Obama Avoids Describing Armenian Massacre as 'Genocide'
Thursday, 23 Apr 2015 09:06 PM
President Barack Obama is pledging solidarity with Armenians but isn't calling what happened to them 100 years ago "genocide."
Obama says the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks is a solemn moment that calls for reflection on the importance of historical remembrance and the work of reckoning with the past.
In a statement Thursday, Obama said he has consistently stated his view on what happened in 1915 and that his view has not changed.
As a U.S. senator and candidate for president, Obama described the killings of Armenians as "genocide" and said the U.S. government had a responsibility to recognize them as such.
But Obama shied away from thatdescription as president, mainly out of deference to Turkey .
Turkey is a key U.S. partner and NATO ally that fiercely opposes the "genocide" label.
Obama says the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks is a solemn moment that calls for reflection on the importance of historical remembrance and the work of reckoning with the past.
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But Obama shied away from that
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