Trump must officially recognize the Armenian Genocide: HuffPost

April 24, 2017 - 14:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Because U.S. president Donald Trump is so unconventional, there’s a chance he recognizes the Armenian Genocide, the Huffington Post said in an article on Monday, April 24.

"President Trump won the White House promising to change the culture in Washington and promote an “America first” policy. What happens, however, when U.S. acknowledgment of historical fact is dictated by the whims of other nations? Up until now, Turkey has pressured the United States to circumvent formally acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, although President Obama promised to do so while in office. In fact, President Obama stated “as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.” Every year of his presidency, Obama managed to break his promise," the article says.

"U.S. foreign has been negatively affected by an inability to cope with historical truth, and the consequences of this shortsightedness influence our interventions in Syria and elsewhere. Because Trump is so unconventional, there’s a chance he breaks with protocol and eventually recognizes the Armenian Genocide."

"President Trump has the opportunity and potential to do something no other American administration had the courage, or autonomy to accomplish. President Trump should do something his predecessor lacked the courage to do and formally recognize the Armenian Genocide," the publication says.

102 years have passed since the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1924.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.