WASHINGTON (Hurriyet)–An annual conference on United States-Turkey relations scheduled for April 11-14 has been postponed due to tensions over the approval of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the chairman of a Turkish business association said on Monday.    

The 29th Annual Conference on United States-Turkey Relations was postponed due to fears there would be low attendance by Turkish representatives, according to Ugur Terzioğlu, chairman of the Turkish-American Business Association (TABA/AmCham).

“With respect to our government’s politics and depending on the fact whether U.S. President Barack Obama uses the world ‘genocide,’ we are supporting the postponement of the American-Turkish Council [ATC] meeting,” he said.

“We hope to see the dark clouds over politics disappear. We wish for trade relations between the two countries, as well as investments, to develop further,” he said.

The Turkish-American Business Council (TAIK), and the ATC made the postponement decision together, said the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK).

On Saturday, DEIK said the conference, which was planned for the second week of April in Washington, was postponed due to a March 4 decision by the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs to approve the Armenian Genocide resolution and the political tensions it subsequently raised.

In response to the development, Turkey has temporarily recalled its ambassador in Washington, Namik Tan, to Ankara.