The Pope’s statement—on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide—was absolutely righteous, and if Turkey wants to join the European Union (EU), it must adopt the European values.

The Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi, stated the aforesaid at his talk with the students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., reported La Stampa daily of Italy.

To note, Renzi on Friday will meet with US President Barack Obama.

“I support Turkey’s European integration,” the Italian PM said, and added: “But Ankara needs to make a decision and accept that it shares our values.”

Renzi, after a few days of silence, decided to speak clearly and in simple terms, Tgcom24 noted, for its part.

“The Pope very clearly voiced what had occurred in Armenia, Turkey reacted to it, and [Italian] Foreign Minister [Paolo] Gentiloni criticized Ankara’s [respective] statement.

“At this point, Turkey’s [EU] integration process depends on Ankara,” Matteo Renzi concluded.