U.S. envoy to Armenia: Genocide Convention not applied retroactively

PanARMENIAN.Net - United States ambassador to Armenia Lynne M. Tracy has commented on the legal liabilities of President Joe Biden's recognition of the Genocide, maintaining that the United Nations Genocide Convention is not applied retroactively.

In a statement published on the website of the White House, Biden made good on a campaign promise and became the first American President to use the term “Genocide” on the April 24 Remembrance Day to describe the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923.

"The events of the Armenian Genocide took place in 1915. The Genocide Convention did not come into force until 1951, and our understanding is that from a legal perspective the convention is not applied retroactively," Tracy said in an interview with the Armenian service of the RFE/RL.

"With respect to the U.S. relations with Turkey, Turkey is a NATO ally, an important ally of the United States, but the Biden administration has also made it very clear that the disagreements that the U.S. and Turkey have will need to be managed very effectively."

Tracy described Biden's message as "historic".

"Certainly it reflects, I think, the President's deep respect for the Armenian people, for the opportunity to make this statement a historical acknowledgement of what took place in 1915. The President has long had an interest in this topic," the Ambassador noted.