Sena Guler
April 27, 2021•Update: April 28, 2021
ANKARA
Turkey is concerned over an escalation caused by Armenian extremists in the US encouraged by distortions of history, the country's communications director said on Tuesday.
"Distorting history further encourages Armenian extremists, who threaten violence against Azerbaijanis in the US," Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter, sharing a video showing a group of Armenian extremists conducting a "hanging ceremony" of a mannequin depicting an "Azerbaijani."
Voicing Turkey's concerns Altun underlined its solidarity with Azerbaijan against such threats and urged "authorities to act."
The incident came after President Joe Biden called the events of 1915 "genocide" on Saturday, breaking with years of US precedent.
Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.
Turkey objects to the presentation of these incidents as "genocide," describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.
Release of Armenian terrorist Sassounian
"Hampig Sassounian, the Armenian terrorist who killed Turkey's consul general in Los Angeles in 1982, was released from prison last month," Altun recalled in the statement.
"We warned that impunity would only serve to embolden the next generation of extremists," he added.
He said the Martyred Diplomats Exhibition opened on April 25 near the Presidential Complex in Turkey's capital Ankara would be open through May 1.
The exhibition is dedicated to Turkish diplomats who continued their duties despite the threats and attacks by Armenian terrorist groups between 1973 and 1984, and lost their lives for this purpose.
