Turkey accused of ‘utter denial’ on genocide

YEREVAN: Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian on Thursday accused Turkey of an “utter denial” in failing to recognize World War I mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as a genocide, after Ankara for the first time offered condolences for the tragedy.

“The Armenian Genocide…is alive as far as the successor of the Ottoman Turkey continues its policy of utter denial,” Sarkisian said in a statement marking the 99th anniversary of the massacres. He added the looming 100th anniversary offered “Turkey a good chance to repent and to set aside the historical stigma in case if they make efforts to set free their state’s future from this heavy burden.” In an unprecedented move by a Turkish leader, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday offered condolences over the massacres, calling them “our shared pain.”