Angry Ankara Calls Senate Panel ‘Inept’

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Turkish Foreign Mininster Ahmet Davutoglu

\nANKARA—Angered at Thursday’s passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Turkish Foreign Ministry lashed out at the legislative body condemning the adoption of the measure.\n

“The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has acted beyond its position, competence and responsibility by adopting by majority vote a hastily and ineptly prepared draft resolution (S.Res.410). We reject this attempt at a political exploitation that distorts history and law, and we condemn those who led this prejudiced initiative, which is devoid of any legal ground,” said an official foreign ministry statement.

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“In actuality, how Turks and Armenians, as the owners of this common history, can together, through dialogue and empathy, reach a just memory of the tragic events of 1915, which occurred during the great human sufferings of World War I, is already being examined thoroughly and in all its dimensions. In this context, our proposal to establish a Joint Historical Commission, also reflected in the Turkish-Armenian protocols, remains on the agenda,” added the foreign ministry statement.

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“In the forthcoming period, it is essential that the U.S. Congress engages in efforts aimed at strengthening our historic alliance and partnership, which are more important than ever in the present circumstances, instead of damaging Turkish-American bilateral ties; and that this draft resolution and similar ones are not moved any further in the legislative agenda,” the statement concluded.

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On Thursday, by a vote of 12 to 5 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee adopted the Armenian Genocide resolution, which urges Turkey to recognize the Genocide.

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Prior to Thursday’s vote, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday to discuss the resolutions.

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“We don’t have a negative expectation [for the outcome of the draft resolution],” Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara Thursday, adding that the two had also discussed developments in Syria and Egypt, reported Hurriyet Daily News.

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The Turkish government is taking measures against “initiatives that will bother Turkey. We hope they will not take such an attitude,” he also said.

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