Citing three unnamed “sources familiar with the matter,” the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that Biden will likely use the word “genocide” in his April 24 statement on the 106th anniversary of the start of the massacres that left an estimated 1.5 million Armenians dead.
“My understanding is that he took the decision and will use the word genocide in his statement on Saturday,” said one of them.
CNN quoted, for its part, U.S. government sources as saying that Washington has already notified its Western allies about Biden’s intention to recognize the genocide.
Biden repeatedly pledged to do that when he ran for president. “The United States must reaffirm, once and for all, our record on the Armenian Genocide,” he said in a September 2019 letter to the Armenian Assembly of America.
Earlier this week more than 100 U.S. lawmakers led by Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff sent an open letter to Biden urging him to honor that pledge.
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian likewise called on Biden to “reaffirm your commitment to advance historical justice and prevent new genocides” in a letter released by his office on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazian echoed Sarkissian’s appeal in comments to The New York Times. He said the U.S. president’s recognition of the Armenian genocide would send a strong “moral signal” to many countries.
U.S. - Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian (C), U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and other officials attend an ecumenical memorial service held at Washington National Cathedral on the centenary of the Armenian genocide, May 7, 2015.
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate recognized the 1915 genocide in separate resolutions overwhelmingly passed in 2019.
Successive U.S. presidents have until now refrained from doing so for fear of antagonizing Turkey, a NATO ally vehemently denying any premeditated government effort to exterminate the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian population. Some of them, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump, used instead the Armenian phrase “Meds Yeghern” (Great Crime) in their April 24 statements.
According to U.S. officials interviewed by The New York Times, Biden is mindful of the risk of a further deterioration of U.S.-Turkish relations but seems determined to “further human rights” on the international stage.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the issue with his High Consultations Council on Thursday. “Our President has stated that they will continue to defend truths against the so-called Armenian genocide lie and those who support this slander with political motivations,” Erdogan’s office said.
Ian Bremmer, founder of the Eurasia Group research and consulting firm, told Reuters that Erdogan’s response to Biden's expected move will likely be limited.
"Erdogan is ... unlikely to provoke the U.S. with actions that could further undermine Turkey’s weak economy," he said.