6 hours agoBiden officially recognises the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)President Biden acknowledged the mass killings of Armenians committed earlier than a century ago by the Ottoman Empire as genocide. Every year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armen genocide and ask that we prevent such cruelty from happening again. [...]
Every year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era genocide, and we want to prevent such cruelty from happening again”, Biden said in a statement issued in honour of the 106th anniversary of the brutal campaign by the former Ottoman Empire that killed 1.5 million people, reports New York Times.
The statement from Biden reflected his administration's commitment to human rights, a pillar of its foreign policy.
The Turkish government, as well as human rights activists and ethnic Armenians, kept silent against this news, which appeared days ago, describing the largely symbolic move.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has repeatedly denied that the killings were genocide, had lobbied hard to prevent the announcement, calling the conference and having media campaigns before Saturday's anniversary.
When the biden spoke with Erdogan on Friday, counterparts had agreed only to an effective “management of disputes”, according to a summary of the conversation provided by the White House.
