YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The statement made by the Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu saying that it’s time for a new beginning in the Armenian-Turkish relations, is conditioned by the fact that Turkey’s liberal and opposition media and public figures strictly criticized the initiative of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to hold the event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli on April 24 and sending invitation to the President of Armenia. In a conversation with “Armenrpess”, turkologist Hakob Chakryan highlighted that the invitation received a very negative reaction in Turkey.

The Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Ruben Safrastyan stated that he doesn’t see any difference between Davutoğlu’s statement and Erdoğan’s condolences offered on April 23, 2014.

Among other things, the Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Ruben Safrastyan noted: “This is a cheap trick, which seeks to distort the essence of the Armenian Genocide. I don’t see that they begin revising their standpoint on the Armenian-Turkish relations and the Armenian issue, and they keep referring to the preconditions, particularly, in the Karabakh issue.”