Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Friday it "greeted with sadness" the passage by a US congressional committee of two resolutions that denounce the deaths of Armenia’s early last century as genocide–and hoped US legislators would not allow the resolutions out of committee.
"In the period ahead–we believe that members of the US Congress will act with a responsibility befitting the Turkish-American relationship–and strongly hope that the resolutions will stay in the committee and not be carried to the floor," the statement said.
Turkey’s response came after September 15 when the House International Relations Committee voted in favor of two measures calling for proper US recognition of the Armenian Genocide and urging Turkey to end its decades long denial of this crime against humanity.
HRes316–which was introduced by Representatives George Radanovich (R-CA)–Adam Schiff (D-CA)–and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)–calls upon the President to ensure US foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding of the Armenian Genocide–while HConRes195 calls on Turkey to abandon its ongoing campaign of Armenian Genocide denial and to work with Armenia to come to terms with its tragic history.
Representative Knollenberg commented that "this legislation will show the world that America is not going to forget this horrible crime. The victims of the Genocide and their families deserve to have the crime recognized for the atrocity that it was. The committee’s action today–and hopefully the approval of the full House soon–will help make sure that this terrible offense is never forgotten."