United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deems the 1915 incidents as an "atrocity crime" and does not follow Pope Francis's labeling of the incidents as "the first genocide of the 20th century." The U.N.'s stance is a pragmatic detachment from taking sides in a matter that has often been exploited by the Armenian diaspora to create political tensions.

Voicing Ban's view of the 1915 incidents, which Turkey describes as a mass forced deportation of Armenians from Anatolia during World War I, while speaking to the press, Dujarric said the U.N. general secretary described the incidents as "tragic events" and "atrocity crimes" refraining from taking sides in such a sensitive matter that has been politicized.

Dujarric said Ban believes that the commemoration and continuing cooperation between Armenians and Turks "with a view to establishing the facts about what happened should strengthen our collective determination to prevent similar atrocity crimes from ever happening in the future."

During a special Sunday Mass to commemorate Armenian lives lost in the 1915 incidents 100 years ago, Pope Francis labeled the 1915 incidents as genocide, provoking harsh reactions from Turkey, which firmly rejects that the incidents can be defined as genocide. In doing so, the pope has risked souring relatively good relations with Turkey where he was warmly received in late November. Pope Francis's remarks have not been backed by other Western circles, which have opted to refrain from taking sides in the highly politicized matter to avoid triggering tensions that could cripple efforts to ameliorate already sour relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Italian Under-Secretary for Europe Sandro Gozi on Sunday said that the Italian government will not describe the 1915 events as genocide after Pope Francis called the killings of Armenians during World War I "the first genocide of the 20th century."

"It would be inappropriate for the Italian government to officially acknowledge the Armenian genocide; it is not for governments to decide what happened 100 years ago, resolving that controversy is up to historians."

Many critics believe the pope, likewise, should have been distant from such discussions saying they are up to historians to dispute. However, his stance on the matter and revealing it in a Mass to commemorate those killed in the 1915 incidents raised questions over whether his comments were influenced by the Armenian diaspora, which has ramped up efforts ahead of the centennial commemorations of the events to be recognized as genocide. His commitment to the Armenian diaspora is believed to go back to his days in Argentina, which has a large Armenian diaspora community.

Meanwhile, the European Union has urged Turkey and Armenia to thaw ties after the remarks by Pope Francis ignited the lingering row over the incidents, in an apparent bid to ease the tensions.

EU foreign affairs spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said on Monday that the EU encourages Turkey and Armenia "to consider additional, meaningful steps that would pave the way toward full reconciliation."

Pope Francis's comments have triggered tensions with Turkish officials who have slammed the pope for "igniting hatred" when his position, they said, requires easing tensions and forming bridges between the two communities. They also accused the pontiff of being partial and assessing the events in a one-sided manner.

The Ottoman Empire forcibly relocated Armenians to eastern Anatolia following revolts and there were Armenian casualties during the relocation process. Turkish-Armenian relations have remained strained for decades due to Armenia's constant demand for Turkey, as well as other countries, to officially accept the mass, forced deportations of Armenians to Anatolia during World War I as genocide. The official Turkish government stance on the claims of genocide is that it acknowledges that a tragedy occurred with great suffering on the part of the Armenians, but that Muslim Turks also suffered during the event. They have repeatedly called on Armenia to check unbiased historical sources to bring the matter to light.

*Contributed by wires