Despite its fury with the United States for calling the Ottoman massacre of Armenians a genocide, Turkey is for now avoiding a showdown that could hurt its fragile economy and scupper hopes of better ties with U.S.-allied Arab states.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily condemned Joe Biden's characterization of the killings a century ago, saying the U.S. president should "look in the mirror" and examine the fate of Native Americans wiped out by settlers who founded his country.

But the usually combative Turkish leader, who has often used foreign disputes to rally domestic support, is more focused on reviving a battered economy, something that is key to his long-term re-election prospects.