Although, the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a resolution recognizing the so-called “Armenian genocide,” Ankara has not yet considering closing the U.S. military base Incirlik in Turkey, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
“Every spring we wait the threat of a crisis in the U.S-Turkey relations with fear,” he said. “Yet, we do not consider the closure of Incirlik military base.”
U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Thursday adopted 23 votes to 22 a resolution recognizing the so-called “Armenian genocide.”
Armenia claims that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Making greater efforts to promote the issue internationally, Armenians have achieved its recognition by parliaments of some countries.
Regarding the U.S government’s position on the issue of the “Armenian genocide,” Davutoglu expressed hope that President Barack Obama will not recognize it Apr.24.
“Recognition of the so-called “Armenian genocide will have a very strong negative impact on the further establishment of peace in the Caucasus,” he added.
Turkey calls on Armenia to open all archives and not to exert pressure through the U.S. Congress, and negotiate face to face, Ahmet Davutoglu said.
The minister considers erroneous view that the adoption of the resolution could put pressure on Ankara to ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols.
“The fact is that Turkey has taken decision on in this issue for ten days, Armenia has done for four months,” he said.
The intervention of a third party, in this case the U.S., in relations between Armenia and Turkey, complicates the process of reconciliation between the countries, he said.
The adoption of a resolution recognizing the “Armenian genocide” indicates that the U.S Congress is very weak in developing a future political strategy, the Turkish minister said.
LIBERATION OF OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI TERRITORIES WAS ONE OF GOALS OF TURKISH-ARMENIAN PROTOCOLS
Liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories was one of the goals of the Turkish-Armenian protocols, in addition to normalization of the Turkey-Armenia bilateral relations, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted as saying by CNN Turk.
“The international community must understand that, one-sided peace is impossible in the South Caucasus,” he added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group — Russia, France, and the U.S. — are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.
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