'Armenian resolution to shadow Turkey-Iceland relations'

ANKARA

The Speaker of Turkish Parliament Mustafa Sentop on Monday asked his counterpart in Iceland not to back the draft resolution on the issue of 1951 Armenian events.

In a letter sent to his Icelander counterpart Steingrimur Sigfusson on Monday, the speaker said the draft resolution submitted in Iceland parliament was built on groundless allegations.

"I learned that a draft resolution, which built on groundless allegations and aimed at recognizing the events of 1915 as genocide, has been submitted to your parliament. It is obvious that such unfounded attempts, which we know that they emerged with the provocation of some circles, will result in nothing but shadowing the good relations that exist between our countries," Sentop said in the letter.

He said that considering both historical facts and legal norms, it is not possible to relate these events to any genocide.

"I believe that we should not allow this controversial historical issue, which is not under the jurisdiction of the parliaments, to affect our bilateral relations and cooperation," he said.

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, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was the country’s prime minister at the time, expressed condolences to the descendants of Armenians who lost their lives in the events of 1915.