Istanbul--Rejecting worldwide pressure, Turkey has drawn a defiant red line in refusing to recognise the mass killings of Armenians in World War I as genocide on the 100th anniversary year of the tragedy.
Turkey's tough approach on the issue was shown Sunday by Ankara's incendiary reaction to the use by Pope Francis of the word "genocide" to describe the killings, summoning the Vatican nuncio and recalling the Turkish envoy to the Holy See.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in an unusual attack by a world leader on the pontiff, accused Francis of a "one-sided" and "inappropriate" attitude that he said ignored the suffering of Muslims in World War I.
The exchanges have intensified tensions ahead of the 100th the anniversary of the start of the killings on April 24.
Even before the pope waded into the controversy, Armenians accused Turkey of trying to overshadow what they call their genocide commemorations by staging ceremonies on the same day to mark the centenary of the famous World War I battle of Gallipoli.
"Mind your own business, Pope," screamed the headline in the pro-government Star daily. "The New Crusade," fumed the Aydinlik daily
A Turkish government source told AFP that Ankara had been "truly surprised" by the comments, which were made in a Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to mark the Ottoman killings of Armenians.
AFP
