Turkey to Ignore EU Parliament Resolution On Armenian Genocide - Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey will disregard a resolution by the European parliament on the mass slaughter of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkey promises to disregard a resolution by the European parliament on the mass slaughter of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

"Whatever decision they may take, it would go in one ear and out the other. There is no stain linked with genocide on Turkey," Erdogan told reporters at Ankara airport ahead of his visit to Kazakhstan.

The remark was made as European parliamentarians are set to vote on a resolution marking the 100th anniversary of the mass killing of Armenians.

While the EU resolution qualifies the event as a genocide, Turkey consistently refuses to use the word.

The Armenian Genocide refers to the Ottoman government's extermination of Armenians in their historical homeland during World War I.

According to Yerevan estimates, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman government.

Ankara insists that the number of people killed is greatly exaggerated, and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

Nevertheless, to date, 23 states have officially recognized the event as a genocide.