Turkey slams Italian parliament’s move on 1915 events

ANKARA

Turkish presidential communications director on Wednesday slammed Italian parliament’s move to declare the 1915 events as “genocide”.

“We strongly condemn the Italian parliament’s most recent attempt at distorting and politicizing our nation’s history,” Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter.

On Wednesday, the Italian parliament adopted a motion with 382 votes in favor and 43 abstentions to declare the 1915 events as genocide.

Turkey's position is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia in 1915 took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Ankara does not accept the alleged genocide, but acknowledges that there were casualties on both sides during the events of World War I.

Altun said the Italian parliament's move is “unproductive, hostile and deplorable.”

“Instead of attacking each other’s memories, we must all work together to ensure that truth prevails over fiction,” Altun added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Omer Celik, spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party had said Italy is being tricked by Armenian diaspora, which in no way wants normal relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey objects to the presentation of the 1915 incidents as "genocide" but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy for both sides.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia plus international experts to tackle the issue.