Focus News, Bulgaria
Jan 17 2009

Turkey warns US over recognizing Armenian claims on 1915 incidents

17 January 2009 | 13:37 | FOCUS News Agency

Ankara. Turkey’s foreign minister has warned Barack Obama’s incoming
administration that any U.S. recognition of Armenian claims regarding
the 1915 incidents could derail reconciliation efforts between the two
neighbors, the online English edition of Hurriyet newspaper reports.

Turkey warns US over recognizing Armenian claims on 1915 incidents "It
would not be very rational for a third country to take a position on
this issue… A wrong step by the United States will harm the
process," the Anatolia news agency quoted Ali Babacan as saying late
Friday.

Turkey has "never been closer" to normalizing ties with Armenia, its
eastern neighbor, and a breakthrough could be secured in 2009, the
minister said, according to the AFP.

Obama, who takes office Tuesday, pledged to his Armenian-American
supporters during his election campaign to recognize the 1915
incidents as "genocide".

The issue of 1915 incidents is highly sensitive for Armenia as well as
Turkey. Around 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks, died in
civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed by
Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.

However Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5
million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in
1915. The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet in
accepting Turkey’s proposal of forming a commission to investigate the
claims.