Russian President Vladimir Putin's participation in the Armenian Genocide Centennial events in Yerevan cannot cause Ankara's negative response, Dmitry Peskov, Spokesman for the Russian President, says when commenting on the Turkish Foreign Ministry's statement.
TASS quotes Peskov as saying, "We do not think that the President's participation in the commemorations may be negatively interpreted by Ankara."
To note, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement on April 24. "Russia should better know what genocide is like and what legal aspects it has," the Turkish Ministry says. ""We know that once in ten years the [State] Duma [lower house of Russia's parliament] has a habit of making political statements which support Armenia's one-sided interests," it says. "Duma did not break this tradition and on April 24, 2015 issued a respective statement. We condemn it, too." Besides, "Russian president's participation in the events held in Yerevan on April 24 should be regarded as part of Armenia's propagandistic campaign."
"Russia can do one thing - to renounce its unilateral position and to positively enhance implementation of Turkey's appeals to the Armenians about friendship and peace," it says.