Macron Declares April 24 as Day of Remembrance of Armenian Genocide

Turkish-Armenian MP Garo Paylan, representing the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), took to Twitter to respond to remarks about the Armenia Genocide made by Turkish President Erdogan’s spokesperson.

“We condemn and reject attempts by Macron, who is afflicted by political problems in his own country, to try and save the day by turning historical events into a political matter,” Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said.

In a tweet on Thursday, Paylan questioned Kalin’s statement, saying: “If the Armenian Genocide is a lie, why the Turkish President has been sending condolence messages to the Armenian community five years in a row on every April 24.”

“Turkey is yet to face and name the tragedy of the Armenian people displaced and slaughtered by the decision of the state. What happened should concern first the president and the Speaker of Turkish parliament. They should face and call the tragedy with a proper name as we have been waiting for justice for104 years,” Paylan wrote in a separate post.

The French foreign ministry responded to the Turkish reaction on President Macron’s recent decision to declare April 24 the National Day for Armenian Genocide Commemoration.

“In establishing this day of commemoration, the President is fulfilling his well-known pledge to honor French citizens of Armenian descent. We have had several opportunities to exchange views with the Turkish authorities on this issue. They have been informed of our positions just as we have been informed of theirs”, the French Foreign Ministry responded.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan saluted Emmanuel Macron’s decision.

In a Twitter post Pashinyan described it as a “powerful manifestation” and a determination to protect human rights and prevent mass atrocities.