The Turkish Foreign Ministry has issued a sharp reaction to the Israeli government's decision to recognize the violence against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I as “genocide“, the Anadolu Agency reported, quoted by BTA.
In a special written statement on this occasion, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that “with its political decision regarding the events of 1915, the Israeli government seeks to cover up its own crimes“.
In the text of the statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry made a counter-accusation against Israel, stating: “The Israeli government, which, in front of the eyes of the whole world, carries out systematic repressions against the Palestinian people and which is currently indicted before the International Court of Justice for violence against Gaza residents, seeks to cover up its own crimes“.
Turkey described as “a malicious initiative“ the act of the Israeli government and added the following:
„This initiative, which denies the legal and historical facts, reveals the difficult situation in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his accomplices, against whom arrest warrants have been issued as part of an investigation by the International Criminal Court in connection with crimes committed against the Palestinians, find themselves“.
The text of the statement, quoted by the Anadolu Agency, also contains the following assessment: „Turkey will continue to work resolutely to end Israel's expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region and to hold the Netanyahu government accountable before the law for crimes committed against civilians, especially against the Palestinian people“.
World news agencies recall that according to historians, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Turks around World War I - an event that in scientific circles is widely considered the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey rejects the term "genocide," saying the death toll is exaggerated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
For years, Israel avoided raising the issue officially so as not to sour its relations with Ankara, but they have become strained over the past two decades, especially in recent years, amid wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, according to the Associated Press.