Former Vice President Joe Biden tweeted on Friday that he will formally recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide if elected president.
Why it matters: President Trump and past presidents have previously avoided the issue, Politico writes. The Senate passed a resolution last December, classifying the event as a genocide. However the Trump administration did not formally acknowledge the event, as such a decision could harm relations with NATO-ally Turkey.
“If we do not fully acknowledge, commemorate, and teach our children about genocide, the words ‘never again’ lose their meaning. The facts must be as clear and as powerful for future generations as for those whose memories are seared by tragedy. Failing to remember or acknowledge the fact of a genocide only paves the way for future mass atrocities.”
— Biden wrote in a Medium post
Context: Themass killing of Armenians occurred when the Ottoman Turks tried to transport them from eastern Anatolia to the Syrian desert during World War I. Turkey claims 300,000 died, but Armenia estimates the number is closer to 1.5 million, BBC reports.
Go deeper: Trump administration says Armenian genocide bill does not change its position
Nice to hear but Obama also pledged to do the same and cowardly failed to recognise the genocide. As for the term ‘Mets Yeghern’ or ‘Great Crime/Calamity’ used in this statement, this should be deemed OFFENSIVE by the #Armenian government for the #ArmenianGenocide as it doesn’t accurately describe deliberate mass murder of a people, unlike ‘Tseghaspanoutyoun’ which means ‘genocide’. ‘Mets Yeghern’ is deliberately used by some to avoid calling it genocide because the term’s vagueness allows this, which is why it should be offensive.