Turkey's US envoy slams Trump on 1915 events statement

U.S. President Donald Trump's statement on the 1915 events is "void of objectivity," Turkey's ambassador to Washington said on April 24. 

Serdar Kılıç said the U.S. president's statement is "based on a subjective narrative which Armenians try to turn into a dogma."

"This statement, made with domestic political considerations has no validity for us. We reject the claims put forward in this statement," he said in a statement.

"We observe that the suffering of more than 500 thousand Muslims who were massacred by Armenian rebels in the same period was insistently ignored in this statement. This understanding which is deprived of justice and equity needs
to be changed from now on," he added.

In a twitter statement accompanying the statement, Kılıç added it is "void of objectivity in reflecting 1915 events, and as such is totally unacceptable."

The ambassador's response came after Trump issued an annual commemoration of the 1915 events on April 24, again using the Armenian term "Meds Yeghern" to describe the tragedy.

"On this day, we bear witness to the strength and resiliency of the Armenian people in the face of tragedy," he said in a statement. "We are fortunate that so many Armenians have brought their rich culture to our shores and contributed so much to our country, including decorated soldiers, celebrated entertainers, renowned architects, and successful business people."

Meanwhile, in a written statement, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Trump's remarks were based on the "subjective" narrative of Armenians trying to turn the issue into a "dogma."

The ministry said it rejected Trump's "claims," which it said catered to domestic political motives. It also accused Trump's statement of ignoring the ...