ANKARA — Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel’s recognition of the killing of Armenians in the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as Genocide has “distorted historical facts,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said June 20 in a statement.

Michel said during a parliamentary session on June 17 that the events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 – 1917 “must be viewed as a genocide.”

“The relationship between history and the future are occasionally complicated. My position is well known, I am of the view that the tragic events should be labeled as genocide, and that is the position of the Belgian government,” Charles Michel declared in the Belgian Parliament.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed the comment, saying Michel’s remark was “neither acceptable nor excusable.”

Michel’s comment came a few months after the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution on April 15 recognizing the 1915 events affecting Armenians as Genocide.” Ankara will return the European Parliament (EP) report on Turkey, European Union Minister Volkan Bozkir has said.

On May 29, Mahinur Özdemir, a Brussels regional MP of Turkish origin, was expelled from her party, the Humanist Democratic Center (CHD) after she refused to recognize the 1915 events as “genocide.”

Turkey has already withdrawn ambassadors from Austria, the Vatican, Luxembourg and Brazil for resolutions that name 1915 incidents genocide or similar reasons, but it kept its envoy to Russia, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin using the word genocide and the Russian parliament adopting a likewise resolution on the 1915 events.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

US Ambassador: Nagorno-Karabakh’s Status Remains Unresolved

YEREVAN — The United States has again called for a negotiated settlement…

Armenia Leads the Region in World Press Freedom Index

PARIS — Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published its Press Freedom Report 2022 , which…

300-Year-Old Armenian Monastery Stands in Ruins

ISTANBUL — The 300-year-old Armenian monastery of Surp Astvatsatsin (Tomarza Monastery) has…

Turkish Police Assault Garo Paylan and Arat Dink During “The Saturday Mothers” Weekly Protest

ISTANBUL (Civilnet.com) — On Saturday, August 25, several protesters, including some notable…