Türkiye slams Mexican resolution on 1915 Armenian events

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye on Thursday slammed a Mexican Senate resolution on the 1915 Armenian events against the country.

“The resolution adopted by the Mexican Senate on February 8, 2023 and recognizing the 1915 events as ‘genocide’ is an invalid attempt to rewrite history with political motives. We reject and strongly condemn this decision. We remind you that legislative bodies do not have the authority to interpret and judge history,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.

The statement further said that this attempt is also clearly against the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights confirming that the 1915 events are a matter of legitimate debate.

It noted that ​​​​​​​it is unfortunate that this decision coincided with a time when search and rescue activities were being carried out for earthquake victims in Türkiye with the participation of teams from several countries including Mexico, adding "it is incompatible with Türkiye-Mexico friendship."

“We call on the Mexican Senate to correct this misstep, instead of serving the agenda of some circles that try to create hostility from history,” it stressed.

​​​​​​​Despite Türkiye being one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence in 1991, the two countries have been divided on a range of issues, including Yerevan's occupation of Azerbaijani territories, the events of 1915 during the reign of the Ottoman Empire, and the border closure between the two neighboring countries since 1993.

In 2021, Ankara and Yerevan mutually appointed special representatives to normalize ties.