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Joe Biden is expected to officially recognize the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as an act of genocide, according to US officials.
The anticipated move – something Biden had pledged to do as a candidate – could further complicate an already strained relationship with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Administration officials have not informed Turkey since Wednesday, and Biden may still change his mind, according to an official who spoke to the Associated Press.
Armenian-American lawmakers and activists are pressuring Biden to make the announcement on or before Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which will be marked on Saturday.
One possibility is for Biden to include the recognition of genocide in the annual proclamation of Remembrance Day usually issued by presidents. Biden’s predecessors avoided using “genocide” in a proclamation commemorating the darkest moment in history.
Turkey admits that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War I, but disputes the figures and denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitutes genocide.
A bipartisan group of more than 100 members of the House signed a letter to Biden on Wednesday urging him to become the first US president to formally recognize the atrocities as genocide.
“The shameful silence of the US government on the historical fact of the Armenian genocide has lasted too long and must end,” lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to keep your commitments and tell the truth.”
Turkey’s foreign minister has warned the Biden administration that the recognition would “damage” US-Turkey ties.
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported for the first time that Biden was preparing to admit the genocide.
If Biden continues, he will certainly face a push from Turkey, which has successfully pressured previous presidents to get around the issue.
The relationship between Biden and Erdoğan started cold. More than three months after the presidency, Biden has not spoken to him yet.
Biden angered Turkish officials during his presidential campaign last year after an interview with the New York Times in which he spoke in support of Turkey’s opposition to the “autocrat” Erdoğan. However, Turkey hopes to restore relations. Erdoğan enjoyed a warm relationship with former Donald Trump, who did not give a lecture on Turkey’s human rights history.
“In the past, the twisting arm in Turkey was, ‘Well, we’re such a good friend that you should stay strong with us in that,'” said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America. a campaign to encourage Biden to acknowledge the genocide. “But they turn out not to be such a good friend.”
Hamparian said he hoped Biden would continue. He noted that Barack Obama’s understanding that he did not follow his 2008 campaign commitment to recognize the Armenian genocide still persists for many in the Armenian diaspora.