Turkish VP Oktay says Biden's move on 1915 events distorted history for political populism

Rejecting US President Joe Biden's remarks on the events of 1915, Turkey's vice president said on Saturday that the statement shows the distortion of history for the sake of political calculations.

Biden's statement, based on unfounded claims made by Armenians and ignoring the suffering of Turks murdered by Armenian mobs in 1915, has no value for either the Turkish nation or history, Fuat Oktay said on Twitter.

Echoing statements by the nation's president, he reiterated that Turkey's archives from the period are always open to those who want to see the facts.

Earlier Saturday, Biden called the events of 1915 a "genocide," breaking American presidents' long-held tradition of refraining from using the term.

TURKISH STANCE ON EVENTS OF 1915

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.

In 2014, then-Prime Minister Erdoğan expressed condolences to the descendants of Armenians who lost their lives in the events of 1915.