Ahmet Ünal Çeviköz

US President Joseph Biden’s description of the tragic events of 1915 as “genocide” has been recorded in history as a serious mistake. This statement will have a negative effect not only on Turkey-US relations, but also on any possibility of reconciliation between the peoples of Armenia and Turkey, as well as causing irreparable damage.

The events of the year 1915 left a mark in the memories of Turkish and Armenian people as an immensely traumatic tragedy and catastrophe. Statements of this nature are hardly of any help in their recovery from this trauma. The role that should have been played especially by state officials of other countries was not to create a new tension through this past tragedy, but to work for the healing of wounds in this shared agony. However, with this statement, that opportunity also has been missed.

At a time when a resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh issue that has been going on for thirty years between Azerbaijan and Armenia was close at hand, when Azerbaijan’s occupied territories were retrieved and when peoples of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia were preparing to look to the future in peace, stability and prosperity, the mention of so-called “genocide” will be to the detriment of all these processes.

The recent statements and decisions against Turkey are exemplary in that they demonstrate the state in which Turkey finds itself as a result of the AKP government’s imprudent foreign policy.
It is with sadness that we hear all kinds of incriminating statements against our country.
We respectfully share this with the public.