The massacre of Armenians during the first world war by the Ottoman empire was a genocide, announces US President Biden

Washington: – US President Joe Biden announced that the massacre of Armenians, during the first world war, by the Ottoman Empire was nothing but a genocide. Turkey, who considers itself as the heir of the Ottoman empire, reacted very sharply to this. The Turkish government has denounced the comment, summoning the US Ambassador. The US decision is being welcomed in Armenia, and some human rights organisations, along with Armenians, in the United States, have expressed satisfaction. The US media claimed that President Biden has fulfilled the promise made during his election campaign by taking this decision against Turkey, a NATO member.

During the first world war, in 1915, the Ottoman Empire had massacred nearly 1.5 million Armenians. The Armenians, who were the majority residents of the region Anatolia, currently a part of Turkey, had to flee to the desert, fearing their lives. The Armenian population has never forgotten the atrocities. Therefore, the Armenians settled in Western countries demanded that this massacre be termed a genocide. The Armenians were making an earnest appeal that the world should accept that the Ottoman Empire had carried out a genocide of their ancestors. To date, 30 countries have awarded the status of genocide to the massacre. And these include countries like France, Russia and Canada. But the United States had not taken the decision in this matter.

However, on Saturday, US President Joe Biden announced that the 1915 massacre was nothing but a genocide. Armenia has expressed satisfaction over the announcement. Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, praised US President Biden by saying that this is a victory for truth and justice, and President Biden has taken a historic step to achieve this. The Armenian Prime Minister said that this is a big message from the international community for the safety of human rights.

But a vitriolic reaction has been received from Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu fired a salvo at the United States. The Turkish Foreign Minister claimed, ‘The US President has reopened old wounds instead of taking efforts to heal them. This will not be in the interest of peace and stability.’ Turkey also expressed its displeasure by summoning the US Ambassador to the country. This has strained the US-Turkey relations further. US President Biden has already referred to Turkish President Recep Erdogan as a dictator. The US media is also mentioning the same.

It is claimed that by taking this decision, favouring Armenia and against Turkey, President Biden is trying to deliver a message to the world that he will be standing for human rights. But the analysts are drawing attention to the fact that the decision against Turkey, a member of NATO, will affect the unity in the organisation.