Armenian cleric says politicizing 1915 adds to pain

ISTANBUL

One of the most senior figures in the Armenian church on Friday spoke out against the politicization of the deaths of Ottoman Armenians during World War I.

In a sermon to mark the centenary of the 1915 tragedy, Acting Patriarch Aram Ateshian seemed to refer to recent declarations made in the European Parliament, Austria and the Vatican that marked the deaths of Armenians as "genocide."

"Armenians in Turkey are an inseparable and loyal part of this country,” he told the congregation at the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul. “They are aware of their citizenship responsibilities."

"It hurts us that only after a hundred years is the sorrow of our people being discussed like this."

He added: "Under freedom of expression, everybody can say what they want. Many countries are supporting our hurt nation in the name of justice. However, it will hurt us many times more to see our pain being politicized."

Ateshian did not use the word “genocide” during his sermon, but said that "children lost their lives during the exile and hurt so much because of brutal politics."

A revolt against the Ottoman Empire by some sections of the Armenian population in eastern Anatolia in 1915 resulted in relocations that led to deaths. Armenia claims that up to 1.5 million were killed while Turkey disputes the figure, and the use of the word “genocide,” and says both Armenians and Turks died in significant numbers.

Turkey has called a joint commission to uncover what happened in 1915.