Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has released a statement to mark the annual commemoration of the killing of Armenians in 1915, expressing his condolences to the children and grandchildren of the Ottoman Armenians who died during this time, Hurriyet daily reports.
"I welcome this commemoration which is taking place once again in Turkey, the most meaningful place to share the grief endured by the Ottoman Armenians, as well as to honor their memories," the Turkish president said in a statement that was read out by the head of the Armenian church in Turkey, Patriarch Aram Atesyan, at a commemoration ceremony for those killed in Eastern Anatolia in the early years of World War I.
"We will never give up working for amity and peace against those who try to politicize history through a bitter rhetoric of hate and enmity and strive to alienate the two neighboring nations, who are bound with their common history and their similar traditions. With this in mind, I once again commemorate the Ottoman Armenians who passed away and extend my condolences to their children and grandchildren," Erdogan maintained, while paying tribute to those gathering to mark the 'tragic conditions' of the war.
Stating that the near 1,000-year-old 'culture of cohabitation between Turks and Armenians' would always be remembered, Erdogan in fact paid tribute to all Ottoman citizens 'regardless of their ethnic or religious origins,' who lost their lives.
"I would like to reiterate that we share this common pain," he said.
"In the lands of Anatolia, where humanitarian duties are never neglected and happiness and grief are sincerely shared, the sense of conscience and justice are held above all," Erdogan added.
Turkey rejects to use the term 'genocide' in relation to the 1915 events, arguing that the killings should be understood in the context of World War I.