Former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenOvernight Health Care: Coronavirus spreads to Trump country | Disinfectant remarks draw blowback | FDA issues warning about drugs touted by TrumpStacey Abrams makes case for VP: ‘I would put my capacity to win an election’ against anyone else’sMORE vowed to officially recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide if elected to the White House, a move past presidents have avoided for years.
“If we do not fully acknowledge, commemorate, and teach our children about genocide, the words ‘never again’ lose their meaning,” Biden wrote in a Medium post. “The facts must be as clear and as powerful for future generations as for those whose memories are seared by tragedy.
“If elected, I pledge to support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide and will make universal human rights a top priority for my administration,” he continued.
President Trump dubbed the killing as “one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century” in a statement, and former President Obama never declared the slaughter as a genocide despite vowing to do so on the campaign trail.
The House and Senate both passed a resolution last year dubbing the 1915 killings a genocide, but the Trump administration distanced itself from the bill.
Past administrations have been hesitant to call the massacre a genocide in part out of fear of damaging relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and partner in the Middle East.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed efforts to use the term “genocide,” with a spokesperson saying last year that any such recognition would “endanger the future of [U.S.-Turkish] bilateral relations.”
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Hovik Karapetian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2020/04/26/biden-vows-to-recognize-armenian-genocide-if-elected-president/