“This year, there is a higher chance that the process of recognizing the Armenian Genocide will be completed by the United States, and the US President will finally use the word ‘genocide’ because the focus of American geostrategy is changing,” Turkologist Ruben Safratyan said during a discussion organized by the Armenian National Academy of Sciences titled, “Turkey’s Responsibilities Yesterday and Today.”
In his opinion, “The direction of American foreign policy has mostly moved to the Pacific region, in connection to China. China is becoming the main enemy of the USA. Consequently, the role and significance of the Middle East for US foreign policy is somewhat diminishing. This means that Turkey’s role in the US strategy is also decreasing. This leads to the fact that the disgust of the US elite towards Turkey, which is obvious, is now growing. Now, they can allow themselves to slap Turkey in the face. They could not do this in the past based on geopolitical calculations. Most likely, this will happen. They will pull the yellow card on Turkey without suffering any damage.”
As far as what the end of the process towards American recognition of the Armenian Genocide will do, Safratyan believes that there is data to suggest that several countries are waiting for the United States to recognize the Armenian Genocide before they do so. “That depends on America’s authority. From a legal standpoint, it will not do anything, but if we appeal to international courts to receive compensation, the fact that the US has recognized the Armenian Genocide will influence the judges. That is important to consider. It won’t do anything for us immediately, but it will be helpful to us in the future.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
