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US SENATORS TO INTRODUCE NEW ARMENIAN 'GENOCIDE' MEASURE
Today's Zaman
March 13 2012
Turkey
Two US senators are set to introduce a resolution that labels the 1915
killing of Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire as
"genocide," the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) has said.
The AAA said in a statement on Monday that Senator Robert Menendez
(D-NJ) along with Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) will officially introduce
the measure later this month. Specifically, the statement highlighted
the fact that "the Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish
massacre of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and
Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of the crime of genocide."
The Armenian diaspora in the US generally intensifies its lobbying
activities in Congress ahead of April 24, "Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day," to push Washington and Congress to endorse referring
to the killings of Armenians as genocide. Armenians claim that up to
1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Ottoman Empire around the
time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first
genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll
has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war
and unrest.
The issue has also previously roiled US-Turkish relations. A move
by the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 2010 to advance a
nonbinding resolution to the House of Representatives recognizing
the killings as genocide caused Turkey to temporarily recall its
ambassador to Washington. The resolution was opposed by the Obama
administration. Ultimately, the full House of Representatives did
not bring the measure up for a vote.
Today's Zaman
March 13 2012
Turkey
Two US senators are set to introduce a resolution that labels the 1915
killing of Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire as
"genocide," the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) has said.
The AAA said in a statement on Monday that Senator Robert Menendez
(D-NJ) along with Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) will officially introduce
the measure later this month. Specifically, the statement highlighted
the fact that "the Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish
massacre of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and
Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of the crime of genocide."
The Armenian diaspora in the US generally intensifies its lobbying
activities in Congress ahead of April 24, "Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day," to push Washington and Congress to endorse referring
to the killings of Armenians as genocide. Armenians claim that up to
1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Ottoman Empire around the
time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first
genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll
has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war
and unrest.
The issue has also previously roiled US-Turkish relations. A move
by the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 2010 to advance a
nonbinding resolution to the House of Representatives recognizing
the killings as genocide caused Turkey to temporarily recall its
ambassador to Washington. The resolution was opposed by the Obama
administration. Ultimately, the full House of Representatives did
not bring the measure up for a vote.