History should be left to historians, not politicians, Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on Tuesday.
He was referring to an Armenian genocide resolution that will be considered by a US House committee this week.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the US administration to exercise “common sense” in studying the resolution.
Speaking at his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, group meeting, Erdogan said the resolution appeared on the agenda every year and that anti-Turkey propaganda during that period was extremely pointless.
“I hope the House of Representatives will act with common sense in the face of an issue that should be left to historians. I hope that cooperation will not be harmed by such initiatives,” Erdogan said. “I trust the leadership and common sense of [President Barack] Obama, who is closely following the ongoing normalization efforts with Armenia.”
The prime minister said Turkish-US relations were passing through a successful period, noting that he had comprehensively taken up the issue during a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Qatar recently.
“I separately discussed with her what the cost of an adverse result from that would be. I call on everyone once more to act with common sense,” said Erdogan. “I’d like to say it would be more accurate to research genocide claims not at the House of Representatives but at universities and archives.”
Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced in early February that his panel would vote on the resolution this Thursday.
If the bill passes the committee, it will proceed to a final vote on the House floor. Similar resolutions passed the committee in 2000, 2005 and 2007, but never reached a floor vote because of extensive pressure from former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Obama does not have veto power over the resolution, which is not a bill or a law. The resolution only reflects the House’s “sense”, namely, their collective opinion.
The non-binding resolution, however, would call on Obama to ensure that US policy formally refers to the Armenian killings as "genocide" and to use that term when he delivers his annual message on the issue in April – something Obama avoided during last year’s address.
Turkey has warned any House or Senate adoption of an Armenian genocide bill would lead to a major and lasting deterioration in relations with the United States.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
