Turkish lawyers slam French move on Armenian events

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish Bar Association on Monday slammed the French president's announcement to mark a day to commemorate the so-called Armenian genocide.

"Marking April 24 as a national day to commemorate the so-called Armenian genocide is putting the blame of a crime on a whole nation," the association said in a statement.

In a tweet last week, Emmanuel Macron announced April 24 as a day to commemorate the so-called Armenian genocide.

Explaining the historic context of the events of 1915, the statement said the Ottoman Empire and France were in different camps during World War I.

During the clashes between the Ottoman and invading Russian armies in the eastern front, Armenian gangs collaborated with Russia for ethnic cleansing of civilians, it added.

The statement went on to say that both Ottoman and Armenian sides suffered casualties during the relocation from eastern Anatolia, which aimed to block support to Armenian gangs.

Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as "genocide" but 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 tackle the issue.