The recognition of the Armenian genocide and its politicization

No abstractThis article explores the political reasoning behind the recognition or non-recognition of the 1915 events in Armenia as genocide and the effect that this topic has upon present-day Armenian-Turkish relations as well as their relations with other countries. It provides a brief historical overview of the circumstances leading to the events and the repercussions that these events have and continue to have for Armenia and Turkey. The article then discusses the EU perceptions of these events in relation to Turkey’s EU accession efforts and the potential consequences of non-recognition for these efforts. It explores the internal discourses in Turkey and Armenia and attempts to unearth the reasons behind the discouragement of genocide recognition in Turkey and the encouragement of genocide recognition in Armenia. It concludes that the issue of genocide recognition (or nonrecognition) has long transcended the realm of history and morality: having entered the domain of international politics, it has been shaped by the often contradictory interests of international players