Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that recent remarks by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were “unfortunate”, adding that the issue has since been addressed through diplomatic channels.
Speaking at Oxford University on Friday, Fidan said: “President's remarks were unfortunate, we have necessary communications, so I think we have fixed it, corrected.”
His comments came in response to a speech delivered by von der Leyen earlier this week in Hamburg, where she was marking the 80th anniversary of the newspaper Die Zeit.
Addressing the question of EU enlargement, she said: “We must succeed in completing the European continent so that it is not influenced by Russia, Türkiye, or China.”
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‘Political exploitation of the issue’
On Friday, Türkiye also issued a statement responding to remarks by authorities in some countries regarding the events of 1915, emphasising regional stability while opposing the “political exploitation of the issue.”
“The climate of peace and reconciliation emerging in the Southern Caucasus is a vigorous response - from those who aspire to see the region become a basin of stability and cooperation - to those who try to generate hostility from history,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its official website.
Ankara said relevant parties maintain a shared position against "the political exploitation of the issue."
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‘A culture of coexistence for centuries’
The statement further added: “It is observed that some third country politicians seek to exploit this issue for their narrow political interests or attempt to cover up their own responsibilities.”
Reiterating its long-standing position, Türkiye said it remains committed to historical inquiry and transparency, noting that it “has harboured the strongest examples of a culture of coexistence for centuries” and recalling its proposal to establish a joint historical commission to examine the events of 1915 in an objective and just manner.
“We invite third parties with constructive intentions to support the efforts towards reaching a shared and just memory, and the recently developed positive atmosphere of dialogue,” the statement added.
