TURKISH FM THREATENS U.S. WITH DETERIORATION OF BILATERAL RELATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.02.2007 14:37 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The second day of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s
visit to Washington DC was marked yesterday by talks on the Armenian
Genocide bill that was presented to the U.S. House of Representatives
last week. Speaking at Washington’s National Press Club, Gul noted that
the Armenian bill represented a serious threat to relations between
Turkey and the U.S., saying, "If it is passed, it will have a shock
effect on our relations." During yesterday’s meeting U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice assured Gul that the current administration is
working to prevent the passage of the Armenian bill. During his talk
at the Press Club, which was entitled "Turkey and the U.S.: Allies
in the past and into the future," Gul made some of the following
comments, "We have no difficulty facing our own history. These events
took place during a time of war. At the same time period, we lost 3
million people. Acceptance of the Armenian bill would have a serious
effect on our bilateral relations. Let’s not forget that we have been
a long-time ally of the U.S., and will be such in the future. The
Armenian bill should not be allowed to take Turkish-American relations
hostage. It should not be politicized," reports Hurriyet.