The Cyprus government condemns the Armenian Genocide, noting that the modern Turkey, which aspires to join the EU, ought to recognize the dark pages of its history and apologize for the crimes of its sinful past. Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis stated, as 92 years are being marked since the Armenian Genocide, the Cyprus government condemns this abhorring crime and takes part in the national mourning of the friendly people of Armenia and especially the Armenian community in Cyprus. He said, that the "refusal of Turkey to recognize the massacre of one and a half million Armenians constitutes "a ridicule and distortion of history". "The Armenian Genocide is not a crime that can be wiped down with the violent abuse of the historical truth by guilty Turkey", Christodoulos Pashiardis added.