Biden formally recognises the Armenian Genocide

In a statement marking Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, US President Joe Biden formally described the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide. The last American president to use the term was Ronald Reagan in 1981.

"Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring," the White House statement said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called Biden's decision a powerful step towards justice. Armenian American organisations, which had sought recognition for decades, called it a historic day.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said it categorically rejected the statement and summoned the US ambassador. In 2019 both chambers of the US Congress had already adopted resolutions recognising the Armenian Genocide.