Türkiye renews call for normalisation with Armenia Rejects politically driven claims on 1915 events

The Turkish Interior Ministry reaffirmed its call to normalise ties with Armenia but firmly rejected recent statements on the 1915 events, calling them politically motivated and historically inaccurate.

"We categorically reject all statements that contradict historical facts and international law regarding the events of 1915," the Ministry said, Caliber.Az reports.

"Such attempts, which seek to exploit past suffering for political motives, hold no validity whatsoever."

Emphasising Türkiye’s continued commitment to peace, dialogue, and mutual understanding, the Ministry underlined that the country has opened its national archives for transparent and scholarly research and has proposed the establishment of a Joint Historical Commission to examine the 1915 events fairly and objectively.

The Ministry also warned against encouraging radical narratives that seek to incite enmity through distorted interpretations of history. "We reiterate that efforts by radical circles to foster hostility based on history should not be encouraged," the statement said.

Concluding its remarks, the Ministry once again called on all parties to support the ongoing normalisation process between Türkiye and Armenia as a constructive step toward regional stability and reconciliation.

To recall, the core idea centres on the disputed historical narrative of the 1915 relocation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Amid conflict with Russia and internal unrest, the Ottomans deported Armenians from war zones, citing security concerns. This led to mass suffering and deaths due to violence and starvation.

While some view this as genocide, Türkiye rejects the term, calling for impartial historical research and maintaining that all Anatolian peoples suffered during the war. The issue remains a point of contention between Türkiye and Armenia.

By Aghakazim Guliyev