YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a statement on April 24 – the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The statement of the Turkish president is perhaps the most unaddressed and overall statement compared to the previously made ones. His address was read in the St. Vardanants Church in Istanbul’s Feriköy district, the Turkish Anadolu agency reported, which released Erdogan’s statement in both Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian.

Avoiding to record historic facts, Erdogan only mentioned in the statement “The Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives in the difficult conditions of WW I”, by extending condolences to their grandchildren.

Further in the statement, the Turkish president highlighted the role of the Armenian community in the development of the country, mentioning that Armenians “are equal and free citizens of the country, just like yesterday, they carry out an important role in the social, political and commercial life”.

Erdogan said they will further continue working on “standing up for the memory of Ottoman Armenians and Armenian cultural legacy”.

Commenting on the election of Istanbul’s Armenian Patriarch, Erdogan expressed desire for the election to be over in a short period of time, and wished success in the matter.

“I ask God for mercy for the millions of Ottoman citizens, who lost their lives in the difficult conditions of World War I”, the statement’s final part reads.

Erdogan’s first statement on April 24 was back in 2014. In response to an inquiry of ARMENPRESS, then chief-of-staff of the Presidential administration Vigen Sargsyan particularly said:

“We must admit, that this is another, perhaps a more improved manifestation, of covering up and denying the crime of the Armenian Genocide. It contains all the same thesis of the Turkish propaganda machine, which everyone is well aware of – viewing the victim and the executor on the same level, distorting the reason-consequence link, and the call on forming the tools on revising the historic reality – which everyone knows. In reality, another thing is required from Turkey – to recognize history and unequivocally condemn the crimes which exist in it”.