ANKARA
The European Parliament’s recent resolution recognizing the 1915 events as "genocide" is unfair, biased and prejudiced, Turkish parliament speaker said Friday.
Addressing a press conference at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek said that the resolution was null and void for Turkey.
“This resolution is against the law and it is an irresponsible decision,” Cicek said.
He strongly criticized the European Parliament’s attitude, claiming that it tried to force Turkey to accept the “genocide” resolution.
He said that the Turkish parliament had approached at least 112 countries and sent more than 40 letters to parliaments of various countries about the 1915 events.
“If Turkish citizens are exposed to hate speech or discrimination, the responsibility of such crimes will be on the European Parliament and Pope Francis,” Cicek said.
Pope Francis Sunday called the 1915 events "the first genocide of the 20th century," which led Turkey to recall its ambassador to the Vatican and also summon the Vatican envoy in Ankara.
Cicek said that not only Armenians, but Turkish and other minorities too had suffered during World War I.
“More than 20 million people lost their lives in World War I. We in Turkey share everyone’s pain,” he said.
The European Parliament first recognized the 1915 events as "genocide" in a 1987 resolution, which the parliament recalled in a vote Wednesday - the centenary of the 1915 events.
The vote came a day after the European Union urged Turkey and Armenia to normalize their relations following a spat prompted by remarks of Pope Francis over the 1915 events.
Turkey's official position against allegations of "genocide" is that it acknowledges the past experiences were a great tragedy and that both parties suffered heavy casualties, including hundreds of Muslim Turks.
Ankara agrees that there were Armenian casualties during World War I, but says that it is impossible to define these incidents as "genocide.”
The Turkish government has repeatedly called on historians to study Ottoman archives pertaining to the era to uncover what actually happened.
