On the anniversary of the so-called Armenian “genocide,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a message to Türkiye’s Armenian Patriarch Sahak Maşalyan and extended condolences to the community.
April 24 is considered a memorial day by Armenia, which claims the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against its Armenian community in 1915, during World War I. Ankara rejects the allegations, though it acknowledges mass deaths among Armenians.
Erdoğan said he regards Ottoman Armenians who died amid the problematic conditions of World War I with respect and extended his condolences to their grandchildren.
“We still feel the pain deep in our hearts for lives we lost during rebellions, gang activities, actions by armed groups and infectious diseases during wartime that corresponded with the last years of the Ottoman Empire. On the other hand, we are aware of the fact that we have to build our future as 86 million people (of Türkiye) without being held captive with painful memories,” he said.
Erdoğan, then prime minister, became the highest-ranking Turkish official to openly admit the mass deaths of Armenians in 1915, when he extended condolences to the community in 2014. Prior to that, Türkiye had flatly rejected deaths and especially claims of “genocide.” Türkiye’s position on the 1915 events is that the death of Armenians, particularly in eastern Anatolia, took place when some sided with the invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties, added to by massacres from military and militia groups on both sides. The mass arrests of prominent Ottoman Armenian politicians, intellectuals and other community members suspected of links with separatist groups, harboring nationalist sentiments and being hostile to Ottoman rule, were assembled in the then-capital Istanbul on April 24, 1915, commemorated as the beginning of later campaigns. Türkiye objects to the presentation of the incidents as “genocide” but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.
Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Türkiye and Armenia, along with international experts, to research the issue.
In his message on Thursday, Erdoğan stated that those seeking to sever ties within the community by inciting animosity based on history had failed. “We lived together in these lands for centuries and continue sharing our joy and grief. We never allowed our citizens to suffer from discrimination. The peace and security of our Armenian citizens, who have made valuable contributions to our country’s culture, arts, politics, economy, education and social life, will remain our priority, just as we prioritized other citizens. As honorable citizens of the Republic of Türkiye, we will live together in freedom, forever. I sincerely share the pain of the Armenian community and respectfully remember all Ottoman citizens who lost their lives,” Erdoğan said.