(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The European Parliament has "destroyed its credibility" by recognizing the deaths of Armenians in 1915 as genocide, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said on Wednesday.
Akdogan was reacting to the recall of a 1987 resolution by the parliament in Brussels that referred to the events of 1915 as genocide.
Turkey accepts that many Armenians lost their lives during mass relocations after a portion of the Armenian population sided against the Ottoman Empire during World War I but refutes claims that it was genocide.
"With its latest decision that has no validity or effect, the European Parliament has destroyed its credibility," Akdogan wrote on his official Twitter account on Wednesday evening.
He added: "You cannot handle serious matters by talking idly."
Akdogan called on the parliament to "quit using empty historical rhetoric and take a stance on more current issues if it really has a power and vision."
Before leaving for Kazakhstan earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would remain indifferent to the parliament's involvement. "Whichever decision the European Parliament takes regarding the 1915 events, it goes in one ear and out the other," he said.
Armenia has demanded an apology and compensation over the events of 1915.
Last year, Erdogan expressed his condolences to relatives of all Ottoman citizens who lost their lives in 1915.
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