TURKISH PM CRITICIZES POPE’S REMARKS ON 1915 INCIDENTS
Istanbul, 24 Jumadil Akhir 1436/13 April 2015 (MINA) – Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu criticized Sunday Pope Francis’s description of 1915 incidents as “genocide.”
Davutoglu spoke to journalists in Istanbul, before an event to commemorate Prophet Mohammad’s birth. He said that Pope’s statement was “unfortunate,” “incorrect” and “inconsistent.”
Davutoglu said the remarks were not just about reading the history wrong, but also “lend credence to the growing racism in Europe,” as well as accusing Turks and Muslims of a collective crime, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
“It is unbecoming of Pope and his authority to read the 1915 incidents unilaterally and to cover the pains of others by owning the pains of only a part of mankind,” Davutoglu said.
He said that without the external factors, “The painful events of 1915 would probably not have been experienced.”
Pope Francis said Sunday that “the first ‘genocide’ of the 20th century” struck Armenians, a statement that led Turkey to recall its ambassador in Vatican for consultations and also summon Vatican’s envoy in Ankara.
Pope made these remarks during a Mass in the Armenian Catholic rite at the St. Peter’s Basilica, which Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan also attended.
Armenians are preparing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents on April 24.
Davutoglu said that “when pains, especially those experienced in war time, are shared and mutually owned, an environment of peace emerges.”
The Turkish prime minister said that the primary duty of the religion leaders is not to create new environments of conflict and hate from historic debates, but to invite people to make peace and live together.
The 1915 events took place during World War I when a portion of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the invading Russians and revolted against the empire.
The Ottoman Empire relocated Armenians in eastern Anatolia following the revolts and there were Armenian casualties during the relocation process.
Armenia has demanded an apology and compensation, while Turkey has officially refuted Armenian allegations over the incidents saying that, although Armenians died during the relocations, many Turks also lost their lives in attacks carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia.
The Turkish government has repeatedly called on historians to study Ottoman archives pertaining to the era in order to uncover what actually happened between the Ottoman government and its Armenian citizens.
The debate on “genocide” and the differing opinions between the present day Turkish government and the Armenian diaspora, along with the current administration in Yerevan, still generates political tension between Turks and Armenians.
Turkey’s official position against allegations of “genocide” is that it acknowledges the past experiences were a great tragedy and that both parties suffered heavy casualties, including hundreds of Muslim Turks.
Ankara agrees that there were certainly Armenian casualties during World War I, but says that it is impossible to define these incidents as “genocide.”
In 2014, then Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences for the first time to all Ottoman citizens who lost their lives in the events of 1915.
“May Armenians who lost their lives in the events in the early twentieth century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to their grandchildren,” Erdogan said. (T/P001/R03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
