The cooperation of Turkey and Russia is very promising, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Umit Yard?m said in response to Interfax's question as to whether the recent criticism by the Turkish president and foreign minister at the Russian president's visit to Yerevan has anyway affected the two countries relationships.
The ambassador said he is not competent to comment on Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Yerevan on April 24. The two countries leaders discuss such issues, Yardim said.
"We are convinced that the stable Russian-Turkish relations are very important for stability in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East. Unfortunately, there are some circles that are not interested in our cooperation. For instance, some Armenian circles in Russia and outside it impede our bilateral relations. Of course, I am not speaking about open actions to underline the Turkish-Russian relations. But numerous campaigns are held to affect our relations. However, we believe it will not affect the course and dynamics of our relations. It is not right when a third party seeks to reflect upon our bilateral relations. We will always be happy to see Russia contributing to settlement of the disputable issues of Armenia and Turkey," the ambassador said.
On April 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Armenian Genocide Centennial commemoration event at The Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex in Yerevan saying: "Russia extends its cordial condolences to Armenian people, who suffered one of the greatest tragedies of the world. 1.5 mln Armenians were killed, 600 thsd were deported, unique historical and architectural monuments and invaluable books and manuscripts were destroyed in 1915. Our stand remains unchanged - the mass killings cannot be justified anyhow. We should do everything possible to prevent the tragic events of the past from happening again. Unfortunately, neo-fascism and Russophobia are gaining momentum in some corners of the world. Before taking any measures, we should think of their aftermath. We should be tolerant and respect each other. This is how we can change the world for the better."
President of Turkey Recep Erdogan slammed Putin and Hollande for participation in the events arranged to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. He has been particularly put out of temper by the fact that Putin has uttered the word "genocide" and Hollande has urged to recognize the Armenian Genocide. "Neither Putin nor Hollande should have visited to Armenia. They should have thought of the dark pages of their own histories. Russia, France and Germany are the last ones that have the right to speak about a genocide", he said.