Erdoğan will travel to US during critical period

March 3, 2010 - 15:13 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend a nuclear security summit in the United States, hosted by President Barack Obama. However, because the visit is on April 11, the trip is likely to be dominated by the lead-up to April 24, Armenian Genocide commemoration day.

While Turkey’s prime minister ostensibly travels to the United States for a meeting on nuclear security in April, the visit is likely to be overshadowed by the run-up to April 24, a day of critical importance to Armenians, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Congressional resolution that affirms U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide and recommends to the executive branch to reflect this understanding in its policies will be formally considered by the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee on March 4.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.