Will the USA recognize the "Armenian genocide?"
Baku /29.10.19 / Turan: Today, the US House of Representatives will vote on a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Influential representatives of both the Democratic and Republican parties support it.
The accelerated consideration of the resolution was caused by the crisis in US relations with Turkey due to the Turkish operation in northern Syria. Official Ankara is expected to respond to recognition of the genocide by recalling its ambassador from Washington.
The resolution has a significant chance of getting approval. On Monday, it passed through the committee on the rules of procedure, which put it to the vote of the entire House of Representatives and without the possibility of amending, reports the BBC.
The document was submitted to Congress in January, supported by Democrat Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel and Republican Minority Committee Leader Michael McCall, as well as two congressional representatives from different districts of California - Devin Nunes and Adam Schiff, who are irreconcilable opponents on many other issues.
“October 29 may be one of the most important days for American Armenians,” said Migran Tumajyan, director of the “Armenian Assembly of America” for the western region. “Our warning to members of Congress: if someone dares to repeat Ankara’s erroneous position that there was no genocide, we we’ll not forget that."
Behind the accelerated consideration of the resolution is the deterioration of US relations with Turkey due to the Turkish operation against the Syrian Kurds, the former key allies of the Americans in the fight against the Islamic State.
This geopolitical context is not hidden by supporters of the resolution. On the day the Turkish operation began, Congressman Ted Lew tweeted that “now is the time for the United States to recognize the Armenian Genocide.”
The US position on the issue of genocide has traditionally been determined by geopolitics - Washington was not ready to conflict with Turkey, a key partner in NATO. American presidents, not excluding Donald Trump, have so far called the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire a “great atrocity,” but they have avoided using the word “genocide”. Turkish authorities deny that the mass deaths of Christians in 1915-1919 were a targeted state policy.
"The moment of this vote and the fact that its supporters associate it with a specific problem in relations between the United States and Turkey, in fact, makes it a political tool," said BBC American expert Joshua Kuchera. -02D-
Politics
-
Since November last year, there has been a suppression of the independent press and civil society in Azerbaijan, which is extremely disturbing and sets Azerbaijan back years, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mark Libby said in an interview with a group of journalists on Friday. According to him, the United States is taking all possible measures to improve the situation. "We do this openly in meetings with our colleagues. We are doing something openly, something privately, and we will continue this," the ambassador said.
-
Representatives of over 50 international organizations and leading universities in the UK and the world have appealed to the head of the Foreign Policy Department of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, on the case of Azerbaijani economist Gubad Ibadoglu. The message notes that Ibadoglu, who was released under house arrest during his detention, seriously undermined his health and now apparently needs a complex surgical operation, but he is still banned from leaving the country.
-
The National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) has scheduled a protest rally in Baku for May 19 demanding the release of political prisoners, electoral reform, improvement of the social situation of the population, and the opening of land borders. Earlier, the opposition had already scheduled rallies with these demands for April 21 and May 5. However, the Baku Executive refused to authorize opposition demonstrations.
-
The Biden Administration on Thursday formally accused Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine, and pledged further steps to hold Moscow accountable, following a new set of sanctions against the Kremlin, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
Leave a review