On Saturday (April 24), U.S. President Joe Biden risked a possible split with Turkey by officially recognizing the Armenian genocide under the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. This makes him the first U.S. president to recognize the Armenian genocide.
In a statement commemorating the 106th anniversary of the outbreak of the Armenian Genocide, Biden wrote: “Each year on this day, we remember the lives of those who lost their lives in the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire and work to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.”
“Today, as we mourn what has been lost, let us also look to the future – toward the world we hope to build for our children. A world untainted by the everyday evils of bigotry and intolerance, respect for human rights and a life in which all people can live in dignity and security.” Biden said, “Let’s renew our common resolve to prevent future atrocities anywhere in the world. Let’s seek healing and reconciliation for all people in the world.”
During his presidential campaign, Biden said that if he is elected, “I pledge to support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide and to make universal human rights a top priority of this administration.”
The Armenian Genocide refers to the genocide committed by the Ottoman Turkish government against the Armenian population within its jurisdiction between 1915 and 1917. The number of its victims reached 600,000 to 1.5 million people. The Turkish government still refuses to acknowledge that it was an officially initiated premeditated massacre, but Armenia, Russia and most other Western countries consider it a deliberate act of genocide by a government comparable to the Jewish Holocaust.
On October 29, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 405 to 11 to recognize the Armenian Genocide as genocide and condemn the Ottoman Empire for the massacre, and on December 12, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to recognize the massacre of approximately 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire.
Forty-three U.S. states have resolved to recognize the “Armenian Genocide” as a real historical event.
Earlier this week, U.S. officials have been sending signals to allies outside the U.S. government who have urged Biden to make an official statement that the president would acknowledge the genocide.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addressed the potential move in an interview with the Turkish Broadcasting Corp. this week, saying, “If the U.S. wants to worsen relations, that’s their decision.”
Cavusoglu said Saturday that Ankara rejected Biden’s use of the term altogether. He tweeted, “We don’t take history lessons from anyone. Political opportunism is the greatest betrayal of peace and justice. We totally reject this rhetoric based on populism alone.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday paid tribute to “Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives in the difficult circumstances of World War I.” The message to Turkish Armenian Patriarch Sahak Mashalian echoed Erdoğan’s earlier statement on April 24 and predated Biden’s announcement.
Turkish Presidential Communications Minister Fahrettin Altun said late Saturday that “the Biden administration’s decision to misrepresent history for domestic political considerations is truly unfortunate for Turkey’s diplomatic relations with the United States.”
The Turkish government usually complains when foreign governments use the term “genocide” to describe events that began in 1915. They insist it was a wartime act, with losses on both sides, and they put the death toll of Armenians at 300,000.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed Biden’s remarks and tweeted, “The United States has once again demonstrated its strong commitment to protecting human rights and universal values.”
The number of Armenians killed has been a point of contention. Between 1914 and 1923, most estimates of the death toll fall between 600,000 and 1.5 million. Victims reportedly died as a result of mass fire, drowning, torture, gas, poison, disease and starvation.
Whether as a result of killings or forced deportations, the number of Armenians living in Turkey fell from 2 million in 1914 to less than 400,000 in 1922.
Armenians worldwide have designated April 24 as “Red Sunday” to commemorate “Genocide Remembrance Day.
Recent Comments