So as not to upset Erdogan, Trump does not recognize the killing of Armenians as genocide

The State Department made clear in a brief statement that the US president did not change Washington's official policy on the issue. Turkey angered Congress recognizing killing 1 million Armenians in World War 1 as genocide, warning of relationship damage

So as not to upset Erdogan, Trump does not recognize the killing of Armenians as genocide

US President Donald Trump does not see Armenian killings by Ottoman empire murder - State Department announced Tuesday, after Senate last week acknowledged mass killing of one million Armenians by genocide, to turmoil of Turkey. The House of Representatives passed a similar proposal before, but the administration, in a decision expected to please Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made it clear that there was no official change in its policy on the issue.

State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortgos referred in a two-sentence statement to Trump's comments about killing Armenians last April. On April 24, the President marked Memorial Day for the murder of the Armenians in recognition of "the memory of those who suffered one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century." However, he did not use the term "genocide," in accordance with traditional American policy.

Congress's decision to recognize the killing of Armenians as a genocide came after a Senate committee supported the imposition of sanctions on NATO, a US ally in NATO, for an attack against Syria's Kurds and the purchase of the Russian air defense system S-400.

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The refusal to acknowledge the killing as genocide would want Turkey. Erdogan and Trump at NATO summit this month (Photo: Reuters)

US President Trump, Turkish President Erdogan and other leaders at the conclusion of the NATO summit in London, December 4, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Congress, in one of the only collaborations between Democrats and Republicans, is trying to force Trump to work harder against Erdogan, who last month received praise from him for "doing a wonderful job for the Turkish people."

Recent decisions made by US lawmakers have been fiercely angered in Ankara, and an Erdogan spokesman said they are "jeopardizing the future of bilateral relations" between the states. After the Senate decision, Turkey's foreign ministry said it was "a shameful example of history politicization. However, those who exploit history for political purposes will never achieve their goals."

The U.S. Senate unanimously decided: Killing a million and a half Armenians in 1915 would be recognized as a genocide

"A shameful example of the politicization of history." Memorial ceremony for Armenian genocide (Photo: Reuters)

Memorial ceremony for the Armenian genocide in front of the Turkish embassy, ​​Lebanon, April 23, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)

In response to the US Congress decision to recognize the killing of Armenians as a genocide and impose sanctions, Erdogan threatened to halt operations at Ingerlik Air Base on Tuesday, where American nuclear warheads are located. In an interview with the Turkish television channel "Haver", the Turkish president warned that "if it is necessary for us to take such a step, of course we have the authority to close Ingerlik if necessary."

Erodan said he may also close the radar base in Korczyk. "If they threaten us with these sanctions, of course we will respond," he said.

Historical controversy

The U.S. Senate decided on the recognition of the killing of more than one million Armenians as a genocide between 1915-1923. The Armenians claim that up to a million and a half people were murdered in the First World War by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire. While Turkey recognizes that many Armenians living in the territories of the Ottoman Empire were killed in battles with Ottoman forces during World War I, it denies that it was a systematic killing that constituted genocide.