Biden takes landmark step to recognise Armenian genocide
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Armenian leaders at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan yesterday, the 106th anniversary of the Ottoman Empire's mass killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during World War I. US President Joe Biden's move to recognise the genocide came after he spoke to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which rejects the label.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
WASHINGTON • US President Joe Biden took the landmark step of recognising the World War I-era Armenian genocide, a day after he spoke to the leader of Turkey, which has fought furiously for decades against such a declaration.
Yesterday marked the 106th anniversary of the waning Ottoman Empire's mass killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians, whose descendants have pressed hard for the world to describe the massacres as genocide - a label adamantly rejected by Turkey.
Mr Biden spoke for the first time as United States President with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, the eve of the expected announcement.
A White House statement on the phone call said only that Mr Biden urged a "constructive bilateral relationship with expanded areas of cooperation and effective management of disagreements".
Mr Erdogan on Thursday told advisers "to defend the truth against those who back the so-called 'Armenian genocide' lie".
But in a potential sign that the two leaders want to avoid further deterioration of relations, the White House said Mr Biden and Mr Erdogan would meet in June during a Nato summit.
Mr Erdogan also participated on Thursday in a virtual summit called by Mr Biden on climate change.
A Turkish statement similarly stressed the positive, saying the two presidents agreed on "the importance of working together".
Mr Biden had promised during his presidential campaign to recognise the Armenian genocide.
Turkish pressure has not stopped some major countries, such as France and Germany, from declaring the episode as a genocide, but many states have held back from full official recognition.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
