Ankara relieved but not satisfied after Obama's April 24 message

US President Barack Obama on Saturday declined, for a second time, to use the word "genocide" to describe the atrocities experienced by Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire a century ago. The widely anticipated move was a relief to Ankara , which has repeatedly warned that endorsement of the genocide claims by the US administration would irreparably harm ties, but the way Obama described the historic event also rattled Turkish policy-makers. Obama, who repeatedly promised to call the 1915 events "genocide" when he was running for president, also disappointed Armenians, who have been pressing him to keep his campaign promise. The US president says his personal view – referring to earlier statements that the killings of Armenians in eastern Anatolia did constitute "genocide" – has not changed since he became president but he wants to focus on a process of normalization between Turkey and Armenia instead of on history. Similar to his April 24 message last year, Obama used the Armenian term "Meds Yeghern," which means "great tragedy," to refer to the World War I-era events. Turkey denies that the events amount to genocide and says many Turks were also killed by Armenian gangs revolting against the Ottoman Empire in an attempt to create an independent Armenian state in eastern Anatolia in collaboration with the Russian army. "On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that ninety-five years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire ," Obama said in his message on April 24, the day when Armenians claim a systematic genocide campaign began. "Today is a day to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible events. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. It is in all of our interest to see the achievement a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts. The Meds Yeghern is a devastating chapter in the history of the Armenian people, and we must keep its memory alive in honor of those who were murdered and so that we do not repeat the grave mistakes of the past." US presidents issue statements every April 24, but Obama's statement this year was different from the previous ones because he also mentioned Turks who saved Armenians in 1915. "I salute the Turks who saved Armenians in 1915 and am encouraged by the dialogue among Turks and Armenians, and within Turkey itself, regarding this painful history. Together, the Turkish and Armenian people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity," he said. In Ankara , reactions were mixed. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to welcome the statement, saying that " Turkey 's sensitivities have been observed" and that Obama's refusal to call the 1915 events "genocide" was due to Turkey 's diplomatic efforts. But the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "We deeply regret this statement, which reflects an incorrect and one-sided political perception. The fiercest enemy of the historical facts is subjective recollections. No nation has the right to impose its recollections on another." The statement added that "third counties have neither the right nor the authority to judge the history of Turkish-Armenian relations with political motives." Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu criticized Obama's statement, calling it "unacceptable." "If we are going to share grief for humanitarian reasons, then we would expect respect for our own grief as well," Davutoglu said. Parliament has held up ratification of the deal as Turkey presses for a settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan over a region in Azerbaijan that has been under Armenian control since a conflict in the 1990s. But Turkish officials, including Davutoglu and President Abdullah Gul, have voiced expectations that the freeze in the normalization process would give both sides an opportunity to consider the rest of the process with an understanding of each side's difficulties.