Obama calls Turkey’s PM Erdogan after Armenia row

(AFP) – 8 hours ago

WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama spoke to Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following complaints from Ankara about his remarks on Armenian massacres under the Ottoman Empire, the White House said Monday.

Officials said Obama and Erdogan spoke about humanitarian efforts in Libya and the brutal government crackdown on protestors in Syria.

Obama also expressed hopes that Israel and Turkey could improve their recently difficult relations in a bid to bring some stability to the restive Middle East, a White House statement said.

On Sunday, Turkey had voiced “deep regret” over Obama’s remarks on Armenian massacres under the Ottoman Empire, saying his annual statement on the issue “distorts the historical facts.”

“Therefore, we find it very problematic and deeply regret it… One-sided statements that interpret controversial historical events by a selective sense of justice prevent understanding of the truth,” the foreign ministry said.

In the message on the World War I-era massacres, Obama on Saturday however stopped short of using the “genocide” label that Turkey, a NATO ally, rejects, while urging “full” acknowledgment of the “horrific events.”

On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman authorities rounded up some 200 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul in a clampdown that was followed by massacres and deportations until 1917.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin died in a “genocide.”

The White House did not mention the Armenian issue in a statement on Obama’s conversation with Erdogan, seeking to stress agreement on Libya and Syria.

“The leaders agreed that attacks against civilians must stop and that Qaddafi must step down and depart Libya permanently in order for there to be a lasting solution that reflects the will of the Libyan people,” the White House said.

“President Obama and Prime Minister Erdogan expressed their deep concern about the Syrian government’s unacceptable use of violence against its own people.

“The leaders agreed that the Syrian government must end the use of violence now and promptly enact meaningful reforms that respect the democratic aspirations of Syrian citizens.”

via AFP: Obama calls Turkey’s PM Erdogan after Armenia row.