The president of Armenia says he expects more countries to recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire a century ago as a "genocide."
In an interview with Reuters on June 27, Serzh Sarkisian highlighted recent remarks and actions by Pope Francis and Germany's parliament.
Earlier this month, Germany's lower house adopted a resolution declaring the killings of Christian Armenians by Ottoman forces in World War I a "genocide."
During a visit to Armenia on June 24, the pope departed from his prepared text to use the term.
"The principled position of the pope and the views expressed by the Bundestag will pave the way for new recognitions by other nations," Sarkisian told Reuters.
Turkey rejects the term genocide, saying the 1.5 million deaths cited by historians is an inflated figure and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire collapsed amid World War I.