This archive report was first published on 12 December 2019.
On December 12, 2019, the US Senate passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, a move that has been years in the making.
The resolution, which had already passed the House, declares it US policy to commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance.
It also rejects efforts to deny the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide, a stance that is likely to anger Turkey, which has long denied the mass murder of Armenians during World War I.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had warned that the resolution would damage relations between the two countries, saying that "some historical developments and allegations are being used in order to dynamite our reciprocal and bilateral relations."
Despite the opposition, the resolution passed with the support of Democrat Robert Menendez, who said, "It is fitting and appropriate that the Senate stands on the right side of history."
Menendez, who had been pushing for the resolution, also expressed gratitude that it had passed at a time when there were still survivors of the genocide who could see the Senate acknowledge what they went through.
