US poised to recognise Armenian genocide
According to media reports, Joe Biden is set to be the first US president to officially recognise the Armenian genocide, the 106th anniversary of which is on 24 April. According to estimates, between 1.2 and 1.5 million Armenians were killed by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
A risky confrontation
Using the word genocide would have unavoidable consequences, La Repubblica explains:
“Will Joe Biden say it or not in tomorrow's speech marking the 106th anniversary of the massacre of the Armenians? ... Whether the new Democratic government really wants to pick a fight with a Nato ally remains to be seen. .... Erdoğan warned in advance: 'Turkey will continue to defend the truth against the lies about the so-called Armenian genocide and against those who support this slander out of political calculation'. ... The increasingly unstable relations between Washington and Ankara are seriously threatened, with direct consequences above all in the Middle East, where their cooperation has long been faltering.”
The world is still silent on this today
Writer Kalle Käsper laments Turkey's impunity in Õhtuleht:
“As happens every year, all of Yerevan will take to the streets on 24 April and make their way with flowers to Tsitsernakaberd Hill, where the memorial to the genocide victims of 1915 is located. It is hard to find a family in Armenia whose relatives were not affected by the tragedy. ... The world remains silent today, and it's clear why: Turkey has made itself useful to everyone. ... It's because of the notorious realpolitik in which money, power and strength are always more important than values. There's no point hoping that 106 years after the fact, Turkey will be forced to admit the crime.”