We acknowledge the fact 1.5 million Armenians were massacred: U.S. Department of State

The United States acknowledges the fact 1.5 million Armenians were massacred and wants to see a full historical accounting of those events, Mark Toner, US State Department spokesperson told reporters during a daily briefing.

A reporter asked the spokesperson why during 8 years, the Obama Administration has used all possible synonyms or euphemism of the genocide term that one can find in vocabulary, except from using the genocide term. In response to the question, Toner said: “This President, this Administration, as have past administrations, have repeatedly mourned and acknowledged that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.

And we’ve also called for a full and frank acknowledgement of the facts of what happened around those deaths. And that remains our policy. I don’t want to get into terminology or how we referred to it. We acknowledged that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred, as I said, and we want to see a full historical accounting of those events.”

The reporter attempted to inquire whether or not it is the relations with Turkey that stops– has stopped the Obama Administration and all other administrations from saying the word “genocide”.

Toner replied by saying, “I’ve said what our policy is, how we regard it. We acknowledge the tremendous loss of life and suffering of the Armenian people.”