Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hami Aksoy answered a question about Russia's abolition of visas for official passport holders and truck drivers.

"As agreed at the Turkey-Russian Federation Consular Consultations of 1 November 2018, we welcome President Putin’s signing today (6 February) the Presidential Decision to abolish visas for Turkish special and service passport holders and for international transport drivers," Aksoy said.

Aksoy stated that they are in consultation with the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation on the implementation of the decision as soon as possible.

"We expect that the Visa Waiver Agreement of 2010 to be implemented in full as soon as possible and that regular Turkish passport holders will also be exempt from visa," Aksoy added.

Commemoration day for the 1915 events proclaimed by Macron in France

Aksoy also answered a question about French President Marcon's statements that he would announce the commemoration day for the 1915 events in France.

Aksoy underscored that they have explained to French officials, on several occasions at every level and notably to the French President, that the events of 1915 constitute a legitimate subject of legal, historical and academic debate.

"Nevertheless, it is understood that the French President Macron seeks to fulfill his election promise in the hope of receiving the votes of French electorate of Armenian origin disregarding the decisions of the French Constitutional Council and of the European Court of Human Rights as well as historical facts," he said.

"It is regrettable that a politician, uninformed in Ottoman history, ignores the French and European jurisprudence and takes a one-sided position with regard to a historical issue of highly sensitive nature for Turks for the sake of his personal political gains," Aksoy noted.

"An objective approach is needed to grasp all aspects of the period of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, during which more than 500 thousand Muslims were slaughtered by Armenian insurgents," he underlined.

Aksoy underlined that Turkiye attaches utmost importance to shedding light on this painful period of history and its proposal to form a Joint Historical Commission is still valid.

"There are no lessons to be learned by us from arrogant French politicians, devoid of basic knowledge of history, representing a country known to us by its atrocities in Anatolia by using Armenians as well during our War of Independence and by its massacres in Algeria and its responsibility in the Rwandan genocide," Aksoy said.

ILKHA