Biden's Armenian genocide call nudges Turkey toward China, Russia

Moscow and Beijing keen to step into vacuum as US switches focus to human rights

President Joe Biden speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, from the East Room of the White House on April 23. © AP

RYO NAKAMURA and MOMOKO KIDERA, Nikkei staff writers

April 28, 2021 16:45 JST

WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday described the massacre of Armenians, which began in 1915 under the Ottoman Empire, in present-day Turkey, as "genocide."

Turkey, a long-standing U.S. ally, has vehemently opposed that characterization. Biden's statement appears likely to shake up diplomacy for powers active in the region, including Russia and China.