American President Joe Biden is ready to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire. The statement may be made in the near future, although no final decisions have been made on this matter yet, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.
Whether Biden makes a symbolic statement, without the name of the murder of the Armenian people by genocide, or during the annual statement dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, he will still call this term the deportation, famine and massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks, begun in 1915 – the decision is still under discussion.
The recognition of the genocide of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century, according to American officials, could further aggravate relations between the United States and Turkey, The Wall Street Journal reports. Although earlier Harutyun Marutyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, noted that such a step could become an effective way to curb Turkish expansion.
The researcher said that after the presidential election, a letter was sent to the White House administration reminding Biden’s promise and asking to speed up the process of fulfilling certain procedures. It also contained the hope that certain laws and sanctions would be applied against Ankara.
As a result of the genocide of the Armenian people on the territory of the Ottoman Empire, during the First World War and after its end, according to various sources, from 800 thousand to 1.5 million people died. Armenia claims that from 1915 to 1923, the deliberate movement of hundreds of thousands of people by Turkish troops led to the loss of their lands by the Armenians, starvation, and millions of deaths. In response to these accusations, Turkey says it did not set itself such a task.
The genocide of the Armenian people is officially recognized by countries such as Argentina, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Uruguay, Russia, Canada. In France, Switzerland and some other countries, denial of genocide is punishable by law and criminally.
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