The Foreign Ministry condemned legislation passed by Uruguay's parliament, which recognizes the 1915 incidents in Türkiye as a "genocide."
"We reject and condemn the law adopted by the Parliament of Uruguay and signed by the Acting President of Uruguay, recognizing the events of 1915 as 'genocide'," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Asserting that the legislation contradicts international law, especially the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, the ministry said it was "null and void."
"Parliaments and politicians do not have the authority to pass judgments on controversial historical issues," the ministry added.
The ministry said the "unacceptable" move amounted to an attempt by Uruguay's parliament and government to achieve domestic political goals by "distorting history."
Türkiye's position on the 1915 events 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, made worse by massacres conducted by militaries and militia groups from both sides. The mass arrests of prominent Ottoman-Armenian politicians, intellectuals and other community members suspected of links with separatist groups, harboring nationalist sentiments and being hostile to Ottoman rule occurred in the then-capital city of Istanbul on April 24, 1915. The date is commemorated as the beginning of later atrocities.
Ankara is of the opinion that controversial episodes in history such as the events of 1915 should be studied without prejudice by respecting the scientific and legal principles to write a just account of the incidents. With this understanding, Türkiye proposed the establishment of a Joint History Commission and opened its archives.
