Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan: 'Turks did not commit genocide against Armenians'

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan continues to make headlines with his recent striking statements.

During a closed-door meeting, Pashinyan revealed a perspective on the 1915 events that breaks with conventional narratives.

In his remarks at the meeting, Pashinyan claimed that the Turks did not commit genocide against the Armenians.

By stating "There was no genocide against the Armenians," he avoided blaming Turkey on this issue and emphasized that the genocide allegation was fabricated by the Soviet Union.

'USSR' CLAIM

Pashinyan stated, "The genocide allegation was invented by the USSR to worsen Turkey-Armenia relations."

Pashinyan's striking words have found wide resonance, particularly in the Russian press, and these statements are expected to further increase political and historical tensions in the region, leading to a new wave of debate in Turkey-Armenia relations.

WHO SAID WHAT ABOUT THE 1915 EVENTS?

Former President of the Turkish Historical Society Prof. Dr. Yusuf Halaçoğlu, in his speech at the 'Armenian Allegations and Historical Facts' panel organized online by Trakya University, stated that the Armenian genocide allegations are refuted by historical documents.

Stating that Armenians have kept the genocide allegations on the agenda under the guidance of Western states since the past, Halaçoğlu said, "As a result of a propagandist movement that ignores scientific research and acts solely with political considerations, Armenians come forward with claims that they were subjected to genocide in 1915, with some claiming 1.5 million and others 2 million Armenians were massacred. There is an allegation, and alongside it, there are facts. Those who ignore these facts are engaging entirely in politics."

'BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID...'

Prof. Dr. Justin McCarthy pointed out that the Armenians who migrated to Transcaucasia during the First World War period did not go to the region under Ottoman coercion but of their own volition, assessing, "These Armenians went to Transcaucasia because they were afraid. After all, the Armenians had killed and forcibly displaced a large part of the population, primarily Kurds, and they realized that if they remained behind while the Russians withdrew, they would suffer. The Kurds would take revenge. And this is absolutely true. So they fled."

'NOTHING BUT FICTION'

Russian historian Oleg Kuznetsov drew attention to the fact that Armenians have written numerous theses in Russian schools but have been unable to confirm that a genocide occurred with these theses, saying, "Armenians know that it is not possible to verify the validity of this propaganda term (genocide) with historical and legal documents. Therefore, the so-called Armenian genocide allegations are nothing but fiction."