ISTANBUL (Sputnik): Turkey has historically rejected the use of the term genocide to describe the events that unfolded in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, insisting that its government never intended to deliberately kill the Armenian people, but was simply responding to their rebellion.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Ankara is “disappointed” by the decision of US President Joe Biden to recognise the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as a genocide.
Erdogan warned against politicising the historical events, stressing that historians, and not politicians, should determine how to label them. He further alleged that the “radical initiatives of Armenian and anti-Turkish circles” are behind Biden’s decision to recognise the genocide.
“US President Biden made statements earlier. These are groundless claims that contradict history”, Erdogan said.
The Turkish president further commented on Biden’s 24 April statement by advising the US to “look at itself in the mirror”. Erdogan said that Turkey’s offer to open up its archives to allow a joint group of historians to study the century-old events is still on the table and wondered if the US is ready to similarly open up its own historical archives in a similar manner.
Erdogan warned the US that the recent statements by its president will have a “destructive impact”.
