Erdogan Deeply Saddened by Biden's Recognition of Armenian Genocide

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he is deeply saddened by his American counterpart Joe Biden's recognition of the Armenian Genocide during the Ottoman Empire.

On April 24, U.S. President Joe Biden characterized the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century in the Ottoman Empire as "genocide." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that Biden's declaration is based on populism and that Turkey rejects it.

"Biden used an inaccurate term regarding events that occurred more than a century ago, which has no historical basis. This has deeply saddened us. Assessments of such issues should be left to historians, not politicians, but there has been no response from the other side. The West shows hypocrisy regarding the Armenian issue and terrorist organizations," Erdogan said during a televised address summarizing the results of a government meeting. He also added that during World War I, "Armenian bandits killed innocent people" in the Ottoman Empire.

The Turkish President stated that he makes such a declaration based on documents that exceed one million in Turkish archives. "On what basis does Biden rely? I do not know. If there are similar archives in the U.S. or Europe, are they ready to open them? We are ready; let’s study them together," Erdogan said.