The genocide had the goal of eliminating the Armenian Question by destroying the Armenians and resulted in the eradication of more than two thousand years of Armenian civilization in eastern Asia Minor. The Armenian Genocide as well as the simultaneous destruction and expulsion of Syriac and Greek Orthodox Christians enabled the creation of an ethnonational Turkish state. Prior to World War II, the Armenian Genocide was considered the greatest atrocity conceivable. , 30 countries, including the United States, have recognized the events as a genocide. In contrast to the vast majority of historians, Turkey denies that any crime was committed against the Armenian people.