“Armenian Genocide Commemoration: Ambassador’s Interview Sparks Controversy with Turkey”

On April 25, as part of the commemoration of the “Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide,” El Comercio published an interview conducted by email with the ambassador armenia in Argentinaconcurrent in Uruguay, ChilePeru and Paraguay, Hovhannes Virabyan.

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In said interview, the diplomat referred to the relations between his country and neighboring Turkey, whose government does not consider the events that occurred between 1915 and 1923 as a “genocide”.

You can read the interview with Ambassador Virabyan here.

In response to that post, Trade received a letter signed by the Turkish ambassador in Peru, Serra Kaleli, in which she requested a ruling on the issue.

Below, we publish the original and complete version of the letter that Ambassador Kaleli addressed to this newspaper.

“I write in reference to the interview offered by the incoming Armenian Ambassador to Argentina, who is accredited in Peru, published in his newspaper on April 25, 2023, which is a very unfortunate start for a diplomatic mission tainted with negative and antagonistic messages that reflect misleading information.

I would like to present some corrections to that article for the readers of your newspaper interested in being properly informed.

World War I and the final years of the Ottoman Empire have witnessed tragic events in which Turks, Armenians and many others suffered immensely. Many innocent lives were lost that we all mourn indiscriminately. Showing selective compassion towards one group while ignoring the enormous suffering of others is not humanly defensible. One should know that during this period that led to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, close to five million Turks and other Muslims were killed in the region in the most despicable conditions.

Against this background it should be noted that Türkiye does not deny the suffering of the Armenians. However, characterizing the events of that period as ‘genocide’ distorts the historical facts and is not supported by objective evidence. We encourage impartial and independent investigation to determine the historical facts against disputed claims. Political propaganda does not and will not get us anywhere.

Furthermore, the term ‘genocide’, according to international law, can only be established by the decision of a competent court. There is no such verdict from any competent court. By contrast, the European Court of Human Rights, in its 2015 and 2017 decision, concluded that there is no general consensus on the legal characterization of the events of 1915.

I believe that the essence of the missions of both diplomats and the press is to work for a better understanding of the issues instead of reliving old hostilities in wartime.”.