The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has responded to the joint declaration that the Pope signed with the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as the Pope’s speeches in Armenia and the use of the term “genocide”.
The statement, which is posted on the official website of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, views the Pope’s actions as “another discriminatory attitude towards the victims who suffered during the years of the First World War” due to the religious factor.
The statement reads that the Pope is dependent on the Armenian views “that have nothing to do with the reality and historical facts”. According to the Turkish MFA, evidence of that are the visit that the Pope made to Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial, his unsuccessful statements on “the events of 1915”, the signing of a joint declaration with the Armenian Church and the statements “full of slander” that he made on the way back.
“The biased approach that the Pope showed towards historical facts during the visit to Armenia can be concealed with neither his claims that he wants to establish peace and friendship, nor the February 3 statement of the Vatican that acknowledges the need for the creation of a joint historical commission, nor the statement criticizing terrorism, with a link to the murder of Turkish Ambassador to the Vatican Taha Carim by the ASALA in 1977,” the statement reads.
It is also stated that such behavior of the Pope doesn’t promote the establishment of peace in the region that was especially disturbed as a result of the military clashes that took place in certain sectors of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in early April.
“Thus, everyone expects the people representing the Holy See to make efforts to leave a legacy of peace and friendship for the future generations and a constructive approach hinged on respect towards the law,” the final part of the statement reads, as reported ermenihaber.am.