‘Expected US statement on 1915 events will have no legal basis’

A statement expected to be made by the US president on the 1915 events will be only "a political statement with no legal basis," said the Turkish parliament speaker on Saturday.

"As claimed, none of the conditions specified in law exist for the 1915 events to be defined as genocide," Mustafa Şentop said.

His remarks came during a visit to a cemetery in the capital Ankara where the diplomats and their families martyred by Armenian terrorist organizations are buried.

Şentop also said the "genocide" appeal of Armenia, which contradicts historical facts, "overshadows efforts to normalize the relations between Turkey and Armenia."

US President Joe Biden is set on Saturday to characterize the 1915 events as "genocide".

TURKISH STANCE ON 1915 EVENTS

Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey objects to the presentation of these incidents as "genocide," describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia as well as international experts to tackle the issue.

Successive US presidents have refrained from calling the deaths of Armenians "genocide," but former President Barack Obama adopted the Armenian phrase "Meds Yeghern" or "Great Crime" to describe the tragedy, a practice repeated by Trump.