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Anadolu Agency, Turkey
April 12 2015
Turkey recalls its Vatican envoy over 'genocide' remark
12 April 2015 16:23 (Last updated 12 April 2015 21:14)
Ambassador Pacaci summoned to Ankara for consultations over Pope
Francis' statement on 1915 incidents, Turkish Foreign Ministry says.
ANKARA
Turkey's ambassador to Vatican has been summoned to Ankara for
consultations, Turkish Foreign Ministry has said in a statement
Sunday.
Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci has been called back to Ankara after Pope
Francis called the 1915 incidents involving Armenians "genocide" on
Sunday during a Mass in the Armenian Catholic rite at the St. Peter's
Basilica, which Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan also attended.
"In the past century, our human family has lived through three massive
and unprecedented tragedies," Pope said.
"The first, which is widely considered the first genocide of the
twentieth century, struck your own Armenian people, the first
Christian nation, as well as Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Assyrians,
Chaldeans and Greeks and, more recently, there have been other mass
killings, like those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia," the
pontiff said.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry said, "Pope Francis, who has defended the
opinion of building peace and friendship between different groups
around the world since the day he was assigned as Pope, has
discriminated about people's suffering, overlooked atrocities that
Turks and Muslims suffered in the First World War and only highlighted
the Christian suffering, especially that of the Armenian people.
"It is meaningful that Pope Francis describes the tragedies in Bosnia
and Rwanda as 'mass killings,' which were proven as genocide by
authorized international courts, while describing the incidents in
1915 as 'genocide' disregarding the fact that there is not a single
court ruling on them (incidents)," the statement added.
The ministry said the pontiff's remarks are "null and void," and added
that the Pope was under the influence of Armenian narrative, "which
insists on fomenting hostility instead of leaving behind peace and
friendship for the next generations."
Cavusoglu also slammed Pope's statement earlier in the day via social
media, saying: The Pope's statement, which is out of touch with both
historical facts and legal basis, is simply unacceptable.
"Religious offices are not places through which hatred and animosity
are fueled by unfounded allegations," Cavusoglu shared through
Twitter.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Vatican's envoy to Ankara,
Antonio Lucibello, earlier on Sunday to relate the message that the
incident has caused "loss of trust" and would be met with a response.
'Great tragedy'
The Ottoman Empire relocated Armenians in eastern Anatolia following
the revolts and there were Armenian casualties during the relocation
process.
Armenia has demanded an apology and compensation, while Turkey has
officially refuted Armenian allegations over the incidents saying
that, although Armenians died during the relocations, many Turks also
lost their lives in attacks carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia.
The Turkish government has repeatedly called on historians to study
Ottoman archives pertaining to the era in order to uncover what
actually happened between the Ottoman government and its Armenian
citizens.
The debate on "genocide" and the differing opinions between the
present day Turkish government and the Armenian diaspora, along with
the current administration in Yerevan, still generates political
tension between Turks and Armenians.
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 certainly Armenian casualties during
World War I, but says that it is impossible to define these incidents
as "genocide."
In 2014, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences for
the first time to all Ottoman citizens who lost their lives in the
events of 1915.
"May Armenians who lost their lives in the events in the early
twentieth century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to
their grandchildren," Erdogan said.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/492530--turkey-summons-vatican-envoy-after-pope-franciss-remarks
From: Baghdasarian
April 12 2015
Turkey recalls its Vatican envoy over 'genocide' remark
12 April 2015 16:23 (Last updated 12 April 2015 21:14)
Ambassador Pacaci summoned to Ankara for consultations over Pope
Francis' statement on 1915 incidents, Turkish Foreign Ministry says.
ANKARA
Turkey's ambassador to Vatican has been summoned to Ankara for
consultations, Turkish Foreign Ministry has said in a statement
Sunday.
Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci has been called back to Ankara after Pope
Francis called the 1915 incidents involving Armenians "genocide" on
Sunday during a Mass in the Armenian Catholic rite at the St. Peter's
Basilica, which Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan also attended.
"In the past century, our human family has lived through three massive
and unprecedented tragedies," Pope said.
"The first, which is widely considered the first genocide of the
twentieth century, struck your own Armenian people, the first
Christian nation, as well as Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Assyrians,
Chaldeans and Greeks and, more recently, there have been other mass
killings, like those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia," the
pontiff said.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry said, "Pope Francis, who has defended the
opinion of building peace and friendship between different groups
around the world since the day he was assigned as Pope, has
discriminated about people's suffering, overlooked atrocities that
Turks and Muslims suffered in the First World War and only highlighted
the Christian suffering, especially that of the Armenian people.
"It is meaningful that Pope Francis describes the tragedies in Bosnia
and Rwanda as 'mass killings,' which were proven as genocide by
authorized international courts, while describing the incidents in
1915 as 'genocide' disregarding the fact that there is not a single
court ruling on them (incidents)," the statement added.
The ministry said the pontiff's remarks are "null and void," and added
that the Pope was under the influence of Armenian narrative, "which
insists on fomenting hostility instead of leaving behind peace and
friendship for the next generations."
Cavusoglu also slammed Pope's statement earlier in the day via social
media, saying: The Pope's statement, which is out of touch with both
historical facts and legal basis, is simply unacceptable.
"Religious offices are not places through which hatred and animosity
are fueled by unfounded allegations," Cavusoglu shared through
Twitter.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Vatican's envoy to Ankara,
Antonio Lucibello, earlier on Sunday to relate the message that the
incident has caused "loss of trust" and would be met with a response.
'Great tragedy'
The Ottoman Empire relocated Armenians in eastern Anatolia following
the revolts and there were Armenian casualties during the relocation
process.
Armenia has demanded an apology and compensation, while Turkey has
officially refuted Armenian allegations over the incidents saying
that, although Armenians died during the relocations, many Turks also
lost their lives in attacks carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia.
The Turkish government has repeatedly called on historians to study
Ottoman archives pertaining to the era in order to uncover what
actually happened between the Ottoman government and its Armenian
citizens.
The debate on "genocide" and the differing opinions between the
present day Turkish government and the Armenian diaspora, along with
the current administration in Yerevan, still generates political
tension between Turks and Armenians.
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 certainly Armenian casualties during
World War I, but says that it is impossible to define these incidents
as "genocide."
In 2014, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences for
the first time to all Ottoman citizens who lost their lives in the
events of 1915.
"May Armenians who lost their lives in the events in the early
twentieth century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to
their grandchildren," Erdogan said.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/492530--turkey-summons-vatican-envoy-after-pope-franciss-remarks
From: Baghdasarian