Erdoğan calls Biden's remarks on 1915 events "unfounded"

The Turkish president on Monday denounced US President Joe Biden's "unfounded" statement on the events of 1915, saying it is "contrary to the facts."

Addressing a news conference following a three-hour Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: "US President Joe Biden has made a statement that is unfounded, unjust, and contrary to the facts about the painful events that took place more than a century ago."

Expressing his and Turkish nation's "immense" distress over Biden's remarks, Erdoğan once more stated that the US president's remarks "have no historical and legal basis."

"As Turkey, we believe that it is inhumane to contest the sufferings of history," Erdoğan said, reminding that Turkey is the only nation and state that is without rebuke and has a clear and satisfied conscience about its history.

The president also said that the US and Europe "would not be able to appear in public" if they were to "compete" on the events in history.
"If you call it genocide, you should look in the mirror and evaluate yourselves," said Erdoğan.

He further stated: "Investigating historical events and revealing the truth should be left to experts and historians, not to politicians."
On a proposed joint history commission on Armenian claims, Erdoğan said Turkey is yet to receive a response on its offer.

"We have assured researchers of the commission of access to our archives, but other parties have not responded," he added.

Erdoğan underscored that there is "no concrete evidence regarding Armenian allegations nor any international court decision."

Giving a detailed historical background to the Armenian issue, Erdoğan said that until World War I, the Armenian gangs caused about 40 riots, which got out of control and turned into massacres.

The Turkish leader also said that millions of Turkish and Kurdish civilian population from the eastern Van to northeastern Kars provinces and from the eastern Erzurum province to the central Anatolian region were massacred by the Armenian gangs.

"There are mass graves of Turks massacred by Armenians in many places, but nowhere can you find mass graves belonging to Armenians," the Turkish president said.

Erdoğan went on to say that prior to World War I, the records show that a total of 1.3 million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire.

"There are over 1 million documents in our archives now. Come in and examine the documents," he added.

Regarding the April 24, 1915 incidents claimed by Armenians, Erdoğan said: "Nothing happened on April 24 in terms of human tragedy."

The Ottoman Empire did not send the Armenian population elsewhere, it relocated them within its territory, he said.

"Individuals subject to [the related] law were given a week to prepare, and those who had an excuse were exempted from relocation. Necessary administrative measures were taken during the referral process, and adequate funds were provided to local units in this regard," Erdoğan added.

On Saturday, Biden called the events of 1915 a "genocide," breaking with American presidents' long-held tradition of refraining from using the term.

TURKISH STANCE ON 1915 EVENTS

Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey objects to the presentation of these events as "genocide," describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia as well as international experts to tackle the issue.

In 2014, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan-Turkey's then prime minister and now president-expressed his condolences to the descendants of Armenians who lost their lives in the events of 1915.