April 24, 1915 is the date usually described as the start of the massacre of Armenians and other Christian minorities such as Assyrians, Syrians, Chaldeans and Pontic Greeks in the then Ottoman Empire.
On the anniversary, came the expected message from Joe Biden, that the United States recognizes the events as genocide.
Armenian Confederation happy
Vahagn Avedian, an expert at the Swedish Armenian Confederation in Sweden, was pleased with today's message from the Biden administration, which he describes as "historic".
- It is a great victory for Armenians and other affected minority groups, says Vahagn Avedian to SVT Nyheter.
He hopes that more countries will follow, not least Sweden.
Earlier on Saturday, the Swedish Confederation also issued an open letter to Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) calling the massacres a genocide, stating, among other things, that “Sweden should live up to its international reputation (as) a fighter for human rights, democracy and justice ”.
The Swedish Parliament decided in 2010 to recognize the massacres as a genocide in a so-called announcement, but it is up to a government to make the decision when it concerns a foreign issue.
The then Moderate-led government avoided following the Riksdag decision.
Foreign Minister: "It is important that we remember"
During the 2014 election campaign, Stefan Löfven promised to pursue the issue, but in government he ordered a report, which concluded that the issue is complex and that "government statements that establish historical facts are not completely unproblematic" - and then backed away from the plans.
SVT Nyheter has sought the Prime Minister for a comment, but Löfven's press secretary refers to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Minister Ann Linde says in a written comment to SVT Nyheter that she has noted Biden's recognition.
"There is no doubt that terrible massacres were committed against the Armenian people and other minorities in the disintegrating Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Depictions from 1915 testify to ruthless cruelty. It is important that we remember and learn from the dark chapters of history to prevent recurrence. ”