Turkish leader defiant on Biden mention of Armenian genocide
The Hindu
In his speech Monday, the Turkish President spoke at length about the events, that started during World War I
Turkey's President said on Monday he was “highly saddened” by U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to mark as genocide the mass deportations and massacres of Armenians in the early 20th century Ottoman Empire, calling it baseless and unjust. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Mr. Biden's decision undermined Turkish-American relations but also expressed hope they would discuss that and other issues during a first face-to-face meeting in years at the June NATO summit and “open the doors of a new period.” Otherwise, Mr. Erdogan said, Turkey would have to take necessary steps but did not elaborate. On Saturday, Mr. Biden followed through on a campaign promise to recognise the events that began in 1915 and killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire — the precursor of modern Turkey — as genocide.More Related News