During a ceremony in Yerevan marking the centennial of the genocide of Ottoman Armenians in eastern Turkey during the time of World War I, Vladimir Putin said:
“Unfortunately we can see neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic and Russophobic sentiment being on the rise and radical nationalists trying to come to power in many parts of the world.”
“We need to ask ourselves why all this is happening now,” Putin said at the ceremony of commemoration of the victims of the Armenian genocide on Friday in Yerevan.
“Whatever we may be doing in critically important parts of the world we need to think first and foremost about the consequences of our actions,” the Russian President emphasized.
Visit to #Yerevan: Attending memorial events marking 100 years since the Armenian genocide http://t.co/w4Hw86UkLL pic.twitter.com/QY5t5eVJOo
— President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) 24 апреля 2015
The Armenian genocide was a series of mass killings and starvation ordered by members of the Ottoman government during and after World War I culminating in 1915. The tragic events claimed the lives of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians, according to Yerevan data. Turkey refuses to name the massacre a genocide, claiming that Turkish nationals were also among victims.
The Armenian genocide has been recognized by 24 countries, including Russia and France.
