WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama referred Saturday to the slaughter of Armenians in Turkey in 1915 as "one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century."
In a statement in honor of Armenian Remembrance Day, he avoided the word "genocide," a term the Turkish government resists.
"On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that 95 years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began," Obama said. "In that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire."
The Turkish government argues the killings were not aimed at the elimination of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire.
Obama urged Turkey to confront its own history.
"I salute the Turks who saved Armenians in 1915 and am encouraged by the dialogue among Turks and Armenians, and within Turkey itself, regarding this painful history," he said. "Together, the Turkish and Armenian people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity."
