President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday dismissed Israel's recognition of the 1915 events as so-called "genocide," accusing the Israeli government of attempting to deflect attention from its violations in Gaza while reaffirming Türkiye's commitment to strengthening its defense capabilities amid growing regional instability.
Speaking after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdoğan said Türkiye would not take seriously accusations from a government "whose hands are stained with the blood" of Palestinians, reiterating Ankara's long-standing criticism of Israel's genocidal conduct in Gaza.
"We do not give the slightest credence to the slander directed at our country by a criminal network whose hands are stained with the blood of 73,000 innocent Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza," Erdoğan said, referring to Israel's recent recognition of the 1915 events as "genocide."
The president rejected allegations against Türkiye's historical record, saying the country's legacy was rooted in justice rather than oppression.
"There is neither genocide, nor massacres, nor oppression, nor colonialism in our history," Erdoğan said. "Throughout our thousands of years of glorious history, there has been only justice and compassion. We have always extended a helping hand to the oppressed, regardless of their religion, ethnicity or identity."
