Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 2
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey doesn't expect that Armenia will change its position in relation to the events of 1915, the Sabah newspaper quoted the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc as saying on Feb. 2.
He said Armenia attaches great importance to the centenary of the 1915 events.
Arinc further noted that Turkey has repeatedly made gestures to Armenia, but Ankara doesn't hope that the Turkish-Armenian relations will embark on a new path.
He also underscored that for the normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan, it is firstly needed to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is a fraternal state for Turkey.
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.
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