Updated 4 hours ago
Written by the White House on the anniversary of the events of April 24, 1915 in the statement What happened was redefined as “genocide”. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the statements used, saying, “These statements that distort historical facts are also against international law.”
In the White House statement published with the signature of US President Joe Biden, using the definition of “Meds Yeghern”, which means “Great Disaster” in Armenian, the following statements were used: “We commemorate the lives lost during Meds Yeghern – the Armenian genocide – and we renew our commitment to never forget.”
In the statement, which used very similar expressions to the statement published by the Biden administration in previous years, Istanbul was referred to as “Constantinople”; “The campaign of persecution began on April 24, 1915. Ottoman authorities arrested Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. In the years that followed, one and a half million Armenians were deported, murdered, or executed. This was an event that forever affected Armenian families and left generations to come. “It was a changing tragedy.”
Last year, the expression “a systematic campaign of violence” was used for the events of 1915.
The White House statement continued: “As we commemorate this tragedy, we also honor the resilience of the Armenian community. After having to endure one of the darkest periods in human history, the survivors set to work to leave a better future for our world. With courage and determination, they rebuild their lives “They preserved their culture and strengthened the fabric of the world’s countries, including ours, and continued to share their stories to prevent a repeat of the atrocities that took place 109 years ago.”
In the last part of the statement signed by Biden, it was also promised that “the USA will continue to defend human rights and speak out against intolerance.”
Reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the statements used by the USA and some other countries in its statement.
In the statement titled “Concerning the Statements Made by the Authorities of Some Countries”; “We reject the one-sided statements made about the events of 1915 in order to please some radical circles. These statements, which distort historical facts, are also against international law. The European Court of Human Rights has clearly noted that the events of 1915 are a legitimate subject of discussion,” it said.
The reaction text claimed that the statements were “prejudicial and partisan” and stated that such statements “harm the reconciliation efforts between the two communities and encourage radical groups prone to commit hate crimes.”
The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ended with the words “We call on all parties to support our proposal to establish a Joint Historical Commission and the normalization process initiated with Armenia.”
In a message shared on the social media account of the Ministry of Defense, it was stated that “We commemorate with mercy those who lost their lives in the events called the so-called Armenian Genocide, in which defenseless and innocent Turks were brutally murdered.”
France says ‘genocide’ again
Macron wrote, “Today, France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian genocide. Let’s keep the memory of the victims of massacres, deportations and persecutions alive. Let’s not forget. The French and Armenians are forever connected to each other.”
