Turkey's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Italian Ambassador to Ankara, Massimo Gaiani, as the Italian Senate prepares to review the decision of recognizing the Armenian Genocide, La Repubblica newspaper reports.
According to the Italian press, the recommendation of recognizing the 1915 events in Turkey as genocide, proposed by The Five Star Movement to the Senate, is expected to be voted on Tuesday, April 10.
The Italian daily said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ambassador Gaiani to Ankara to provide an explanation on the situation.
Armenians commemorate the mass killings on April 24 because on that date in 1915 a group of Armenian intellectuals was rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. On April 24, Armenians worldwide will be commemorating the 104th anniversary of the Genocide which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.