Turkey's justification of the Armenian Genocide and insulting its victims are nothing new and are manifestations of hate speech, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said Thursday, June 18. She said denialism has no future.

Her comments came after a the High Advisory Board of the Turkish Presidency gathered to discuss the international response to the Armenian Genocide. The behind-the-doors meeting lasted five hours, after which Turkey's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said in a statement that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated that "Turkey would not allow the hostility seeds that sought to be sown through distorted historical events.

Such policies, Naghdalyan said, have an impact on maintaining and strengthening the atmosphere of xenophobia against Armenians in that country.

"The recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide is not an Armenian-Turkish issue, but an issue between Turkey and the international community. Numerous statements and actions of Turkey addressed to and undertaken towards countries recognizing the Armenian Genocide are a point in case," the spokeswoman said.

"For us and the international community the Armenian Genocide is a reality which served as a basis for elaboration of 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and for the installment of mechanisms for the prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity.

"Denialism has no future, no matter who and how frames it. Despite the efforts of the authorities of Turkey to suppress the truth, the truth has been prevailing."