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Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz on Friday condemned Israel's planned move to recognize the 1915 events as genocide, calling it "a provocation" aimed at masking Israel's genocide in Gaza.
"We cannot accept this approach under any circumstances," Yilmaz told journalists during a meeting. "These are attempts to cover up its own genocide and its own crimes. No matter what they do, what happened in Gaza took place before the eyes of all humanity. It has been recorded in history and will never be forgotten."
He also warned that the initiative could undermine the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as normalization efforts between Türkiye and Armenia.
Yilmaz's remarks came after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that he would submit a proposal to the cabinet seeking Israel's official recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide, a move that would mark a major shift in the country's long-standing policy.
Türkiye rejects claims that the 1915 events constituted genocide, indicating that the deaths occurred during World War I amid civil strife, disease and famine, and has repeatedly called for the issue to be examined by a joint commission of historians.
On the other hand, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel's military campaign has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
The offensive has displaced most of Gaza's population, devastated much of the enclave's infrastructure, and triggered a severe humanitarian crisis marked by widespread shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel. U.N. agencies have repeatedly warned that large parts of Gaza face the risk of famine and the collapse of essential health services.
Israel is facing a genocide case before the International Court of Justice after South Africa filed proceedings in December 2023, alleging violations of the Genocide Convention during the war in Gaza. The case remains ongoing.
Separately, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict.
Yilmaz also said work on Türkiye's new civilian constitution is close to completion and will soon be submitted to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before consultations begin with other political parties.
He stressed that the drafting process is not focused on presidential elections but covers the constitution as a whole.
Touching on security, Yilmaz said the government's "Terror-Free Türkiye" initiative has reached a critical stage after the PKK's jailed ringleader called on the group to dissolve and the organization responded positively through its internal mechanisms.
He noted that parliament is now working on the legal framework needed for the process following recommendations prepared by the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission. "Our goal is for terrorism to end permanently and for weapons to be laid down," Yilmaz said.
Looking ahead to the NATO summit, which Türkiye will host on July 7-8, Yilmaz described this year's gathering as one of the alliance's most consequential meetings and expressed hope that it would help move Türkiye-U.S. ties forward.
"We hope that the positive atmosphere surrounding the Halkbank case will be reflected in other areas as well," he said, pointing to issues including CAATSA sanctions, defense cooperation and bilateral trade. He also reiterated the two countries' goal of reaching $100 billion in trade volume.
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