Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said a growing climate of peace and reconciliation in the South Caucasus reflects a strong push by regional actors seeking stability and cooperation, while warning against efforts to inflame tensions rooted in historical disputes.
In a statement, the ministry said parties involved in discussions over the events of 1915 share a clear stance against the politicization of the issue, criticizing some third-country politicians for exploiting the matter for narrow political interests or to deflect from their own responsibilities.
Ankara reiterated that Türkiye, which it said has long embodied a culture of coexistence, has opened its archives and continues to support the establishment of a joint history commission to examine the events of 1915 in a fair and objective manner. The proposal, the ministry noted, remains on the table.
Calling for a forward-looking approach, the ministry urged third parties with constructive intentions to support ongoing dialogue efforts and contribute to building a shared and just historical understanding, as well as reinforcing the region’s emerging atmosphere of cooperation.
Türkiye's position on the 1915 events 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, made worse by massacres conducted by militaries and militia groups from both sides. The mass arrests of prominent Ottoman-Armenian politicians, intellectuals and other community members suspected of links with separatist groups, harboring nationalist sentiments and being hostile to Ottoman rule occurred in the then-capital city of Istanbul on April 24, 1915. The date is commemorated as the beginning of later atrocities.
Ankara objects to the presentation of these incidents as "genocide," describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.
Ankara is of the opinion that controversial episodes in history such as the events of 1915 should be studied without prejudice by respecting the scientific and legal principles to write a just account of the incidents. With this understanding, Türkiye proposed the establishment of a Joint History Commission and opened its archives.