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Turkey offered an unprecedented message of reconciliation to Armenians today on the eve of the anniversary of the Ottoman massacre almost a century ago.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the genocide during World War I “our shared pain” and acknowledged that the deportation of Armenians in 1915 had had “inhumane consequences.”
He released a statement in Turkish, Armenian and seven other languages, expressing hope that those killed are at peace and offering his country’s condolences to their descendants.
The message was issued on the eve of the 99th anniversary of the genocidal killings.
Historians estimate that about 1.5 million Armenians died, although Turkey has always rejected the term genocide.
It claims that the figures are inflated and that there were deaths on both sides as the Ottoman empire collapsed.
Mr Erdogan admitted that the deportations had had dire consequences, but he did not use the word “genocide.”
He said that millions of people “of all religions and ethnicities” had lost their lives during the war.
“The incidents of the First World War are our shared pain,” his message read.
He said that the events should not prevent Turks and Armenians from establishing compassion and mutually humane attitudes toward one another and appealed for them not to be used against Turkey.
“Using the events of 1915 as an excuse for hostility against Turkey and turning this issue into a matter of political conflict is inadmissible,” the Turkish PM said.
He repeated a Turkish proposal for a joint study of the events, involving scholars from both sides.