Turkey has warned that adoption of a on its centennial anniversary will have a deep impact on bilateral relations between the two countries.
With the resolution adopted on July 23, Turkey has once more been “unfairly indicted, historical facts have been distorted and law has been ignored,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement released on July 24.
The statement continued to say “the decision was part of a campaign aimed at defaming Turkish identity and history, which had started early in 2015, while recalling Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel’s recognition of the deaths of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces during World War I as genocide in remarks delivered in June.”
“The grave picture that has emerged with the July 23 decision of the Chamber of Deputies [was] met with regret by the Belgian Turkish community and has deeply impacted our bilateral relations,” the ministry said, questioning why Belgian deputies spared time on the issue instead of dealing with serious challenges Europe faces, including an economic crisis.
“It should be understood that this and similar decisions that have been made do not serve the Turkish-Armenian conciliation in any way,” the ministry said.
“We strongly condemn this decision unjustly accusing our history and ignoring historical facts and the memory of Turkish people,” the statement concluded.