MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Turkey offers condolences to grandchildren of Armenians killed by the Ottoman army

PM Tayyip Erdogan act was described as 'historic', but insufficient by Armenian communities worldwide

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan offered what the government said were unprecedented condolences on Wednesday to the grandchildren of Armenians killed in World War One by Ottoman soldiers.

 On the eve of the 99th anniversary of the deeply contested deaths, Erdogan said: “It is with this hope and belief that we wish that the Armenians who lost their lives in the context of the early 20th century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to their grandchildren.”

Erdogan unexpectedly described the events of 1915 as “inhumane”, using more conciliatory language than has often been the case for Turkish leaders.

“Having experienced events which had inhumane consequences - such as relocation - during the First World War, should not prevent Turks and Armenians from establishing compassion and mutually humane attitudes among towards one another,” Erdogan said.

Turkish government officials said it was the first time a Turkish prime minister had offered such explicit condolences and described the statement as a historic step, but Erdogan's words were dismissed as “cold-hearted and cynical” by an influential U.S.-based Armenian advocacy group.

The exact nature and scale of what happened during fighting that started in 1915 is highly contentious and continues to sour relations between Turkey and Armenia, a former Soviet republic.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians died in clashes, but denies that up to 1.5 million were killed and that this constituted an act of genocide - a term used by many Western historians and foreign parliaments.

In the 99th anniversary of the killings, a series of commemorative events will be held tomorrow in Buenos Aires City and in Montevideo by the Armenian communities in Argentina and Uruguay.

“99 years after the first genocide of the 20th Century, Turkey continues to deny its responsibility,” an ad published today in local newspaper read.

A mass at the Buenos Aires Armenian Cathedral at 11 a.m. tomorrow will be followed by a commemorative act at the Armenian Centre. At 7 p.m. protesters will meet in front of Buenos Aires University Law School and then march to the official resident of Turkish ambassador.

In Montevideo religious ceremonies have been programmed and flower wreaths will be placed by members of the community at Plaza Independencia and the Armenia Plaza.