YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS. The letter by the Prime Minister of Turkey misled the Press Secretary of the U.S. Department of State. At the course of the press conference held on April 23, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson reflected on the statement by the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. As reports “Armenpress”, in this regard the U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki stated: “We welcome Prime Minister Erdogan’s historic public acknowledgement of the suffering that Armenians experienced in 1915. We believe this is a positive indication that there can be a full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts, which we hope will advance the cause of reconciliation between Turks and Armenians.”

Previously it was reported that Vigen Sargsyan, the Head of Staff of the President of the Republic of Armenia, responded to the statement made by the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Vigen Sargsyan particularly underscored: “We have read that statement by Turkey’s Prime Minister very attentively trying to find the first attempt to face with history, but unfortunately we have to state that the statement is another, perhaps a more advanced expression of denial and concealing the crime of the Armenian Genocide.

There are all the theses of the Turkish propaganda machine, which are already known to everyone, including viewing the victim and the executor on the same level, distortion of the cause- consequence relation, and a call to form instruments to review the historical facts everybody is familiar with.

Actually, Turkey is required to do something different – to recognize history and unequivocally condemn all the crimes in it. It is known as repentance in Christianity. I am confident it has equivalents in other religions as well. As President Sargsyan noted in his address: “Only recognition and condemnation can prevent the repetition of such crimes in the future.” By the way, to condemn the crimes of the past does not mean to recognize the entire people, which bears that history, as criminal. It’s necessary to point on those, who developed and carried out that policy. First of all it’s necessary for the people, which bears that history, as this is the only way to separate the people from the disgraceful pages of history.”