“Today we commemorate the Meds Yeghern, one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century,” Trump said.
"We note with deep respect the resilience of the Armenian people, so many of whom built new lives in the United States and have made countless contributions to our country," he added.
In a statement sent to the Armenian Church in Istanbul over a commemoration ceremony for the loss of Armenian lives during World War I, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it is Turkey's "conscientious responsibility to share the historical pain of Armenian citizens."
"I would like to ask you, just like before, to not allow those who want to thrive through animosity by twisting common history," the statement said.
The Turkish president offered condolences to the families of Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives during the 1915 events. He also offered condolences to the Turkish nation over the losses of life of millions of Ottoman citizens due to wars, migrations, conflicts, and diseases during the same period.
Turkey's position is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia in 1915 took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.
Ankara does not accept the alleged genocide, but acknowledges that there were casualties on both sides during the events of World War I.
Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as "genocide," but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy for both sides.
Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia plus international experts to tackle the issue.
