U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said President Joe Biden’s April 24 statement should not have been a surprise, considering his well-known views, informs the U.S. State Department in a statement.
“So with regard to the April 24th statement, there really was not and should not have been any surprise. President Biden expressed views that he has held for many, many years. And he’s been very clear about that as a United States senator. He was clear about it during his campaign. And he is consistent as President with views that he’s held for a long time. So I don’t think there should have been any surprise,” said Secretary Blinken added, speaking at a virtual roundtable with Foreign Media at Foreign Press Center.
“It’s also true that the President has made clear from day one his determination to put human rights and democracy at the heart of our foreign policy. And part of that involves making sure that there is an understanding of history and an acknowledgment of past atrocities precisely in order to prevent their recurrence,” Blinken added.
“As the President noted, the commemoration of Remembrance Day is to honor the victims, not to assign blame,” said Blinken.
