U.S President, Joe Biden has infuriated Turkey after recognising the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
On its 106th anniversary, Joe Biden made history as the first U.S president to recognise the Armenian Genocide, infuriating Turkey and further straining ties between the NATO allies.
Though the numbers are still disputed, over a million Armenians living in the former Ottoman Empire were forcibly removed from their homes and land as part of mass deportations in eastern Anatolia – now known as modern-day Turkey.
Starting on April 24, 1915, thousands were forcibly marched south through deserts towards Mesopotamia and Syria, with many dying from dehydration, disease or starvation. Many others, however, were brutally massacred by Ottoman forces.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars puts the toll at more than a million, while Armenian puts the number at 1.5 million, as well as another 2 million who were deported. Turkey has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and many international NATO allies have trodden carefully in labelling the Armenian Genocide a genocide, due to Turkey’s power and influence in the Middle East.
“The American people honour all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,” Mr Biden said in a statement on Saturday.
“We honour their story. We see that pain. We affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.”
We mourn all who were murdered in the Armenian Genocide. When we fail to acknowledge the past, history can repeat itself, which is why I advocated for the U.S to formally recognize this atrocity for what it was: genocide. I commend President Biden for taking action.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) April 24, 2021
Biden followed through on a campaign promise he made a year ago on the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, to recognise the events that began in 1915 as a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.
One of the key points in defining such atrocities as ‘genocide’ rather than ‘war’ involves the ‘deliberate’ intention – by government or military power – to wipe out a distinct religious, ethnic or racial group.
Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, welcomed Biden’s statement, and said in a letter to Biden that recognising the historic implications of Armenia’s history “is important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.”
Turkey vehemently denies that the actions of the Muslim-majority Ottoman’s were genocide, and instead believes the deaths were due to war between the empire, and the majority-Christian Armenians.
A technicality that many historians and genocide-academics have called false, and a dangerous rewriting of historical facts.
Thousands of orphans of the #ArmenianGenocide at #NearEastRelief Alexandrapol (today’s #Gyumri #Armenia) spell out “America We Thank You” in response to an overwhelming relief effort. Their grandchildren thank you again, America. pic.twitter.com/oPf1gMKU66
— Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte (@AnnaATurcotte) April 25, 2021
Needless to say, Turkey reacted swiftly on Sunday, with the country’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, saying Turkey “will not be given lessons on our history from anyone.”
“We reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,” he said.
Now, following Biden’s statement, 30 countries recognise the Armenian genocide. Australia is not one of them.
However, the parliaments of New South Wales and South Australia, have passed official motions recognising the genocide.
