Turkey Threatens US Ahead of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday commented on the latest projections about a possible official recognition of the Armenian genocide by US President Joe Biden on the upcoming annual remembrance day of April 24. “Statements that have no legal binding will have no benefit, but they will harm ties,” Çavuşoğlu warned. “If the US wants to worsen relations, the decision is theirs,” he said, imploring Washington to “respect international law.” Biden has in recent days faced mounting bipartisan pressure to become the first president to call the mass murder and systematic ethnic cleansing of over 1 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans during World War I a genocide. Biden promised to do so on the campaign trail, similar to previous presidents, yet none of his predecessors followed through on their pledge after taking office, fearing diplomatic repercussions from Ankara, which rejects the Armenian accusations. In 2019, the US Senate passed a historic nonbinding resolution recognizing the genocide, infuriating Turkey’s government. President Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have yet to speak since the January 20 inauguration.