MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th December, 2019) Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has lauded the US Senate's decision to recognize Armenian genocide, calling it a triumph of truth.
On Thursday, the Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing a resolution to officially recognize Armenian genocide, which for years has been a divisive issue in the US politics. The lower house voted for the piece of legislation in late October in response to Turkey's controversial offensive against Kurdish militia in northeastern Syria.
"US Senate Resolution 150 is a victory of justice and truth. On behalf of the #Armenia'n people worldwide, I express our profound appreciation to the Senate for this landmark legislation," Pashinyan wrote on Twitter late on Thursday.
The Armenian prime minister described the resolution as "tribute to the memory of 1.5 million victims of the first #Genocide of the 20th century and bold step in promotion of the prevention agenda," attaching the hashtag #NeverAgain.
In the late 19th-early 20th centuries, Armenians found themselves an increasingly persecuted minority within the ailing Ottoman Empire. In 1915, according to a number of historians, more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed. The fact of the Armenian people's genocide in the Ottoman Empire has been recognized by over 30 countries.
Meanwhile, the issue traditionally causes a strong backlash from Turkey, which keeps rejecting the accusations. Republican senators had previously blocked the resolution several times at the request of the White House, which has been seeking to avert further deterioration of ties with the NATO ally.
