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Washington (AP) - Despite warnings from Turkey, US President Joe Biden has recognized the massacre of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War as genocide.
"The American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today," said Biden in a message distributed by the White House on the commemoration day of the massacres on Saturday.
During the election campaign, Biden had promised that the massacre of the Armenians would be recognized as genocide.
The government in Ankara had warned the US government against such a step.
As early as 2019, the US Congress recognized the massacre of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
The administration of then US President Donald Trump then emphasized that the legally non-binding resolution did not change the attitude of the US government.
Trump had spoken of "one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century", but - like other US presidents - avoided the word genocide.
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French President Emmanuel Macron had previously thought of the massacre of Armenians in Paris.
"The French people and the Armenian people are forever connected," said the 43-year-old on Saturday via Twitter.
The head of state was shown in pictures on the occasion of the “Remembrance Day for the Armenian Genocide” at the memorial in the center of the French capital.
Macron announced around two years ago that April 24 would be a national day of remembrance.
As the AFP news agency reported, it was the first time that he took part in an official ceremony on Remembrance Day.
During the First World War, Armenians were systematically persecuted.
According to estimates, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Ottoman Empire at the time in 1915/1916.
The South Caucasus Republic of Armenia has long been demanding that Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, recognize the atrocities as genocide.
Turkey considers the numbers to be excessive and vehemently rejects the classification as genocide.
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Biden in the "New York Times" about Erdogan
Congressman's letter to Biden
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Biden on Memorial Day a year ago
Cavusoglu near Habertürk (Turkish)
"The Hill" on Reagan / Genocide