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TURKISH SPEAKER CICEK MEETS WITH US COUNTERPART, DISCUSS SYRIA
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 26 2015
Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek delivered a speech at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) during his
visit to the US. (Photo: Cihan, Ä°hsan Denli)
March 27, 2015, Friday/ 00:40:00/ MAHIR ZEYNALOV / WASHINGTON
Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek met with his US counterpart john
boehner on Wednesday to discuss regional developments, particularly
Syria, Boehner's office said.
Cicek is visiting Washington this week as part of an intensified
campaign by Ankara to blunt a momentum in the US Congress as it
prepares to debate whether or not mass killing of Armenians during
WWI constituted a genocide. The issue has been Turkey's "red-line"
for decades and Ankara even recalled ambassadors in response to similar
attempts to recognize the killings as genocide, including from the US,
France and Sweden. Previous attempts to bring a similar resolution
to the House floor were failed, particularly in 2007 and 2011.
The Boehner's office didn't say if both speakers discussed the newly
introduced bill on Armenian "genocide." The Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA), the largest Armenian lobby group in the US, said
nearly 50 members of the House are now backing the Armenian 'genocide'
resolution. It said a broad spectrum of veteran and freshmen House
members are adding their voices to the "global call for truth and
justice," as support for the resolution continues to grow.
On Tuesday, Cicek said during his speech at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies (CSIS) that Turkey is the country that
wants the most to illuminate every aspect of the 1915 events so that
the issue is not "exploited."
"Whatever there is in front or behind, who provoked these events,
who promoted them ... whatever happened, we want them to be unveiled
based on documents with all their dimensions," Cicek said, adding
that Ankara wants to eliminate the exploitation of the 1915 events
and contribute to peace through exposing historic realities.
Boehner's office also said the two speakers discussed issues of mutual
interest and concern in the Middle East, including the ongoing war
in Syria. Boehner last met with Speaker Cicek last April during a
visit to Turkey.
Before his meeting with Boehner, Cicek repeatedly called on Western
countries to broaden their efforts to defeat the Islamic State
of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) to also include the removal of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad. Cicek also expressed unease that the West
is justifying assistance to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
"just because they're helping the fight against the ISIL."
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_turkish-speaker-cicek-meets-with-us-counterpart-discuss-syria_376403.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 26 2015
Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek delivered a speech at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) during his
visit to the US. (Photo: Cihan, Ä°hsan Denli)
March 27, 2015, Friday/ 00:40:00/ MAHIR ZEYNALOV / WASHINGTON
Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek met with his US counterpart john
boehner on Wednesday to discuss regional developments, particularly
Syria, Boehner's office said.
Cicek is visiting Washington this week as part of an intensified
campaign by Ankara to blunt a momentum in the US Congress as it
prepares to debate whether or not mass killing of Armenians during
WWI constituted a genocide. The issue has been Turkey's "red-line"
for decades and Ankara even recalled ambassadors in response to similar
attempts to recognize the killings as genocide, including from the US,
France and Sweden. Previous attempts to bring a similar resolution
to the House floor were failed, particularly in 2007 and 2011.
The Boehner's office didn't say if both speakers discussed the newly
introduced bill on Armenian "genocide." The Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA), the largest Armenian lobby group in the US, said
nearly 50 members of the House are now backing the Armenian 'genocide'
resolution. It said a broad spectrum of veteran and freshmen House
members are adding their voices to the "global call for truth and
justice," as support for the resolution continues to grow.
On Tuesday, Cicek said during his speech at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies (CSIS) that Turkey is the country that
wants the most to illuminate every aspect of the 1915 events so that
the issue is not "exploited."
"Whatever there is in front or behind, who provoked these events,
who promoted them ... whatever happened, we want them to be unveiled
based on documents with all their dimensions," Cicek said, adding
that Ankara wants to eliminate the exploitation of the 1915 events
and contribute to peace through exposing historic realities.
Boehner's office also said the two speakers discussed issues of mutual
interest and concern in the Middle East, including the ongoing war
in Syria. Boehner last met with Speaker Cicek last April during a
visit to Turkey.
Before his meeting with Boehner, Cicek repeatedly called on Western
countries to broaden their efforts to defeat the Islamic State
of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) to also include the removal of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad. Cicek also expressed unease that the West
is justifying assistance to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
"just because they're helping the fight against the ISIL."
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_turkish-speaker-cicek-meets-with-us-counterpart-discuss-syria_376403.html