YEREVAN (Sputnik) — The Pope was accompanied by the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and head of Armenia’s Orthodox Church, Karekin II and other officials.
During his speech at the presidential residence, the head of the Roman Catholic Church used the phrase "Armenian genocide" for the second time.
Around 1.2 million Armenians were killed or starved to death by the Ottoman Empire during and after World War I. Turkey has repeatedly denied accusations of committing mass murder of Armenians, claiming that the victims of the tragedy were both Turks and Armenians.
Armenia insists on the recognition of the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire by the international community. The Armenian genocide has already been recognized by Russia and some EU countries, as well as the European Parliament.
