Turkey strongly condemns burning of its flag in Armenia

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey strongly condemned the burning of its flag during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the 1915 events in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Monday.

In a written statement, Foreign Ministry said the 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 a strong resentment and reaction among our people.

"​Given the importance attributed by the Turkish nation to these values and to the Turkish flag, we strongly condemn this action and its perpetrators," the statement said.

On Sunday evening, Armenian protesters marched towards a memorial in Yerevan and burned a Turkish flag.

Turkey denies the alleged genocide in 1915, but acknowledges that there were casualties on both sides during the events taking place during World War I.

According to Turkey's viewpoint, deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia in 1915 occurred after some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey describes the 1915 events as a tragedy for both sides.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia plus international experts to deal with the issue.