Etyen Mahcupyan, the Armenian advisor to Turkey’s PM Ahmet Davutoglu, reiterated that the 1915 events stand for the Armenian Genocide.

In an interview given to the Turkish website Karar.com, Mahcupyan referred to the Pope’s declaration, saying that by recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the Vatican took a 100-year burden off its shoulders.

He advised to abstain from looking for political aspects in the Pope’s declaration, saying that besides political context it also has a psychological meaning. 

“If we term the events occurred in Bosnia and Africa as genocide, it’s impossible to say that what happened to Armenians is not a Genocide. The most important thing here is to confront with one’s past, learn lessons from it and move forward. Without confrontation, the word ‘Genocide’ conveys no meaning,” the chief advisor said.