ISTANBUL — Etyen Mahçupyan, the Chief Adviser of the Prime Minister of Turkey, once again has told in an interview that what happened to the Armenians was a genocide.
“It is impossible to classify what happened as anything other than ‘genocide’,” Mahçupyan said, adding that it was more important to own up to the mistakes of history and learn from it, and for Turks and Armenians alike to be able to view historic events together with empathy.
“The Vatican has cleared the pressure it has been held under for the past 100 years,” Mahçupyan said. “Instead of being outraged as to why the Pope decided to use this word after 100 years, one should question why they have been caving into pressure for the past 100 years.”
Mahçupyan noted, “The ‘genocide’ word no longer has political meaning but a psychological one.”
