Turkish Defense Minister Speaks on Armenian Genocide

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, during a press conference with reporters in the parliament, addressed the call from senators to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide directed at U.S. President Joe Biden, as reported by Ermenihaber.

Akar noted that this issue tends to resurface during the months of March and April. He stated, "It must be well understood that there is no opinion without information. And those who express opinions and put forward claims should firstly be informed about the matter at hand." He reiterated the regular assertions made by Turkish authorities, stating that they have frequently spoken, discussed, and narrated the topic, and would continue to do so.

Akar, claiming that there are written records in the U.S. National Archives, called upon all intellectuals, including U.S. politicians and media representatives, to take the time to study the archives. He then highlighted a portion of a 1603-page report from the U.S. National Archives: "In 1919, under the directive of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, American General James Harbord came to Turkey with a delegation of about 50 military and civilian individuals and conducted research here for 58 days. The resulting report stated that no genocide occurred and that both sides (Turks and Armenians) suffered greatly."

For those interested in the matter, the Turkish minister advised them to examine the American archives. "Particularly, Americans need to see this. They can clearly see in the essence and summary of that report that Turks and Armenians lived peacefully together for 500 years until that day and could have continued to live for another 500 years had there not been external influences."

It is worth noting that 37 U.S. senators have joined a letter from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, urging President Joe Biden to follow Congress's lead and fully and officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. Menendez reminded Biden in the letter that he had previously recognized the Armenian Genocide, including during his 2020 presidential campaign, stating: "We urge you to do the same now as President, making it clear that the U.S. government recognizes this horrific truth."