Turkey's president and prime minister have criticized a US House committee resolution recognizing the killing of Armenians in 1915 as 'genocide'.
The approval of the resolution that labels ethnic clashes between Armenian and Turkish communities in the Ottoman Empire as 'genocide' by the US House Foreign Relations Committee, despite pressure from the Obama administration and Turkey to drop the matter, has shaken diplomatic relations between the US and Turkey.
The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-22 to approve the non-binding resolution, clearing it for consideration by the full House. But it was unclear whether the measure would get a floor vote.
Two minutes following the vote that approved the Armenian 'genocide', the Turkish Prime Minister's Office strongly condemned the resolution and announced the recall of Turkey’s envoy for consultations. In a statement, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was seriously concerned that the non-binding resolution would harm Turkish-US ties and efforts by Turkey and Armenia to bury a century of hostility.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed his regret after the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs approved the resolution on Armenian allegations.
Regarding approval of the resolution, Gul said, 'This decision is not reasonable. I strongly condemn it. It does not mean anything for the Turkish people. Turkey will not be responsible for negative outcomes of this voting.'
The resolution calls on President Barack Obama to ensure US policy formally refers to the massacre as genocide, putting him in a tight spot. On the one side is NATO ally Turkey, which rejects calling the events genocide. On the other side is an important US Armenian-American constituency and their backers in Congress ahead of congressional elections in November. Turkey had warned its ties with the United States would be damaged and Ankara's efforts to normalize relations with Armenia could be harmed if the resolution were approved.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, a fellow Democrat, on Wednesday to argue the measure could harm efforts to normalize Turkish-Armenian relations, the White House said.
Turkey and Armenia signed a protocol last year to normalize relations but it has yet to pass through the parliament of either country. Obama called Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday to urge quick ratification, the White House said. Despite Clinton's appeal, Berman went ahead with a committee debate and a vote. He said Turkey was a 'vital' ally but 'nothing justifies Turkey's turning a blind eye to the reality of the Armenian genocide'.
Congressional opponents expressed concern about harming ties with Turkey, whose help the United States needs to solve confrontations from Iraq to Iran and Afghanistan.
The resolution was proposed by Democrats Adam Schiff and Frank Pallone and Republicans George Radanovich and Mark Kirk, all important figures for the Armenian lobby in the US.
Turkey strongly rejects the genocide allegations and regards the events as civil strife in wartime which claimed the lives of many Turks and Armenians.
GUL: THIS DECISION WILL HARM PEACE AND STABILITY IN SOUTH CAUCASUS
Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed regret on adoption of the Armenian ‘genocide’ draft by the US House Foreign Affairs Committee.
According to APA, Turkish President said Turkey would not bear responsibility for undesirable problems between the two countries. The people of Turkey will never recognize this decision, President Gul said.
According to him, adoption of such unilateral and far-from-reality decision is inadequate to the Turkey-USA relations. “This step harms peace and stability in South Caucasus, and establishment of constant friendship relations between the peoples. I state unfairness of this decision to history and the science of history which seeks political dividends.”
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