White House on 'Mets Eghern' (video)
The White House has described the the World War I killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians as a "historical fact," urging Turkey to face painful elements of its past to build a more tolerant future. "President [Barack Obama] and other senior administration officials have repeatedly acknowledged as historical fact that 1.5 millions Armenians were massacred or marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Thursday. He said Washington earlier stated that they mourn those deaths and "full, frank and just acknowledgements of the facts is in the interest of everybody, including Turkey, Armenia and the US." Each year on April 24, U.S. Presidents traditionally appeal to the Armenian people expressing their sympathy and support. However, none of them has ever uttered the word“Genocide.” Instead, they used the words “massacres,” “slaughter,” “great tragedy.” President Obama, who promised to recognize the Genocide if elected as U.S. President, named the massacres of the Armenians at the Ottoman Empire the worst tragedy of the 20th century and called the Genocide “Mets Eghern.” Details are available in the video of Voice of America.
