ANKARA, Turkey (A.W.)—Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Ministry strongly criticized United States President Donald Trump’s statement on “Armenian Remembrance Day 2017,” saying that the President’s words are derived from the information pollution created over the years by some Armenian circles in the U.S. by means of propaganda methods.”
(L to R) U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara (Photo: U.S. Department of State)
“We expect from the new U.S. Administration not to accredit the one-sided historical narrative of these circles which are known for their tendency to violence and hate speech and to adopt an approach which will take into consideration the sufferings of all sides,” read a part of the statement, which also mentions Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement, read at a ceremony held by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. Erdogan failed to properly name the Armenian Genocide in that statement.
Below is Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement in its entirety.
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Press Release Regarding the Statement by the U.S. President Trump on the 1915 Events
We consider that the misinformation and false definitions contained in U.S. President Trump’s written statement of April 24, 2017, regarding the 1915 events are derived from the information pollution created over the years by some Armenian circles in the U.S. by means of propaganda methods.
We expect from the new U.S. Administration not to accredit the one-sided historical narrative of these circles which are known for their tendency to violence and hate speech and to adopt an approach which will take into consideration the sufferings of all sides.
We would like to remind the U.S. Administration that the Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives during the First World War, were commemorated again this year on April 24 at a ceremony held by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, with the respect they deserve.
The statement conveyed to this ceremony by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reflects the approach of Turkey on this issue.