ANKARA
The European Parliament’s resolution terming the 1915 events “genocide” is unacceptable, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said Thursday.
Addressing the media in Ankara, Akdogan questioned the parliament’s methodology to reach the dubious conclusion about historical facts.
“We have been trying to explain the truths that we know. We do not stand to struggle with Armenia or (the Armenian) diaspora,” he said.
He said that Turkey and Armenia were neighbors that must work together. “We are neighbors, we have to look forward and we have to build the future together,” he said.
Akdogan warned that the European Parliament’s decision to term the 1915 events “genocide” might hurt its relations with Turkey.
“Turkey-EU relations should not to be sacrificed through these types of worthless acts,” he said.
The deputy premier added that the European Parliament’s demand to open Turkey’s archives was “a great example of ignorance.”
Akdogan said that the country had opened its archives several times in the past, but no one could make any claims to deny Turkey's objective stance.
The senior Turkish official’s criticism came after the European Parliament voted on the centenary of the 1915 events to reconfirm a 1987 resolution that first recognized the incidents as “genocide.”
The 1915 events took place during World War I when a portion of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the invading Russians and revolted against the empire.
The Ottoman Empire relocated Armenians in eastern Anatolia following the revolts and there were Armenian casualties during the process.
Armenia has demanded an apology and compensation, while Turkey has officially refuted Armenian allegations over the incidents saying that, although Armenians died during the relocations, many Turks also lost their lives in attacks carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia.
