400 Organizations from 22 European Countries Urge Obama to Recognize Genocide

Nearly 400 organizations from 22 European countries signed on to a letter launched by the European Armenian Federation urging the president of the United States to recognize the Armenian Genocide. The petition was submitted to the White House on April 3, the day before President Barack Obama’s trip to Turkey; by then, 340 organizations had already co-signed the letter.

In it, the Federation reminds the president that “European Armenians as well as the large democratic mainstream of Europe’s civil society will continue to strongly oppose Turkey’s membership in the EU as long as the Turkish state denies the Armenian Genocide, promotes racism, and pursues a policy of discrimination towards its minorities.” The Federation further notes that “the commitment that President Obama made to recognize the genocide will unleash the momentum of true change and democratization inside Turkey” and “will also provide an unprecedented momentum to the process of dialogue between Turkey and Armenia” by clearly stating “that denial of this crime against humanity will no longer be supported and that the way forward will definitely require of Turkey a fundamental commitment to just peace.”