Turkey Denounces Biden Statement on Armenian Genocide, U.S. Embassy Warns of Potential Backlash

Adem Altan/AFP, Getty

In a statement issued on Armenian Remembrance Day, President Joe Biden officially recognized the ethnic cleansing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as a genocide, the first U.S. president to do so. In a swift response, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the statement “in the strongest terms.”

Turkey denounced Biden’s use of the word genocide for the massacres and oppression of about 1.5 million Armenians as having no “scholarly or legal basis.” They also accused President Biden of caving to pressure from “radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups.”

“With regards to the events of 1915, none of the conditions required for the use of the term ‘genocide’ that is strictly defined in international law are met,” the statement reads, later adding that “the US President’s statement will not yield any results other than polarizing the nations and hindering peace and stability in our region.”

The ministry says that Biden isn’t “morally authorized to judge historical matters” and asks him to “correct this grave mistake” which they claim only serves “the agenda of those circles that try to foment enmity from history.” Meaning enmity at the systematic slaughter of a multi-year, brutal ethnic cleansing.

The statement from the ministry says that Biden’s statement “will never be accepted in the conscience of the Turkish people,” and indeed it may result in protest or backlash, as the U.S. Embassy in Turkey is reportedly warning Americans in the country.

Reporter Elizabeth Hagedorn was the first to share the notice on Twitter from the Embassy, which warns that “US citizens are advised to avoid the areas around US government buildings” in the country following the statement from President Biden.

“Demonstrations or protests may occur following the April 24 White House statement remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide,” it reads.

“As a precautionary measure,” the Embassy and consulates in Turkey will be closed for “routine” business on Monday and Tuesday.

“U.S. citizens are advised to avoid the areas around U.S. government buildings, and exercise heightened caution in locations where Americans or foreigners may gather.”

It also suggests that Americans in the country should exercise caution, remain vigilant, and avoid crowds.”

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