France is marking its first national day of commemoration of the Armenian genocide on Wednesday, a remembrance of the more than 1.5 million Armenians who were systematically exterminated between 1915 and 1923 under the Ottoman Empire. The event fulfills a pledge made by French President Emmanuel Macron on his election and has angered the Turkish government. France’s recognition of the massacre as a genocide was enshrined in law in 2001, following a lengthy struggle that has strained relations with Turkey, however now Macron has moved it to the forefront of French political life. Armenia and Turkey have been at odds for decades over whether the World War I killings and deportations – which Armenia says left 1.5 million dead – should be described as genocide. Historians regard the mass killings of Armenians a century ago as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey rejects the term ‘Armenian genocide’ as inflammatory, contending that those who died were victims of civil war, and has repeatedly suggested the numbers of deaths were fabricated and exaggerated. Every year, on the eve of the #ArmenianGenocide #Remembrance Day, young people across @Armenia gather in #Yerevan, marching to the #Genocide Memorial with torches in the memory of the victims of the Genocide. #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/aSVgh5NvsB — Armenia (@armenia) April 23, 2019 Macron’s announcement in February that France would officially commemorate the slaughter drew an angry response from Ankara, with a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily declaring: “No one can sully our history.” Last week Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu chided France during a tense exchange of words with a French parliamentarian at a NATO meeting in Turkey. Cavusoglu said: “France is the last country to teach Turkey a lesson on genocide and history. We haven’t forgotten what happened in Rwanda and Algeria.” French lawmaker Sonia Krimi and the French delegation left the room in protest over Cavusoglu’s remarks. “When the arrogant @MevlutCavusolgu gives you lessons on arrogance and politeness, arrogantly and without any respect,” she wrote on Twitter referring to the incident. Turkey’s presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin hit back posting on Twitter a story from state news agency Anadolu about “dark stains in French history.” “Neither their colonial past nor their self-centred present guarantees their moral superiority,” he wrote.<doc-sep>Commemoration ceremonies are being held in Armenia on April 24 to mark the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire 104 years ago. In Yerevan, hundreds of thousands of people marched to the Tsitsernakaberd hilltop memorial to lay flowers at the eternal flame that commemorates victims of what Armenia describes as genocide. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian with his wife, other officials, and politicians were among the visitors to the memorial on April 24. The U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Lynne Tracey, also attended that ceremony. She told journalists she came to the memorial to honor memories of the victims. "The United States does not deny historical facts, and the fact is that what took place in 1915 was one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century. But we remain encouraged by the resiliency of the Armenian people and that is also what today is about," Tracey said. U.S. President Donald Trump used similar wording in a statement, steering clear of the word "genocide" but using the Armenian-language term Meds Yeghern, or "great calamity." Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America, issued a statement expressing disappointment with Trump's comments. "The failure to squarely acknowledge the Armenian genocide reflects a pattern not only in this year's presidential statement, but past administrations as well, that fosters an atmosphere for denial and empowers authoritarian regimes to persecute Christians and other minorities," Ardouny said. The World War I-era mass slaughter and deportation of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire is formally recognized as genocide by the U.S. House of Representatives and 49 of the 50 U.S. states, but U.S. presidents and their administrations have avoided it. "Beginning in 1915, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire," Trump said in the statement. "On this day of remembrance, we again join the Armenian community in America and around the world in mourning the many lives lost." Trump said that the United States honors and recognizes "the work of those who tried to end the violence, as well as those who sought to ensure atrocities like this would not be repeated, like human rights activist and lawyer Raphael Lemkin" -- a lawyer who defined the term genocide after World War II. "We pledge to learn from past tragedies so as to not to repeat them," the U.S. president said. "We welcome the efforts of Armenians and Turks to acknowledge and reckon with their painful history. And we stand with the Armenian people in recalling the lives lost during the Meds Yeghern and reaffirm our commitment to a more peaceful world." The countries and international bodies that recognize the killings as genocide include Russia, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Poland, and the European Parliament, and some countries outlaw "Armenian genocide" denial. Turkey and its close ally Azerbaijan are the only countries that directly deny statements about historical facts related to the era. They say Armenians died in much smaller numbers and because of civil strife rather than an organized and systemic effort by the Ottoman government to annihilate the Christian minority. Ankara opposes the recognition of genocide by other countries, threatening economic and diplomatic retaliation to those that do so.<doc-sep>
The ceremonies organized in France on Wednesday fulfilled a pledge made by French President Emmanuel Macron during his 2017 election campaign, and confirmed to the country's large Armenian community in February. Armenians on the Place du Canada in Paris mark the 104th anniversary of the genocide In 2001 France became the first major European country to recognize the massacres as genocide and in February, as he announced the national day of remembrance, Macron said France "knows how to look history in the face." The 1915-1918 killings started on April 24 when thousands of Armenian intellectuals suspected of harboring nationalist sentiments and being hostile to Ottoman rule were rounded up. Memorials have been held around the world to mark the 104th anniversary. Prime Minister Philippe leads the delegation for the first national memorial day A crime against humanity Prime Minister Edouard Philippe led the commemorations by giving a speech and laying flowers at the Monument to the Armenian Genocide erected on the northern bank of the river Seine in April 2003. Since 2001 "France has publicly recognized the Armenian Genocide of 1915," Philippe said. "France intends to contribute to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a crime against humanity, against civilization." France "will not be impressed by any lies, by any pressure," Philippe said. "What we are looking for is historical accuracy and reconciliation," he said. French servicemen attend the ceremonies in Paris Turkish response Turkey accepts that Armenians living under the Ottoman Empire died, but refutes accusations that the deaths were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide. Speaking on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused France of committing genocide in Rwanda and Algeria. French MP Jacques Marilossian, a member of Macron's party, said in a TV interview: "We should find a way to tell them we are not blaming Turkey for that [the genocide]. We are blaming the Turkish government in 1915." The US has not named the killings as a genocide. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued a statement saying: "Today, we ... honor the memory of those who suffered in one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century. Beginning in 1915, one-and-a-half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. On this day of remembrance, we again join the Armenian community in America and around the world in mourning the many lives lost." jm/rs (AFP, AP) Every evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.