New York Mayor Bill de Blasio referred to Turkish mass killings of Armenians as "genocide" in a statement released to mark the 100th anniversary.
"Today, we commemorate the Meds Yeghern and honor those who perished in the Armenian genocide 100 years ago in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, when over a million Armenians were subjected to state-sanctioned murder, rape and massive forced deportations," de Blasio said.
"For many Armenians in New York City and around the world, this historical trauma is compounded by Turkey's refusal to recognize the devastation inflicted upon the Armenian people as an act of genocide. Pope Francis spoke of this in a recent sermon, and it bears repeating on this painful anniversary: There cannot be closure on an atrocity of this magnitude if we do not call it by its name," the mayor added.
President Obama avoided the word "genocide" in his own statement released last night, after pledging during his 2008 campaign to recognize the mass killing as such.