U.S. announces recognition of historic tragedy on 106
th anniversary of its start
U.S. president Joe Biden’s historic declaration last Saturday that the Ottoman Empire’s systematic killing and deportation of 1.5 million Armenians in the early 20
th century was a genocide came just a few hours before Montreal-area Armenians gathered at the Armenian monument on the edge of Autoroute 440 in Laval to mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Official U.S. position
The mid-afternoon event drew not only people of all ages from the Armenian community, but also many elected officials from the federal, provincial and municipal governments.
Biden’s declaration, which now reflects the official U.S. government position, came after five successive U.S. presidents danced for decades around the Armenian issue, while specifically avoiding use of the word “genocide.”