Does Biden Have a Reason Not to Recognize the Armenian Genocide? Ahval News

The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, has initiated a petition for a bipartisan letter directed to President Joe Biden, urging him to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. In addressing Menendez's initiative, an analyst from Ahval News has drawn comparisons between the failure of a resolution that reached the U.S. Senate last year and the potential success of this year's initiative. "There are several reasons to believe that this year the U.S. president may officially recognize the events of 1915 against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide," the author writes.

As the author notes, there has been a global consensus in recent years; 32 countries, including the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Brazil, have recognized the Genocide. "Steps towards further recognition of the Armenian Genocide, along with any actions against the Turkish government, have gained significant traction in Western capitals in recent years, attributed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government's alienation policies in the external world and internal anti-democratic manifestations," the author emphasizes.

“As Erdoğan's democratic image faded and the authoritarian beast was revealed, the president lost his friends in Washington one by one. The issues Erdoğan faced during the Trump administration were nothing and could not harm his interests,” writes the author, recalling that Biden promised during his election campaign to "support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide." The article points out that as someone who served as vice president for 8 years, Biden understands that if he fails to keep his promise, he will face pressure from Congress, particularly from Senator Menendez, whose support Biden needs to achieve success in foreign policy.

The article also highlights that throughout his presidency, and since taking office, Biden has not had a conversation with Erdoğan. "While Erdoğan's relations with the U.S. government and its institutions are at a historically low level, this time the U.S. president seems to have no reason to sever ties with an ally like Erdoğan in light of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide," concludes the publication.