Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Pulling Strings: Davutoglu And Erdogan Contact US Officials

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Pulling Strings: Davutoglu And Erdogan Contact US Officials

    PULLING STRINGS: DAVUTOGLU AND ERDOGAN CONTACT US OFFICIALS
    By: Nanore Barsoumian

    http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/12/21/pulling-strings-davutoglu-and-erdogan-contact-us-officials/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaig n=Feed%3A+ArmenianWeekly+%28Armenian+Weekly%29
    Tue, Dec 21 2010

    Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called U.S. Secretary of
    State Hillary Clinton on Dec. 17 to urge officials to block the House
    of Representatives vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, saying
    doing otherwise would jeopardize U.S.-Turkish ties. According to
    Turkish sources, Clinton said her administration had not changed its
    position on the matter and that "she would exert all possible effort."

    Davutoglu told journalists, "I asked for an effective interference at
    Congress because this issue may carry the possibility of influencing
    the future and nature of Turkish-U.S. relations. Everybody should
    act with responsibility on this issue. Bringing historical issues to
    the agenda over and over, and swinging those issues over the head of
    Turkish-U.S. relations like the sword of Damocles, is not appropriate."

    Similarly, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter
    to President Barack Obama asking him to prevent the vote by the House.

    On Dec. 17, State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said the
    Obama Administration strongly opposes the resolution. "We are aware
    of a potential House Resolution 252, and we strongly oppose that
    resolution. We continue to believe that the best way for Turkey and
    Armenia to address their shared past is through their efforts to
    normalize relations."

    Both the Turkish Embassy and Turkish diaspora groups have launched a
    campaign to block the passage of the resolution by contacting senior
    U.S. officials and Congressmen.

    Turkey has long threatened that its ties with the U.S. would suffer
    if a resolution were passed. In March, Turkey recalled its ambassador
    after the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted in favor of it. Turkey
    has continued to deny that its policies of deportation and mass murder
    of the Armenians amounted to genocide.




    From: A. Papazian
Working...
X