Renowned Turkish historian and genocide expert Taner Akcam shared the news on his Facebook page after the US Senate’s decision to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide.
Akcam wrote: “Following the US Congress, the Senate unanimously adopted the Armenian Genocide Resolution. This is a historic decision. This can be a turning point not only for Armenians, but for the whole of Turkey as well.”
He noted that in some places they wrote that the decision had yet to be sent for approval and such, but this was not a decision to be approved.
Two of the three major pillars of the US government, Congress and Senate, have already recognized the Genocide. And even if Trump does not officially use the word genocide, one thing is that from a legal point of view we can already say that the US has recognized the Armenian Genocide.
The US recognition of the Genocide is different from the recognition of other countries. It is to be expected that US courts, lawsuits will be brought one after another, which will create a lot of headache for Turkey. Let’s see how Turkey will respond,” Akcam says.
Notably, on 12 December, the US Senate adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Resolution #150 passed by Senators Robert Menendez and Ted Cruz was adopted unanimously.
In late October, the House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. But the resolution was vetoed in the Senate.
