“Statements that are incompatible with historical facts and international law regarding the events of 1915 are not valid. This includes the unfortunate statement made by US President Biden today, which is the repetition of the mistake he had made in 2021. We reject such statements and decisions, which distort historical facts with political motives, and condemn those who insist on this mistake.

One-sided and selective approaches that serve no purpose other than to draw enmity from history are morally problematic and politically ill-intentioned. A humanitarian and conscientious stance requires commemorating all sufferings experienced at that period, without ethnic or religious discrimination. Turkey respectfully commemorates the sufferings of all the Ottoman population, including the Armenians. We reject the attempts to exploit this pain for political purposes.

Turkey is of the opinion that controversial episodes in history such as the events of 1915 should be studied without prejudice by respecting the scientific and legal principles in order to reach a just memory. With this understanding, Turkey proposed the establishment of a Joint History Commission and opened its archives.

Turkey strives for peace and stability in its region and in the world, and the spirit of cooperation to prevail. The normalization initiative with Armenia is another manifestation of this understanding,” Turkish Foreign Ministry’s statement reads.