On the day that Armenians from around the world came here to commemorate the killing and forced expulsion of their ancestors by the Ottoman Turks a century ago, Turkish officials chose to focus on a different centennial, that of their country's most important military victory. The dueling commemorations Friday illustrated the enmity between Armenians, who demand that Turkish authorities recognize as genocide the mass killing of their ancestors during World War I, and the Turkish government, which has stuck to its longstanding position that the killing of an estimated 1.5 million people was a tragic but unplanned outcome to a bloody war. Standing in front of the train station in Istanbul where the deportation of Armenians began in 1915, descendants of the victims held up red carnations and placards reading, "genocide recognize, genocide apologize," demanding that the Turkish authorities apologize for the genocide they have long denied. "As Armenians we have come to Istanbul in record numbers to memorialize the brutal massacre of our family members, and to remind the Turkish government that 100 years later we are still seeking justice and accountability," said Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division, who was involved in organizing the commemoration in Istanbul. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey sent a written statement of reconciliation that was read aloud at a memorial service in Istanbul. "We are cognizant of the sorrowful events experienced in the past by the Armenian community and I sincerely share your pain," the statement said. A government minister attended the ceremony, the first time in history that the Turkish government has permitted a religious ceremony at the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul to commemorate the lives lost in 1915. But by the time Mr. Erdogan's words — insufficient for many Armenians — were read aloud, he had already arrived on the shores of the Dardanelles in the south where the government commemorated the centennial of what Turks regard as a glorious victory: the Battle of Gallipoli. That battle, in which the Turks prevailed over an Allied invasion that at the time was the largest amphibious landing in the history of warfare, became a founding event of modern Turkish identity. After months of stagnant trench warfare that left tens of thousands dead on both sides, the Allies retreated. It also became a defining event in the formation of national identities for Australia and New Zealand, and the leaders of those countries, along with Prince Charles of Britain, joined President Erdogan on Friday at Gallipoli. Turkey had moved up the Gallipoli ceremony by one day, to coincide with the centennial of the Armenian genocide, prompting some criticism. "It was an obvious ploy to take international attention away from the Armenian centennial," said Yetvart Danzikyan, the editor in chief of the Armenian newspaper Agos. While Turkey maintains its position of denial, even in the face of consensus among historians that the massacres of the Armenians amounted to genocide, there have been important changes in Turkish society in recent years that have allowed a freer debate of the subject. For instance, under Mr. Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, it is no longer a crime to call the massacres a genocide. And there were other signs of reconciliation Friday as thousands of Turks took to Twitter to support an "I apologize" campaign that calls for recognition of the genocide and a collective apology. Even the headlines of some newspapers reflected the distance Turkey has traveled on the matter. Cumhuriyet, a leading secular newspaper, ran a headline written in Armenian, "Never Again." Still, most Turkish newspapers focused their coverage Friday on Gallipoli, and Turkish television broadcast the Gallipoli ceremony from start to finish. Prince Charles, in remarks made from Gallipoli before he laid carnations on the graves of Turkish soldiers, said: "We should remember with shame and profound regret that despite the appalling sacrifice made by so many in two World Wars, intolerance combined with the willingness to use the most barbaric violence remain a persistent and prevailing source of division and conflict in today's world." Mr. Erdogan did not mention the atrocities committed against the Armenians in his speech at Gallipoli, though his written statement reiterated his message of condolence to the Armenian community — a statement that was first made last year and signaled a shift in how the Turkish government addressed the matter. Even so, in recent weeks, a wave of international recognition of the genocide — including by the Pope, but not President Obama — put Turkey on the defensive. More recognition came on Friday. German lawmakers approved a resolution recognizing the genocide, calling it an "example in the history of mass extermination, ethnic cleansing, expulsion; yes, a genocide." Turkish officials, in response to these statements by foreign governments, have used more combative language that has only underscored the government's long denial. Mr. Erdogan even threatened recently to deport 100,000 Armenian workers who reside in Turkey. In Istanbul, Armenians from Turkey and members of the Armenian diaspora solemnly remembered their losses, even as Turkish nationalists demonstrated, calling the genocide claims a "lie." "For 100 years all Turkey has done is rub salt into our wounds," said Eva Armistead, who had traveled from France for the anniversary. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held a black-and-white photo of her Armenian grandparents, adding: "The trauma lives on, and will not fade until the truth is recognized."
