Turkey denounces Obama's accusation on massacre

Turkey's foreign minister has denounced a statement by US President Barack Obama that the massacre of Armenians during the First World War was one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.

Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday the country does not accept judgment of its history from the U.S. He called on US leaders to better understand the strategic Turkish-American partnership and to respect Turkey's history.

Saturday marks the 95th anniversary of the World War One killing of Armenians.

Turkey accepts many Christian Armenians died in partisan fighting beginning in 1915 but denies that up to 1 and a half million were killed and that it amounted to genocide.