Joe Biden speaks with Turkish President Recep Erdogan after revealing that the United States is preparing to officially recognize the Armenian genocide

The White House reported on Friday that the US president Joe biden had a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a day after Washington’s intentions to officially recognize the Armenian genocide were revealed.

During a reading of the appeal, the White House did not raise the controversy, saying only that Biden called for a “constructive bilateral relationship with expanded areas of cooperation and effective management of disagreements.”

The two leaders also agreed to meet in person at the NATO summit in June.

On another side, The US State Department said that on Friday there will be an announcement on Saturday regarding the Armenian Genocide, as the systematic murder and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians is known (some sources said the number would rise to 1, 5 million) by the Ottoman Empire of 1915, in the hope that Biden will challenge Turkey to effectively characterize the massacres as genocide, which Ankara denies.

“Regarding the Armenian genocide, you can expect an announcement tomorrow.”State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters on Friday, although she declined to reveal details.

Saturday precisely 106 years of deportation of Armenian intellectuals residing in Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire, in April 1915 are commemorated, the fact that historians often consider the beginning of the Armenian genocide.

As US officials revealed on Tuesday, Biden is preparing to formally recognize that these events over a century ago were genocide, as France, Germany, Argentina and Brazil, among many others, have already done. In the case of the United States, the situation is more cryptic: Congress has recognized the Armenian genocide in its resolutions, but the government has maintained a more ambiguous position not to confront Turkey, a NATO ally, and avoided using the term “genocide”.

Armenian-American lawmakers and activists pressure Biden to make the announcement at the latest Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day, to be held on Saturday.

One possibility is that Biden will include recognition of the genocide in the annual Remembrance Day proclamation that presidents often issue. Biden’s predecessors avoided using “genocide” in the proclamation commemorating the dark moment in history.

A bipartisan group of more than 100 members of the House of Representatives signed a letter to Biden on Wednesday asking him to become the first US president to officially recognize the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire at the time.. Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of California led the letter.

“The shameful silence of the US government on the historic fact of the Armenian genocide has lasted too long and must endr, ”the lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to keep your promises and speak the truth.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that the president would have more to say on Remembrance Day on Saturday.

The New York Times Yes The Wall Street Journal they were the first to report that Biden is preparing to recognize the genocide.

If Biden goes ahead, he will almost certainly face rejection from Turkey., qThe EU has succeeded in putting pressure on the former presidents to circumvent the problem.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu insisted earlier this week that Turkey was not concerned about any decision Biden might make, but also suggested such a move would face a backlash.

“If America wants our relationship to worsen, it’s up to them to decide“, He declared in an interview with the Turkish news channel HaberTurk.

Ties between Ankara and Washington, once considered strategic partners, have steadily deteriorated in recent years due to disputes over Syria, Turkey’s cooperation with Russia and, more recently, Turkish naval interventions in the eastern Mediterranean., which US officials described as unsettling.

Biden during last year’s campaign drew the wrath of Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke of his support for Turkey’s opposition to “autocrat” Erdogan. Still, Turkey hoped to restore the relationship. Erdogan enjoyed a warm relationship with former President Donald Trump, who never touched on the history of human rights violations in Turkey.

With information from AFP and AP

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