When US President Joe Biden pronounced the word “genocide” on April 24, 2021, and three more times afterward, many believed this was equivalent to US recognition of the genocide. During those times, more rational assessments that the term expressed by the president had only psychological significance were lost in the general enthusiasm. However, throughout Biden’s four-year administration, the US government never adopted any document or made any decision that would follow the logic of the term “Armenian genocide.”
Trump’s return in early 2025 inherently meant a return to the previous terminology on this issue as well. As expected, in his April 24, 2025 message, Trump used the phrase “Meds Yeghern ” (Great Catastrophe). As during his previous 4-year presidency, he repeated this term first used by former President Obama. At the time, it was assessed as a political act “to satisfy neither side, but not to offend anyone.” Trump is essentially continuing this logic. However, unlike during his first presidency, this time both international relations and Armenia’s foreign policy, as well as the state of affairs in our region, are absolutely different.
In Trump’s 2025 message, there was another expression that is much more important and vital for Armenia today. About a month ago, on March 25, a phone conversation took place between Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after which the State Department’s statement emphasized the importance of “strategic partnership” in relations between the two countries. Trump reiterated this in his message, connecting it with the logic of ensuring stability in the region. Such consistent mention by the primary officials responsible for US foreign policy should be viewed as an expression of a clear attitude toward the strategic partnership charter signed with the previous administration. In terms of real politics, such an attitude should serve as a signal for Armenia to formulate and present new step proposals to the American side in the near future. In particular, one step could be to “remind” about the agreement regarding the customs and border guard service group’s arrival to Armenia, which has not yet been implemented.
It is already time to stop overestimating the importance of words or terms expressed by different individuals, and to concentrate these efforts on implementing practical programs as well. This call is both for the relevant state bodies and society of the Republic of Armenia, and our compatriots and structures in the Diaspora.
