State Dept. ex-Special Advisor urges Biden to recognize Armenian Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - Knox Thames, a former U.S. Department of State Special Advisor, has urged the White House to recognize the Armenian Genocide, in an article he wrote recently. "History matter," he said.

According to Thames, who served as the Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South / Central Asia at the Department of State, April 24, the upcoming day remembering victims, provides President Joe Biden the right moment to set the historical record straight.

"He leads a new administration while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan implements increasingly problematic policies. With this window of opportunity, now is the time to call a genocide a genocide. Waiting will only make things more complicated for the administration," Thames said.

"International politics aside, it is the right thing to do. A genocide happened. Using the "G" word describes the facts. Sure, some Turks won't like it and Erdogan will huff and puff, but many will agree it is true. The United States should not muzzle itself for short-term, ephemeral gains with an unsteady ally. We should prioritize enduring truth over worthless concessions. As then-candidate Biden said, "silence is complicity."

"The Armenian Genocide happened. Candidate Biden recognized this and I hope President Biden will say the same on April 24."

On April 24, 1915, a group of several hundred Armenian intellectuals were rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. Every year on April 24, Armenians worldwide commemorate the anniversary of the Genocide, which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.