A statement that President Joe Biden issued on Sunday commemorating the Armenian genocide included some wording that appeared to indirectly refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Politico reported.
"Let us redouble our efforts toward healing and building the better, more peaceful world that we wish for our children," Biden said in the statement. "A world where human rights are respected, where the evils of bigotry and intolerance do not mark our daily lives, and where people everywhere are free to pursue their lives in dignity and security."
The president added that "as we reflect on the Armenian genocide, we renew our pledge to remain vigilant against the corrosive influence of hate in all its forms. We recommit ourselves to speaking out and stopping atrocities that leave lasting scars on the world."
Although Biden’s statement did not directly reference Moscow’s alleged atrocities in Ukraine during the invasion, the president called the Russian army’s actions during the war "genocide" earlier this month.
Biden issued a statement on the Armenian genocide on Sunday because April 24 is a key date in remembering the Ottoman Empire’s systematic killing of as many as 1.5 million Armenians.
On that date in 1915, Ottoman authorities arrested and executed several hundred Armenian intellectuals, a persecution that intensified and continued through 1917 and did not fully end until the defeat of the Ottoman Empire to conclude World War I.
Last year, Biden became the first U.S. president to describe the mass killings of Armenians as "genocide." Before then, American leaders did not use that terminology, so as not to disturb relations with Turkey, the successor to the Ottoman Empire, which rejects accusations that mass killings were carried out.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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