Turkey cannot but realize that the recognition process of the Armenian Genocide is irreversible, Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian said in response to a question by RFE/RL Armenian Service concerning Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu’s recent comments.

Cavusoglu reacted to French president Emmanuel Macron's remarks about designating a special day in the French national calendar for the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

In response, the Turkish diplomat slammed the French president’s statement and advised him against making comments that damage diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“It is obvious that the century-long denialist policy has failed. However, Turkey continues to stick to stereotypes,” Nalbandian said.

According to Nalbandian, Ankara does not shy away from distorting not just the historic facts but the current realities, including by misrepresenting the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.

“In an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Turkey, the International Association of Genocide Scholars has rightly stated that the Armenian Genocide is abundantly documented by thousands of official records of the United States and other nations around the world including the Ottoman Turkey’s wartime allies Germany, Austria and Hungary, by eyewitness accounts of diplomats and missionaries, by the testimony of survivors, by the decades of historical and legal scholarships, and even by Ottoman court-martial records,” the Armenian foreign policy chief said.

“It is noteworthy that Germany and Austria have not only recognized the Armenian Genocide as many other countries had done but also acknowledged their part of responsibility, as Turkey’s allies of the time.

“The international community has emphasised on numerous occasions that the denial of Genocide creates a breeding ground for the repetition of crimes against humanity. Instead of labeling as populists those who have recognized the Armenian Genocide, Ankara needs to abandon threatening populism of its denialist policy and candidly face its own past.”