Tweet
REGARDLESS OF THE POLITICAL IDENTITY OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE US, RELATIONS WITH TURKEY ON GENOCIDE ISSUE WILL NOT CHANGE: TURKISH EXPERT
arminfo
2008-05-19 16:22:00
ArmInfo. "Regardless of the political identity of the government in
the US, whether they are Democrats or Republicans, their political
relations with a country do not show significant changes," Ugur
Terzioglu, Chairman of Turkish-Armenian Business Association (TABA)
stated in an interview with Zaman.
He provided the different phases of the Armenian case as an example
of the strength of Turkey's relations with its US allies. "The
Armenian genocide case was brought to the Senate's agenda during
former Democratic President Bill Clinton's term. Clinton went to the
Senate taking the Pentagon's head with him and reminded the Senate
members of the US's 'high national interests.' The senate withdrew
the case and didn't utter even a word on it.
Years passed and this time Democrats under Nancy Pelosi's initiative
brought the Armenian claims of genocide to the Senate's agenda. With
the president's order, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sent
a letter to the Senate in April 2007 saying that the motion was
totally against the national interests of the US and that they had
to postpone it.
Terzioglu complained about the lack of an efficient Turkish lobby
working for Turkish interests in the US. The Armenian diaspora is
intensively working in for Armenian interests by spending billions of
dollars every year, he noted, adding that Turks have finally started
to do something about this issue.
To him, the level of cultural, political and military relations is
determined by the level of economic relations and Turkey's commercial
ties with the US are far from meeting their real potential.
arminfo
2008-05-19 16:22:00
ArmInfo. "Regardless of the political identity of the government in
the US, whether they are Democrats or Republicans, their political
relations with a country do not show significant changes," Ugur
Terzioglu, Chairman of Turkish-Armenian Business Association (TABA)
stated in an interview with Zaman.
He provided the different phases of the Armenian case as an example
of the strength of Turkey's relations with its US allies. "The
Armenian genocide case was brought to the Senate's agenda during
former Democratic President Bill Clinton's term. Clinton went to the
Senate taking the Pentagon's head with him and reminded the Senate
members of the US's 'high national interests.' The senate withdrew
the case and didn't utter even a word on it.
Years passed and this time Democrats under Nancy Pelosi's initiative
brought the Armenian claims of genocide to the Senate's agenda. With
the president's order, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sent
a letter to the Senate in April 2007 saying that the motion was
totally against the national interests of the US and that they had
to postpone it.
Terzioglu complained about the lack of an efficient Turkish lobby
working for Turkish interests in the US. The Armenian diaspora is
intensively working in for Armenian interests by spending billions of
dollars every year, he noted, adding that Turks have finally started
to do something about this issue.
To him, the level of cultural, political and military relations is
determined by the level of economic relations and Turkey's commercial
ties with the US are far from meeting their real potential.