.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara