Norwegian Government refrained from voicing stance in debates whether events of 1915 in Ottoman Empire were Genocide, Turkish Today’s Zaman reports.

“There is no doubt that the Armenians were victims of massive atrocities in 1915. The Norwegian authorities have not taken a position on whether the atrocities can be characterized as genocide in accordance with current criteria. Nor do we believe there are legal grounds for doing so,” reads the statements by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, the source says.

Daily notes that Norway is a co-sponsor to concept on international agreements mentioned in the statement, though the provisions in the treaties “do not apply retroactively.”

In the statement, Norwegian foreign office also expresses support to Armenia-Turkey reconciliation and calls on early ratification of the Protocols.