Kim Kardashian applauds President Joe Biden for having the courage to acknowledge the Armenian genocide: ‘This has been a long journey’
Kim Kardashian applauded President Joe Biden for acknowledging the killing of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks more than a century ago as genocide.
After news broke Saturday, the 40-year-old reality star shared a lengthy statement via Instagram.
‘After more than a century of fighting for truth and acknowledgment, today the Armenian people received the recognition we have all been hoping and praying for, with president Biden declaring the massacre in 1915 a genocide,’ the mom-of-four began.
Thankful: Kim Kardashian applauded President Joe Biden for acknowledging the killing of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks more than a century ago as genocide; seen in 2019
She continued: ‘This has been a long journey for the Armenian community, and every year I felt we were getting closer and closer to recognizing the genocide as what it was. Finally that day has come.’
Her final post directly thanked Biden for having the ‘courage to speak the truths other chose not to.’
Biden is the first U.S. leader to use the term to describe the massacre, as past presidents shied away from labeling the event as such in an effort to maintain amicable relations with Turkey.
About time: Biden is the first U.S. leader to use the term to describe the massacre, as past presidents shied away from labeling the event as such in an effort to maintain amicable relations with Turkey (pictured this week)
Kardashian began her message by writing: ‘After more than a century of fighting for truth and acknowledgment, today the Armenian people received the recognition we have all been hoping an praying for, with president Biden declaring the massacre in 1915 a genocide’
Her sister, Khloe Kardashian, also praised Biden for being the first US president to officially recognize the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as a genocide.
‘In 1915, over 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered and tortured. Thank you President Biden for recognizing the genocide that happened 106 years ago,’ she wrote on her Instagram Story, not long before Kim posted her statement.
The social media powerhouse specifically thanked the president for ‘honoring the stories, the pain, suffering and loss.’
‘This has been a long journey for the Armenian community, and every year I felt we were getting closer and closer to recognizing the genocide as what it was. Finally that day has come,’ she continued
Step forward: Her final post directly thanked Biden for having the ‘courage to speak the truths other chose not to’
She also shared two shots from her 2015 visit to Armenia’s capital city, Yerevan, with her older sister, Kim.
On Saturday, the 78-year-old issued a statement where he laid out his thoughts on the matter and asked the American people to join him in working to ensure that such an event never happens again.
Biden’s release began with: ‘Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring.’
Sending a message: Khloe Kardashian also thanked President Biden for ‘honoring the stories, the pain, suffering and loss of the Armenian people’
Purpose: In his statement, Biden noted that the release was published in an effort to ‘recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring’
The politician noted that the recognition was made ‘so that we remain ever-vigilant against the corrosive influence of hate in all its forms.’
The leader also noted that, regarding the family members of those affected, ‘we honor their story. We see that pain. We affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.’
Biden’s statement’s concluded with: ‘Let us renew our shared resolve to prevent future atrocities from occurring anywhere in the world. And let us pursue healing and reconciliation for all the people of the world.’
Making a difference: Kardashian has advocated for Armenian-related causes in the past, most recently during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War; she is pictured in 2019
The Good American Founder has supported the recognizance of the Armenian Genocide in the past and has worked to raise awareness for the cause.
In 2015, she and Kim flew to Armenia and visited Tsitsernakaberd, the memorial to the victims of the atrocity.
Last October, she publicly denounced Azerbajian’s involvement in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and spoke out in support of the Republic of Artsakh.
Purpose: After her 2015 visit to Armenia, Kim Kardashian wrote a piece for Time where she referred to the denial of the Armenian Genocide as an ‘act of disrespect’; she is seen in 2017
The reality television star later appeared on a telethon for Armenia Fund and encouraged her followers to donate in support of Armenian soldiers involved in the conflict.
Shortly after her shared visit to Tsitsernakaberd, Khloe’s older sister wrote an opinion piece for Time and noted that she had hoped that former president Barack Obama would have referred to the events of 1915 as a genocide.
‘It’s very disappointing he hasn’t used it as President. We thought it was going to happen this year. I feel like we’re close—but we’re definitely moving in the right direction,’ she expressed.
Homeland: Kim and older sister Kourtney also took a family trip to Armenia at the end of 2019
The reality television star also called on the government and citizens of Turkey to confront the events of the past in an effort to begin a period of reconciliation.
‘I think if they recognize it and acknowledge it, everyone can move on. I believe in moving on and looking toward a brighter future, but you can’t move on unless you acknowledge the past. To not do so is an act of disrespect,’ she wrote.
Kim and older sister Kourtney most recently returned to Armenia at the end of 2019.
Heritage: The Kardashians are proud of their Armenian heritage, which flows down their late father, Robert Kardashians’ side of the family
The Kardashians are proud of their Armenian heritage, which flows down their late father, Robert Kardashians’ side of the family.
His family emigrated to the United States from an area that now lies in Turkey in the early 1900s.
The celebrity lawyer died in 2003 just eight weeks after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
Unforgettable: During the trip, Kim and Kourtney had dinner with the President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, and his wife, Nouneh Sarkissian, at the Presidential palace
In memory: They also laid flowers at the Memorial Complex in Yerevan to pay tribute to the victims of the 1915 genocide, in which 1.5m Armenians lost their lives
He passed on his pride in his heritage to his family, who have been vocal about their Armenian roots.
During the trip, Kim and Kourtney had dinner with the President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, and his wife, Nouneh Sarkissian, at the Presidential palace.
They also laid flowers at the Memorial Complex in Yerevan to pay tribute to the victims of the 1915 genocide.
Special memory: Kim’s kids North, Chicago and Saint were seen with their cousins Mason, Reign and Penelope in Armenia
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