Politics

Armenian-American leaders in Glendale say Turkish Prime Minister’s statement falls short

Leaders of the Armenian community in Glendale said a  statement by the Turkish Prime Minister on Wednesday offering his condolences to descendants of Armenians massacred by the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago fell short because the country continues to refuse to characterize the deaths as a genocide, the Glendale New Press reports.

“We do not see this as being something that is an adequate and appropriate acceptance of responsibility for the international crime that had been committed,” said Berdj Karapetian, chairman of the Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America.

He added that the condolences, which characterized the inhumane acts during World War I as a shared pain, whitewashed over the ethnic cleansing.

Mayor Zareh Sinanyan called the statement weak and indirect.

“I think his statement is evasive and insincere. It’s not the condolences Armenians expect from the leader of the Republic of Turkey,” Sinanyan said, adding that, in his mind, the statement was meant to stymie the significance of genocide-related commemorative events that take place around the world on April 24.

Sinanyan, like others, said that an apology and a showing of remorse is necessary for healing.

“There has got to be meaningful action,” he said.

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