EuroNews, France
April 24 2010
Turks mark mass 1915 killing of ethnic Armenians
24/04 19:04 CET
For most Turks the very idea would be unthinkable, but earlier around
200 Turkish intellectuals, human rights campaigners and artists
commemorated the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.
The gathering in Istanbul was the first of its kind in Turkey and
activists held photos of victims and laid flowers in their honour.
Armenia insists the massacre of some 1.5 million people was genocide,
something Ankara vigorously denies. It contests the number of victims
and argues the killings were part of a larger struggle during the
First World War. However, the US, France and a number of other foreign
states all back Armenia’s opinion.
The massacre remains a defining element of Armenian national identity
and tens of thousands marked the 95th anniversary at a hilltop
memorial in the country’s capital.
The service, attended by Armenia’s president Serzh Sarkisian, comes
against a backdrop of renewed tensions between Yerevan and Ankara
after a peace deal fell apart on Thursday.
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From: Baghdasarian