Turkey slams France decision on 1915 events

By Beyza Binnur Donmez and Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has strongly condemned French President Emmanuel Macron's declaration of April 24 as day commemorating the 1915 events between Turkey and Armenia.

In a written statement on Thursday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry warned that France's decision will inevitably damage relations with Turkey.

"Turks and Muslims all over France and the world will not forget this disrespect towards the memory of more than 500,000 Ottoman citizens killed by Armenian insurgents," said the statement.

Turkey's position is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia in 1915 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 the incidents as "genocide" but describes the 1915 events 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 plus international experts to tackle the issue.