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Joe Biden acknowledges the Armenian genocide and triggers tension with Turkey

2021-04-25T16:18:16.791Z


The Democrat is the first president of the United States to call this the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915.


Paula Lugones

04/24/2021 1:45 PM

  • Clarín.com

  • World

Updated 04/24/2021 4:19 PM

President of the

United States

, Joe Biden, recognized as "

genocide"

the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, the first head of the White House to use that term, a decision triggers tension with Turkey.

The recognition, through a statement issued this Saturday by the White House, increases tensions with Turkey, a NATO ally that strongly rejects that designation that has already been

adopted by some thirty countries, including France and Russia

.

"The American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today," Biden said in a statement, using

that word that US presidents had resisted uttering

.

“Every year on this day we remember the lives of all those who died in the Armenian genocide of the Ottoman era and we pledge to prevent such atrocity from happening again.

As of April 24, 1915, with the arrest of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople by the Ottoman authorities, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred or marched to death in an extermination campaign, "the text reads.

A ceremony in Yerevan, this Saturday, on the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

Photo: EFE

"We honor the victims of the Meds Yeghern so that the horrors of what happened are never lost in history. And we remember it so that we always remain vigilant against the corrosive influence of hatred in all its forms," ​​he added.

Strong reaction from Turkey

Turkey immediately reacted vehemently.

"Words cannot change or rewrite history," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted.

"We will not accept lessons from anyone about our history," he added.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: "We strongly reject and denounce the statement of the President of the United States on the events of 1915, made under pressure from radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkish groups."

Turkey accepts that some 300,000 Armenians died in the First War, but vehemently denies that there was a deliberate policy of genocide.


The Armenian community of California, in the United States, also remembered this Saturday the genocide of 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

Photo: REUTERS

Already a couple of days ago, when the news that Biden would recognize the genocide had transpired, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had come out to warn on Thursday that he will continue to “defend the truth against those who support the lie of the so-called 'Armenian genocide 'for political purposes'.

Biden made the announcement on the day of the 106th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian massacre in 1915, when troops from the Ottoman Empire were fighting Tsarist Russia during World War I in the region that is now Armenia.

According to Bloomberg, Biden

anticipated his decision in a call to Erdogan

, although that contact was not officially recognized.

Communication between the two leaders was "tense", it transcended.

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Majority Leader in the Senate, had also anticipated: "I have learned that President Biden intends for the United States to recognize the Armenian genocide, becoming the first American president to do so."

Joe Biden's announcement will strain relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

REUTERS

Biden's decision comes after 100 members of Congress urged Biden in a letter to fulfill his

electoral promise

on the issue.

"The shameful silence of the United States government regarding the historical fact of the Armenian genocide has continued for too long, and must end," said that letter.

The United States Congress recognized the killings as genocide in December 2019 in a symbolic vote.

The impact of Biden's position

Consulted by

Clarín

, Peter Balakian, an American Armenian academic, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, said that “President Biden recognized the Armenian genocide because this is the exact moment to do it.

It reaffirms the consensus of historians around the world.

More than two dozen nations have already done so;

but still, he is a courageous moral leader in an age when we need moral leaders. "

Balakian added that Biden's words “make it clear that human rights matter;

that genocide cannot be committed with impunity;

that denial of genocide is an act of ongoing genocide and a violent attack on the victim's culture and legacy.

Those are the great things that his moral and historical honesty transmits to the world today ”.

Khatchig Mouradian, a professor at Columbia University and an expert on the subject, told

Clarín

that “for years we have been approaching a US presidential recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Academics and activists have raised awareness and advocated for recognition. "

The Armenian community of New York celebrated this Saturday the new position of the White House on the Armenian genocide.

Photo: AFP

The expert recalled that "when US relations with Turkey reached a low point in 2019, the House and Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of resolutions recognizing the Armenian genocide. It was only a matter of time before the Executive Branch did the same." .

He added that “Biden, who has a history of supporting resolutions on the Armenian genocide, kept his campaign promises to defend human rights and recognize the Armenian genocide.

With today's statement, he did both.

This recognition is, first and foremost, about the survivors of the genocide and their descendants, who fought for decades to make their voices heard ”.

Asked about the possible impact of this decision, the expert pointed out that “it may have direct implications in US foreign policy as well as in the US courts that process claims for reparation.

In addition, Washington can take significant steps to commemorate and raise awareness of the Armenian genocide. "

“With regard to diplomatic consequences, past experience - for example, recognition by the Congress of the United States or countries like France and Canada - tells us that Ankara will be back to business as usual after a few weeks. Mouradian said.

However, "in the short term, relations between the United States and Turkey, which are already at a low point, will become even more tense," he added.

The Armenian genocide is

recognized by some thirty countries

and by the historical community.

According to estimates, between 1.2 and 1.5 million Armenians were killed during World War I by troops from the Ottoman Empire, then an ally of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Washington, correspondent

CB


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