Armenia is hosting the commemoration for those killed by Ottoman forces in World War I in its capital on April 24.
"Yes, he will fly to Yerevan," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP, adding the Russian leader had discussed the issue with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian by telephone on Thursday.
Armenia says an estimated 1.5 million people were killed by Ottoman forces in 1915 in what it calls a genocide.
But modern Turkey has always rejected the term "genocide", putting the toll at 500,000 and blaming their deaths on war and starvation.
Russia is among around 20 nations that recognize the killings as genocide.
News of Putin's call to Sarkisian comes as speculation he is ill swirls online after he canceled a number of meetings.
Peskov dismissed the claims, chalking up media reports of the leader's ill-health to "March madness."
Armenia is Russia's most loyal ally in the Caucasus.
However ties have been strained since January when a Russian serviceman killed a family of seven in Armenia, sparking mass protests.
AFP
dailystar.com.lb
12/3/15
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Putin to attend 1915 commemoration in Yerevan...
ReplyDeleteRussian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will attend the ceremony in Yerevan to commemorate the 1915 events.
According to a statement issued by the Russian Presidency, Putin told his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian by telephone on March 12 that he would join the commemoration ceremony scheduled for April 24 in Yerevan.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians were killed in a genocide starting from 1915. Turkey denies that the deaths amounted to genocide, saying the death toll of Armenians killed during mass deportations has been inflated and that those killed in 1915 and 1916 were victims of general unrest during World War I.
Russia is among around 20 nations that recognise the killings as genocide................http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/putin-to-attend-1915-commemoration-in-yerevan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=79611&NewsCatID=359
13/3/15
Turkish FM to visit Washington before Obama’s April 24 declaration on Armenian issue...
ReplyDeleteTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will visit Washington from April 18 to 21, during which he is likely to focus influencing the wording of the White House’s official commemoration on the upcoming centennial anniversary of the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915.
Çavuşoğlu will meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç told reporters on April 16.
He will also visit the Turkish-American Cultural and Civilization Center and participate in a conference at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace...........hurriyetdailynews.com
16/4/15