President Biden formally recognized the Armenian Genocide in a statement on Saturday on Armenian Remembrance Day.
“On 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 to their death in a campaign of exile,” Biden said. Statement., Which also stated how Armenian immigrants had proceeded to enrich America.
“The American people honor all those Armenians who were killed in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,” the statement said. “Let us renew our shared resolve to prevent future atrocities. And let us establish healing and harmony for all the people of the world. “
News surfaced on Friday that Biden told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoआनan that he wanted to recognize the century-old slaughter.
Although historians have long settled the debate as to what happened and formal recognition has long been sought by activists, Biden’s decision would cause uproar in Turkey, which has ever denied genocide.
Biden’s steps have been different from decades of official American austerity on the issue and relations between the US and Turkey have cooled in recent years.
In a statement prior to the US declaration, Erdogan stated that Turkey would “continue to defend the truth against so-called Armenian genocide lies and those who support this slander with political motivation.” NPR reported.
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