A group of people issued an apology on the internet for the events of 1915 boosting a nationwide discussion.
The Presidential Press Center has said that President Abdullah Gul considered recent discussions in the Turkish public opinion and academic circles over the events in 1915 a sign of existence of a democratic discussion atmosphere in Turkey which was more civilized and freer than many other countries and of Turkish people's reconciliation with their history and their self-confidence. The Presidential Press Center said in a statement on Thursday that Gul had always clearly expressed Turkey's ideas and proposals about the events and Turkish-Armenian relations on numerous occasions and in many international platforms.
"During Gul's term in office as the foreign minister and deputy prime minister, Turkey proposed Armenia to establish a committee of historians to examine Turkish and Armenian archives. Gul advocated the proposal on the international level," it said. The center also expressed President Gul's profound regret that the issue was distorted for some political purposes although his views were well-known. Gul was criticized by the opposition parties.
A group of people issued an apology on the internet for the events of 1915 boosting a nationwide discussion. Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he did not accept or support the campaign recently launched by a group of Turkish intellectuals and academicians aiming to apologize to Armenians for the incidents of 1915.
"They might have committed such a crime themselves, as they are apologizing now. Republic of Turkey does not have such a concern. One can apologize if there is a crime necessitating such an apology. Neither my country, nor my nation has such concerns," Erdogan said, replying to questions following his meeting with Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov in Istanbul.
Erdogan said that it was unacceptable to support such a campaign just because it was launched by intellectuals. Armenia and Turkey do not have diplomatic relations and their shared border has been closed since 1993 when Turkey protested Armenia's occupation of the Upper Karabakh. Turkey accepts that many Armenians were killed during the waning years of the Ottoman state, but strongly denies Armenian claims it was genocide, saying that Armenians also killed Muslim Turks.
The apology describes the events as a great catastrophe.
President Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia in September as Turkey has sought to improve ties. Several meetings between Turkish and Armenian officials have followed and the two countries have expressed hopes of restoring full diplomatic relations soon.
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