Turkish officials boycott Russia Day celebrations in Ankara

The Russia Day was celebrated at the Russian Embassy in Ankara today with no Turkish official attending the event, Turkish Sabah reports.

The boycott comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the Armenian Genocide centennial commemoration in Armenia on April 24 and called the 1915 events ‘genocide.’

“April 24, 1915, is a mournful date, related to one of the most horrendous and dramatic events in human history, the genocide of the Armenian people,” Putin said.

Last year the Embassy event was attended by Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz.