Later at the press conference, during which both the guest and the host head of the state made statements but did not field questions, Erdoğan made another striking announcement, as he said he had extended an invitation to Aliyev to attend the ceremony marking the centennial of the Battle of Çanakkale, also known as the Battle of Gallipoli, in Çanakkale province in late April.
In an apparent response to a campaign by Armenians to attain greater recognition on the 100th anniversary of what many in the world term the Armenian Genocide, Turkey will commemorate the centennial of the Çanakkale campaign from April 23-25 this year, in a bid to counter the adverse effects of Armenian efforts.
Traditionally, Turkey marks the anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli on March 18, which is declared Martyrs’ Day. Armenians, meanwhile, commemorate their killed ancestors on April 24.
For his part, Aliyev welcomed the invitation extended by Ankara, while complaining of “provocative” moves by Armenia which torpedoed last year’s progress in talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Recalling that April 24 is remembrance day for the Armenian people, Aliyev also hailed Turkey’s decision to mark the Battle of Gallipoli on April 24 and said, “I thank you very much, both on behalf of myself and of the Azerbaijan people, for choosing this date. The choosing of this date is very meaningful.”
January/17/2015
Hurriyet Daily News