Türkiye expects UN General Assembly head to 'act responsibly'

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye on Wednesday harshly criticized the UN General Assembly president's latest visit to Armenia, saying he has been used as a "tool for Armenia's biased theses."

A Foreign Ministry statement said Abdulla Shahid paid a visit to the so-called genocide memorial in Armenia, stressing that a person in such a position should have "acted responsibly."

The ministry said the UN official should have been "more careful and act responsibly," as someone assuming the duty of the UN General Assembly presidency requires fairness and impartiality.

Those representing the UN authorized bodies "are required to act in accordance with the UN acquis and international legal norms and rules, in particular the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide," the statement added.

Ankara further condemned and rejected "attempts to falsify historical facts and international law through political manipulation."

"​Türkiye believes that the facts regarding the 1915 events should be handled in a full, fair, and honest framework," it added.

- Turkish stance on events of 1915

Turkiye'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.

Turkiye 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 Türkiye and Armenia as well as international experts to tackle the issue.