Turkish President Erdogan Doubles Down on Genocide Denial

ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again Touched upon the Armenian Genocide issue in a speech he delivered on Saturday to a gathering of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara.

Erdogan in particularly slammed France’s decision for creating a day of remembrance for the 1915 Armenian Genocide on April 24, lashing out at French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Sending a message to 700,000 Armenians in France, Mr. Macron, will not save you. First, you should learn to be honest in politics. It’s not possible for you to win in politics unless you turn to be an honest politician,” Erdogan said.

Macron is new to politics and does not know “these businesses,” Erdogan said. He said he has discussed the issue with the French president a number of times.

Describing the Armenian issue as a tool employed by others to pressure Turkey in the international arena, Erdogan said, unlike many other states, Turkey doesn’t have a shameful past.

“During the Balkan wars and in their aftermath, we unfortunately lost 2 million brothers and sisters of ours, including women, children and the elderly. And as many civilian citizens of ours were massacred during the Russian and Armenian invasion in eastern and southeastern Anatolia,” he said.

He doubled down on Turkey’s stance that the Armenian relocation was neither a genocide nor a great disaster; it was a tragic event that took place under troublesome conditions a century ago.

“Millions of Armenians would not be living across Europe, U.S., North Africa, Caucasus, if allegations against us were true,” Erdogan added