Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday criticized US President Joe Biden’s recent statements on the events of 1915, calling them ahistorical and based on misinformation.
“The US president should learn and know history very well,” Erdoğan told reporters in the capital Ankara after a Cabinet meeting. “We cannot forgive this attempt aiming to challenge Turkey in the absence of such (historical) knowledge.”
Based on ‘false information’
Biden’s remarks on the subject, issued on Sunday, are not worth dwelling on as they are based on “false information,” he added.
Such statements on the events of 1915, which are supposedly recognized by various countries’ governments and parliaments, have no effect on Turkey, Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan also said he is due Tuesday to have a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Turkish stance on events of 1915
Turkey’s position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.
Turkey objects to the presentation of these incidents as “genocide,” describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.
Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia as well as international experts to tackle the issue.
In 2014, then-Prime Minister Erdoğan expressed condolences to the descendants of Armenians who lost their lives in the events of 1915.