Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey does not recognize the 1915 events as "genocide" of Armenians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with TRT-Haber TV channel.
President Erdogan said that Turkey repeatedly said that it has looked through its archives to clarify the 1915 events.
"If Armenia has such archives, let it also look through them to reveal the truth of the 1915 events," Erdogan said. "Historians must deal with this issue. We have submitted more than a million documents."
Previously, Turkish authorities have repeatedly made gestures to Armenia. Recep Tayyip Erdogan's message to the Armenian people on April 24, 2014 is one of such recent gestures.
Erdogan said in that message that the events of 1915 were a difficult time not only for Armenians, but also for Arabs, Kurds and representatives of other nations living in the country.
Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Turkey in turn has always denied "the genocide" took place.
While strengthening the efforts to promote the "genocide" in the world, Armenians have achieved its recognition by the parliaments of some countries.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier that the emphasis on the 1915 events hinders the normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan.
He said that Ankara hopes for the normalization of relations with Yerevan, however, Armenia should break down its stereotypes associated with the mentioned events. Davutoglu said that together Turks and Armenians will be able to solve common problems.
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