Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 13
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Statement by Pope Francis that the events of 1915 are the so-called genocide against Armenians, is a part of the anti-Turkish campaign held in the West, a board member of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey Mazhar Bagli told Trend Apr.13.
He said that previously some European countries also made similar statements.
He went on to add that one can generally judge the attitude of the West towards Turkey by the statement of the Pope.
"Turkey is a country that can respond to such statements," said Bagli.
At the beginning of the Mass, dedicated to the centennial of the so-called Armenian genocide, Pope Francis said on April 12 that in the XX century, mankind experienced three "big unprecedented tragedies" - the so-called Armenian genocide, Nazism and Stalinism. The Pontiff described the tortures endured at the beginning of the last century by Armenians, Syrian Catholics and Orthodox, Assyrians and Greeks, as "the first genocide of the twentieth century."
Statement by Pope Francis regarding the 1915 events doesn't mean anything for Turkey, said the message of the Turkish foreign ministry earlier.
The message said that Vatican unilaterally evaluates the events of 1915, turning a blind eye to the fact that these events led to death of both a part of the Muslim population of Turkey and representatives of other religious minorities.
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.
Edited by CN
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