At a rally in Ankara, the Turkish Vatan party called for the closure of American military bases in Turkey and the recognition of Crimea as Russian in response to the recognition by US President Joe Biden of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. On Monday, April 26, RIA Novosti reports.
“We are addressing the government. Biden’s attack cannot be answered with words. Taking action is imperative. For the recognition of Crimea and Abkhazia, as well as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, diplomatic contacts should be started with Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan, ”said Ozgur Bursaly, Secretary General of the Turkish party.
In addition, the Vatan leader announced the need to immediately take full control of the Turkish Armed Forces at the American bases “Incirlik” and “Kurejik”. US troops must be sent to their country within 15 days, the party secretary general said.
On April 25, the United States Ambassador to Ankara David Satterfield was summoned to the Foreign Office in Turkey, where the department expressed a strong protest to him in connection with the official recognition by US President Joe Biden of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
Earlier, on April 24, Biden called the events of the early 20th century in the Ottoman Empire “the Armenian genocide.” Biden’s predecessors as head of state avoided using the term.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Ottoman Empire persecuted the Armenian population. According to a number of historians, over 1.5 million Armenians were killed in 1915. The fact of genocide was recognized by more than 20 countries, Ankara rejects the very term “genocide”, claiming that in those years there was a fratricidal war, and each side of the conflict suffered heavy losses.
The Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide in Armenia is annually celebrated on April 24