ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s foreign ministry lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday over remarks acknowledging the Armenian “genocide,” denouncing them as a bid to cover up the bloodshed in Gaza.
“Netanyahu’s statement regarding the events of 1915 is an attempt to exploit past tragedies for political reasons,” it said in response to remarks by the Israeli leader that effectively acknowledged that World War I-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were a “genocide” — a term Turkiye firmly rejects.
“Netanyahu, who is on trial for his role in the genocide committed against the Palestinian people, is attempting to cover up the crimes he and his government have committed,” the ministry statement said.
Israel has dismissed accusations of genocide in Gaza as “blatant lies.”
Netanyahu is not currently on trial on such a charge, although the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrants for him and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Israel’s war in Gaza — including using starvation as a method of warfare.
In an interview with PBD Podcast, Netanyahu was asked why he hadn’t yet recognized the Armenian killings as genocide, and he replied saying: “I just did.”
In December 2023, South Africa brought a case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging that Israel’s Gaza offensive breached the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Judges are examining the charge.
Turkiye says Netanyahu remarks on Armenia ‘genocide’ bid to distract from Gaza
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Turkiye says Netanyahu remarks on Armenia ‘genocide’ bid to distract from Gaza
Ukraine, US, Europe still seeking common ground in peace talks, French official says
- French presidency official: “The European perspective of Ukraine is clear and it’s a realistic perspective”
PARIS: Ukraine, the United States and European powers are still working to find a joint position that would outline the contours of a peace deal, including security guarantees for Kyiv, that could be taken to Russia, a French presidency official said on Friday.
“Our goal is to have a common foundation that is solid for negotiation. This common ground must unite Ukrainians, Americans and Europeans,” the official told reporters in a briefing.
“It should allow us, together, to make a negotiating offer, a solid, lasting peace offer that respects international law and Ukraine’s sovereign interests, an offer that American negotiators are willing to bring to the Russians.”
The official said there was no joint document yet, but all sides would carry on negotiations in the coming days through various calls and meetings. He did not say whether Washington had set a deadline.
Kyiv is under pressure from the White House to secure a quick peace but is pushing back on a US-backed plan proposed last month that many see as favorable to Moscow.
Britain, France and Germany, along with other European partners and Ukraine, have been working frantically in the last few weeks to refine the original US proposals that envisaged Kyiv giving up swathes of its territory to Moscow, abandoning its ambition to join NATO and accepting limits on the size of its armed forces.
The French official said the talks aimed at narrowing differences with the United States and centered on territory and potential security guarantees for Ukraine once there is a peace accord.
Those discussions include the possibility of a NATO Article-5 type clause involving Washington that would seek to reassure Kyiv in case it was once again attacked by Russia, the official said.
The Europeans have also faced pressure in recent weeks with some American proposals touching on elements that concern NATO and the European Union, including suggestions on fast-tracking Ukraine’s accession to the bloc.
“The European perspective of Ukraine is clear and it’s a realistic perspective,” the official said. “That is what we are committed to and it is up to the Europeans and the Ukrainians to agree on how to proceed.”
